Luxury Devon hotel and fine dining restaurant Gidleigh Park has appointed a new executive head chef to replace the legendary Michael Caines.
Michael Wignall (picture above) will take over the reins at the two-Michelin star Dartmoor restaurant in January 2016.
Joining from The Latymer at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, an exclusive hotel and spa, Wignall will commence his role with Brownsword Hotels in a position that will see him not only lead the kitchen at Gidleigh Park, but also consult across the food and beverage offering for ABode Hotels.
Wignall has secured an impressive list of coveted awards and accolades during his illustrious career, including two Michelin stars and five AA Rosettes at The Latymer.
He describes his own food as “complex, carefully crafted and very technical but not intimidating”.
Wignall said: “Gidleigh Park enjoys an enviable record of excellence and I’m very much looking forward to joining the team and working together. It’s with sadness that I leave the talented team at The Latymer, but I go with an enormous sense of pride from everything we’ve achieved together.”
Andrew Brownsword, Managing Director at Brownsword Hotels, added: “We’ve taken our time to find the very best successor to Michael Caines, someone we are confident can build on the solid foundations and great reputation that the iconic Gidleigh Park enjoys.
“We’re excited about the future and are delighted that Michael is to join us, having long admired his outstanding talent at The Latymer and before then at The Devonshire Arms and look forward to a successful partnership ahead.”
Caines will leave Gidleigh Park on January 3 following 21 years at Gidleigh Park. He has left his role at the luxury hotel to focus on the development of Courtland House in Lympstone, Devon.
The first opportunity to taste Wignall’s new menus will be on January 15 when Gidleigh Park re-opens after its annual closure.
