John Williams

In his role as the hotel's Executive Chef, John Williams MBE has overseen The Ritz Restaurant since 2004. The son of a Tyneside fisherman, today he is one of the most respected chefs in Britain, and his food is relished by royalty, savoured by preidents and prime ministers, and enjoyed by the great and the good.


Executive Chairman of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and a member of Le Conseil Magistral de Disciples d'Auguste Escoffier, his most recent accolades include a "Special Award" at the annual Catey Awards 2017, in recognition of his dedication to the industry, and he was named AA Chef of the Year Award 2017-2018. In 2005, Williams was the first British Chef to be conferred with a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite Agricol (CMA) by the French Government in 2005 and he was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honour List by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to hospitality in 2008. Under his leadership, The Ritz Restaurant received a Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2017 for the first time in the hotel's history.