Grand Central Hotel appoints new Executive Chef
...James Murphy returns to Grand Central after 30
years
One of Scotland's top chefs, James Murphy, has returned to the
Central Hotel, Glasgow after 30 years to take on the coveted role
of executive chef in the lead up to its re-launch as the Grand
Central Hotel in September 2010.
James, who has 32 years experience under his chef's hat
including two years at the Central Hotel in 1980 as commis chef and
most recently 11 years at Hilton Glasgow as executive chef, joins
the new team at the Grand Central Hotel as work continues on
Principal Hayley's £20m refurbishment of the historic city centre
hotel.
Chef will be joined in the kitchen by Hungarian senior sous chef
Zoltan Szabo who has worked with James in the past and brings with
him 10 years of international experience. James will head up a team
of 25 in the kitchen and will be responsible for all of the Grand
Central's food and beverage outlets including its restaurant,
delicatessen and champagne bar along with its extensive conference
and banqueting facilities.
James said:
"I'm thrilled to be part of the Grand Central's renaissance.
It's a massive project to be involved in - right now the kitchen is
a shell but every chef dreams of being able to fill that shell and
I'm relishing every minute of it. I've been spending a lot of time
visiting the country's best farmers markets to source the finest
local produce - passion, simplicity and consistency is the key to a
great kitchen and it's great to be able to get out and about to
find the best ingredients for the menu."
Speaking on the appointment, general manager of the Grand
Central Hotel, Laurie Nicol said:
"I've had the pleasure of working with James over the years and
I'm delighted to have him onboard. In its glory days, the Central
Hotel had a first class food offering and with James leading the
kitchen I'm confident that we can put the Grand Central back on the
map."
Zoltan added: "It's an honour to be part of Mr Murphy's
team at the Grand Central Hotel and I'm looking forward to being a
part of the next chapter in its great history."
James studied Hospitality Management and Catering at the Glasgow
College of Food Technology before going on to start his career as a
3rd commis chef under the guidance of Anton Mossiman at the
prestigious Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane in London. Over the years
he has worked in a variety of top restaurants and hotels developing
his own skills and sharing his extensive knowledge with many
trainees. James has also travelled around Zimbabwe, Canada, India
and Hong Kong to promote Scottish cuisine and increase his culinary
knowledge. Along the way James has picked up several prestigious
awards including Scottish Chef of the Year at the Catering Scotland
Excellence Awards. James was also voted on to the Academy of
Culinary Arts in 2005.
Dating back to 1883, the Grand Central Hotel has an illustrious
history of attracting high profile guests including Cary Grant,
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Laurel and Hardy, the Queen, Sir Winston
Churchill and John F Kennedy. When it reopens, the Grand Central
Hotel will offer guests and delegates 186 fully refurbished
bedrooms, 21 meeting rooms including a stunning restored ballroom
called the Grand Room of Glasgow which will have a capacity for 500
guests and the Regent and Victoria Rooms which can each host 300
guests. The Grand Central Hotel will also feature a lavish
champagne bar overlooking Central Station's concourse and a new
bar, restaurant and deli which will be located on Hope Street next
to the entrance to Central Station.
For the latest news from the Grand Central Hotel, follow
@GlasgowsHotel on Twitter.
Issued on behalf of the Grand Central Hotel by DADA. For more
information please contact:
Toni Morrison at DADA on 0141 222 2266 or e-mail
toni.morrison@dada.co.uk
Gaby Crolla at DADA on 0141 222 2266 or e-mail
gaby.crolla@dada.co.uk