Kim Woodward hired as Savoy Grill's first female head chef in its 126-year history

A former MasterChef semi-finalist has smashed one of the most enduring glass ceilings in London by becoming the first woman to run the Savoy Grill kitchen in its 126-year history.
Kim Woodward: the first female chef at the Savoy Grill (photo: Alex Lentati)
Alex Lentati

Kim Woodward, 34, has been appointed head chef at the venue where prime ministers, captains of industry and showbusiness luminaries have power-lunched for decades. Regulars have included Sir Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde and Frank Sinatra.

Woodward, who lives in Camden, said: “It is an absolute honour for me to be the head chef here in one of London’s most iconic restaurants. Obviously there is so much history here, and the people who come through the door come here for the classic dishes that the Grill is famous for.”

She follows in the footsteps of Auguste Escoffier — dubbed “chef of kings” — who was installed by hotel manager César Ritz when the Savoy first opened in the Strand in 1889. Since then a string of maître chefs have followed, including Marcus Wareing and Andy Cook — but never a woman.

Grand entrance: The Savoy's
Alamy

At the five-star, art deco Grill, which is now part of the Gordon Ramsay stable, Woodward will head a team of about 35 chefs, of whom some 40 per cent are women. It marks her return to the venue — she was a sous chef between 2010 and 2012, before becoming head chef at the York & Albany gastropub in Camden. She reached the semi-final of the 2011 series of MasterChef: The Professionals.

The Cheshire-born chef said she would continue the “masculine” culinary traditions established by Escoffier, including a daily roast trolley, and classics such as Beef Wellington and Dover sole.

It was more important to keep the Grill true to its traditions of “great quality cuts of meat and fish” rather than regain the Michelin star lost when it closed for refurbishment in 2007, she added: “People are here because it is a classic grill.”

As well as powerful men, the Savoy Grill has been a magnet to some of the world’s most famous women including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day and Victoria Beckham. It was also where Vivien Leigh met her future husband Laurence Olivier.

The Savoy's famous diners - in pictures

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Escoffier created a number of famous dishes at the Savoy, including Peach Melba in 1893, in honour of Australian singer Nellie Melba, and Melba Toast in 1897. Another signature dish, Omelette Arnold Bennett, was created for the novelist and is still on the menu.

Ms Woodward said she hoped to bring her own trademarks to the Grill, including a tonka bean and strawberry millefeuille dessert.

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