Bryn Williams (born 6 June 1977) is a

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

originally from

Denbigh Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...

, Wales. He is the head chef and sole proprietor of Odette's Restaurant,

Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of t ...

, London. He shot to fame as merely a

sous chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command of a kitchen, ranking directly below the head chef in the Kitchen Brigade system developed by Auguste Escoffier. In large kitchens, sous-chefs are typically left in charge of managing members o ...

in 2006 by beating established and well-known chefs to cook the fish course for the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations on the television programme ''

Great British Menu ''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. Format Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, where ...

''. He is now widely regarded as one of Wales' best chefs and one of Britain's new crop of "celebrity" chefs. In June 2015 he opened his new bistro, Bryn@Porth Eirias, on the sea shore in the north Wales town of

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay () is a town, Community (Wales), community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (h ...

Biography

Bryn Dwyfor Williams was born and raised into a farming family near

, Wales, with his brothers Gareth and Siôn. His father Eifion, a mechanic, is one of seven children, four of whom became farmers. Gwenda, his mother, is a doctor's receptionist. He received all his education through the medium of Welsh before moving to further education. He attended Ysgol Gynradd Twm o'r Nant, Denbigh (Primary) and Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, St Asaph (Secondary). Williams lived in Denbigh until he was 18, then moved to London.

Early years

Williams's interest in food began as a young child during a primary school visit to a bakery in Denbigh. Seeing the individual ingredients turned into bread sparked an interest in food and its processes that would stay with him. He later worked at the same bakery as a teenager on Saturday mornings. He also developed a respect for food whilst growing vegetables, fishing and shooting for game on his uncle's farm as a youngster. After leaving high school at the age of 16 he attended

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is a college in the north of Wales. After its merger in 2012, Grwp Llandrillo Menai became Wales' largest further education institution. History The college (which originally only included the main campus at Rhos-on-Sea) was opened as Llandril ...

– studying catering. In 2009, Williams was appointed Skills Ambassador for the college. After leaving college and working in Cafe Nicoise in

, he was encouraged by head chef Carl Swift to take his skills to London. He was taken on by

Marco Pierre White Marco Pierre White (born 11 December 1961) is an English chef, restaurateur and television personality. In 1995 he became the youngest chef to earn three Michelin stars. He has trained chefs including Mario Batali, Shannon Bennett, Gordon Ramsa ...

at the Criterion.

Professional career

After three years learning his craft under Marco Pierre White at the Criterion, he was sous chef under the tutelage of another culinary legend,

Michel Roux Jr Michel Albert Roux (born 23 May 1960) also known as Michel Roux Jr., is an English-French chef. He owned the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant '' Le Gavroche'' in London, which was opened by his father Albert Roux and uncle Michel Roux, until it clo ...

at Le Gavroche for a further three years. In 2001 he had an opportunity to experience European cuisine at first hand, working at the Patisserie Millet in Paris, which is also where the Roux family honed their skills. In the same year, he went on to work at

Hotel Negresco The Hotel Negresco is a luxury hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel construct ...

, a two Michelin-starred restaurant in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionOrrery Restaurant on

Marylebone High Street Marylebone High Street is a shopping street in London, running sub-parallel to Baker Street and terminating at its northern end at the junction with Marylebone Road. Given its secluded location, the street has been described as "the hidden wond ...

in London, working there for four years under the tutelage of head chef André Garrett. Whilst working at the Orrery he competed for the Roux Scholarship, having been encouraged to participate by Garrett who was himself a previous winner of the prestigious award. Williams finished second overall that year.

Odette's

Following his success on the ''

'' television series in 2006, Williams was offered the head chef's position at Odette's, a restaurant in

. The restaurant had recently undergone an expensive refurbishment following its purchase by Vince Power, who was looking for the right name to head-up his latest culinary venture. He bought out the owner and became sole chef-proprietor of Odette's on 1 October 2008. Reviews under Williams have been very good.

Bryn@Porth Eirias

It was announced on 9 September 2013 that Bryn Williams was to open a bistro at a multi-million pounds water sports centre on Colwyn Bay promenade. The announcement was made at the official opening of Porth Eirias by

First Minister of Wales The first minister of Wales () is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government po ...

Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones, Baron Jones of Penybont, (born 21 March 1967), is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He previously served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 20 ...

. The bistro opened in June 2015.

