About Chef Simon McKenzie
I grew up in the North East of England before moving to London at 17 to work alongside some of the country's leading chefs, including Paul Gayler, Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White.
My journey took me from the capital to the AA 3-rosette Seaham Hall Hotel near my hometown of Sunderland, where I progressed from sous chef to acting head chef. I went on to hold head chef positions in Yorkshire and at the Hambrough Hotel on the Isle of Wight. However, seeking to push myself further, I stepped back to work as senior sous chef alongside two Michelin-starred chef John Campbell at the Vineyard at Stockcross, where I spent over two years whilst the restaurant held 7th place in the UK.
Ready to make my own mark, I opened Limewood Hotel in the New Forest as head chef for Michelin-starred Alex Aitken. In 2011, I moved to Scotland's west coast to lead the kitchens at the prestigious AA 5-red-star Isle of Eriska hotel, quickly achieving three AA rosettes in my own right.
Simon and his team provided delicious canapés and a wonderful three course lunch to celebrate my father's 90th birthday. All the guests commented on the lovely flavours of the food and the beautiful presentation. Simon is a pleasure to plan an event with and we are repeat customers !
Island Life
Relocating to Guernsey in 2013 to be closer to family, I originally opened Urban Kitchen in St Peter Port before being approached to design and develop the kitchens for the multi-million pound refurbishment of Rockmount, followed by La Reunion, which became the island's only destination restaurant with a two-week waiting list. I then served as Executive Head Chef at the island's only 5-star hotel, the Old Government House Hotel and Spa, and later at Bella Luce. During my time on Guernsey, I was awarded Channel Islands Chef of the Year twice.
Bringing It Home
After returning to the mainland in 2018 as head chef at Luscombes near Henley, I built a reputation for accomplished, unfussy modern British cooking that let quality ingredients sing.
Now working for myself - an ambition I've held for years - I specialise in bringing restaurant-quality food directly to you. Whether it's intimate fine dining in your home, dinner parties, luxury wedding catering, or corporate event catering, I'm passionate about sourcing the very best seasonal ingredients and using my skills to create memorable dishes that will leave you and your guests looking forward to your next dining experience.
Simon prepared a superb dinner for 8 of us to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We talked about the menu we wanted and Simon guided us on our choices. The food was delicious and the service so friendly. Thank you Simon you made our evening very special.
Why Us - The Journey
For me, planning is as much fun as cooking dinner for you and your guests and seeing the smiles on everyone's faces.
The details matter: the more cogs turning at an event the more excited I get. During the journey to your event date I crave details so when we arrive, my team is briefed on all aspects of the event. This means everything is exactly as you imagined and you can relax knowing you are in very safe hands and enjoy your own party whilst we take care of the minutiae.
01 - Planning
It’s not my event, its yours. I want to cook the food that is going to make you happy and your event memorable for all of the right reasons. Our menus are simply a suggestion of what I think is great produce in season and on trend right now sitting next to some of our most popular, tried and proven dishes. However, you are completely free to adapt dishes or request favourites and - wherever possible - I am more than happy to include them.
02 - Menus
We are always very happy to accommodate food intolerances and allergies. The way we approach this is once you have selected a menu for your group, we revisit recipes and adapt dishes to fit individual requirements. My team and I are passionate that guests are not singled out due to allergies; everyone can enjoy an elevated dining experience without compromise.
03 - Allergies
Planning is key and you can rest-assured that your event – whether an intimate fine dining dinner party or an informal affair for family, friends and colleagues – will be delivered to the highest standards. This definitely isn’t our first rodeo so every detail from the moment we arrive has been checked and checked again to ensure a truly memorable dining and hospitality experience.