CHRIS WHEELER

Chris' passion, enthusiasm and culinary excellence was spotted and nurtured from a young age. Starting his career at the Domaine De Bassible Hotel and Michelin starred restaurant located in the cosy French town of Ségos, fed the raising star's ability.

Spotting Chris' talent early on, celebrated Chef Jean Christophe- Novelli hired him, and Chris worked with Novelli for 10 years, becoming the youngest Sous Chef of the time to be working 7 days a week in a Michelin star winning restaurant. Chris rose through the ranks becoming Group Head Chef and right hand man to Jean Christophe, winning Michelin stars and 5 Red stars throughout the Novelli empire, including Four Seasons Park Lane, Le Provence, Lymington, Maison Novelli and Les Saveurs, Mayfair.

Chris joined Stoke Park in 2003 and for the past eleven years he has steadily been building Stoke Park's culinary reputation. In addition to Humphry's winning 3 AA Rosettes, much praise and accolades have been attributed to Chris and his team, with Woman and Home magazine recently stating, ‘Humphry's is the last word in fine dining', Marco Pierre White saying Humphry's is ‘an experience you want to relive again and again and The Daily Telegraph naming Stoke Park as having one of ‘Britain's Best Afternoon Teas'. Humphry's was voted in the ‘Top 20 Best out of Town Restaurants' by Harper's Bazaar, ‘Top 5 Out of Town Restaurants' by the Square Meal Restaurant Guide, won ‘Best Local Menu' for his use of local produce at the Buckinghamshire and Berkshire Life Food and Drink Awards, he was a finalist for ‘ Chef of the Year' at the Hotel Cateys and featured in Tatler's Restaurant Guide 2013 and again in 2014, with the editor writing in the guide that Chris had cooked two of the best dishes he had eaten all year!

Chris' flexibility as a chef is legendary, whether it'll be recreating the Olympic torch as an exquisite cake to celebrate London 2012 or cooking at Stoke Park's annual Boodles event. This five day tennis challenge, which is in its 14th year, takes place at the end of June every year and sees Chris and his team plate up just under 9000 delicious three course lunches and afternoon teas.

If Chris isn't hard at work in the kitchens of Stoke Park creating culinary masterpieces, you can hear him on the radio, appearing on a number of different channels and shows including Capital FM, BBC Berkshire and Chef Radio, on topics varying from an insight into his dishes to his views on local produce and developing cooking techniques. Along with this Chris, writes a monthly food column for The Buckinghamshire Advertiser showcasing some of his latest recipes.

If hearing him on the radio or reading in the local paper wasn't enough, Chris is a familiar face on TV having appeared on Hell's Kitchen 2 alongside Jean Christophe Novelli and more recently on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch.

It is Chris' flexibility as a chef which makes him legendary at Stoke Park. If it's not whisking up culinary delights for guests, it's running the marathon dressed as a chef and carrying a stock pot or flipping pancakes all the way, raising tens of thousands pounds for charity. Chris's values run deep with cooking for the homeless on Christmas Day, donating himself for cook-off's and charity master classes which importantly raise money for good causes.

Away from his hectic work life, Chris resides in Greenford with his wife and twin daughters and when asked who does the cooking at home, his answers is... his wife! Why you may ask, because he uses every pot and pan in the kitchen!