Touring Club

Touring Club opened in Penarth, Wales in June 2023.

The Cambrian

Williams is the Chef Patron at 'The Cambrian Adelboden' in the Swiss Alps.

Gorsedd y Beirdd (Gorsedd of Bards)

Williams was honoured by the Gorsedd of the Bards at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

2013 festival in his home town of Denbigh, by being chosen a new member of the Eisteddford Druidic Order.

Media

Television appearances

In 2006, he was a contestant on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

's ''

'', impressing the judges throughout the stages of the competition. Williams interviewed his grandmother about dishes she used to eat as a child before settling on a menu. He beat

Angela Hartnett Angela Maria Hartnett (born September 1968) is an English Michelin-starred chef. A protégée of Gordon Ramsay who became well known by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron at Angela Hartnett at the Connaught in London. ...

in the regional round, and went on to win the public's vote to cook his fish course of 'Turbot with Oxtail' at Queen Elizabeth's 80th-birthday banquet at Mansion House. He retained his crown when he beat Matt Tebbutt in 2007. He has since become a familiar face on ''

Saturday Kitchen ''Saturday Kitchen Live'' (formerly Saturday Kitchen) is a British food television programme typically broadcast on Saturday mornings between 10:00 and 11:30 on BBC One. It is also available on BBC iPlayer. It is currently hosted by Matt Tebb ...

'', also making appearances on ''Something for the Weekend'' and '' Market Kitchen''. Williams's first language is Welsh, and he has appeared in several programmes on the Welsh-language television channel,

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

. He was one of three judges on the very popular Welsh-language cooking competition programme ''Chez / Casa Dudley''; the third series started in Autumn 2008. A six-part series of ''Cegin Bryn (Bryn's Kitchen)'' started on

in March 2012. The programme is based on his cookbook ''Bryn's Kitchen'' and features six key ingredients, cooked in three different ways whilst also tracking their journey from source to plate. The second series of ''Cegin Bryn'' quickly followed in January 2013. Williams cooked live every day in the

GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...

kitchen with

Myleene Klass Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is an English musician, singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...

during the last week of its 17 years as a breakfast television broadcaster on ITV.

came to an end on 3 September 2010.

Radio appearances

On 21 March 2010, Williams appeared on '' Wales on the Menu'' on

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...

, where food critic Simon Wright challenged the Welsh public to attempt to get their dish on Bryn Williams' top London menu. Williams was impressed enough by 23-year-old student Tom Watts Jones and his complex dish of self-caught Welsh rabbit that he offered him a permanent job as a commis chef.

Cookbooks

Williams published his first book, ''Bryn's Kitchen'', in March 2011. His second book, ''For The Love of Veg'', was published in October 2013. His Welsh language cookbook, ''Tir a Môr'', was published in October 2015.

Patronage

Williams is a Patron of Gwledd Conwy Feast, which is Wales' second-largest

food festival A food festival is a festival, that features food, often produce, as its central theme. These festivals have been a means of uniting communities through celebrations of harvests and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. History Food fe ...

with around 25,000 visitors each year.

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

rugby player

Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams, (born 1 September 1975) is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a flanker. He earned 100 caps for the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team, the most by a forward until he was surpa ...

appointed Bryn as one of the 7 Patrons of his Spirit of Wales testimonial year in 2010, to help raise money for vulnerable children and cancer victims. Other Patrons include

Ian Woosnam Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. Nicknamed "Woosie", Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe ...

Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; ; born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles in film and television series in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Gruffudd became known for his portrayal of Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' ( ...

and

James Dean Bradfield James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. His cousin Sean Moore is a ...

Personal life

He married

Sharleen Spiteri Sharleen Eugene Spiteri (born 7 November 1967) is a Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist who has a contralto vocal range, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Texas (band), Texas, who rose to prominence in 1989 with the release ...

, the frontwoman of Scottish band

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, in September 2018 at the 15th-century church of St. Tyrnog in Llandyrnog, North Wales. The pair have become something of a celebrity couple in their own right. In 2021, they appeared on motoring podcast Fuelling Around to discuss their love of cars as well as their successful careers.

References

External links

*
BBC's North East guides – Hall of Fame, Bryn Williams

Great British Menu – BBC Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Bryn 1977 births Living people People from Denbigh Welsh-language television presenters Welsh chefs British television chefs