Chef, Gainsborough Restaurant

Richard Hunt was one of London’s most respected chefs when he opted to turn his back on the capital and head back to his Devon roots.  He took over the kitchens at The Grand hotel, Torquay in September 2008. A veteran of top rated red star, 4 AA Rosette mainstream London hotels, Richard wanted a new challenge and The Grand was ready and willing to be taken into his capable hands.

To Richard, food is a serious business. “If you are going to pay to go out to dinner you want it to be special,” he says. “Torquay has some good hotels but they aren't always considered as dinner options when choosing where to dine in Torquay.  There is a need for one hotel to step up to the plate and give guests a superb standard of food that is delivered in a warm and hospitable environment.  That's just what we are geared to do here at The Grand - it's on the list of places to dine out in Torquay”.

Certainly Richard is well qualified to deliver what he promises. He was first inspired to cook at the tender age of 6 when Keith Floyd and the Roux brothers burst on to TV screens. Thirty years on he is a member of the elite Academy of Culinary Arts, a society of 300 nominated and elected members and counts the Roux brothers as friends. He has just finished travelling the UK as judge of Britain’s Chef of the Year competition, so his peers in the industry certainly recognise that he knows his stuff.

Says Richard, “I was looking for something I could get my teeth into and found it here at The Grand. This is a 4 star hotel that has to be outstanding in every respect. I have a job to do here to ensure that every dish that leaves my kitchen delivers beyond expectation.  We also intend to become a centre of training excellence for young chefs who are serious about food and we already enjoy links with South Devon College.”