Chef Tony Lewis joins KPI Hospitality to develop client base

KPI Recruiting’s Hospitality division has appointed classically trained Chef Tony Lewis. Tony’s background covers a wealth of experience in the restaurant sector as a chef, trainer and recruiter.

As a chef for over 26 years, Tony worked with some of the UK's top chefs, including Antonio Carluccio where he was head of training and development for over 500 chefs. He hosted cookery demonstrations, book signings and more than twenty new openings for the group, from Exeter to Glasgow. He also worked as Executive Chef for Jamie Oliver overseeing twelve venues in the North, training staff, developing menus, launching new restaurants and concepts across the group. Tony’s cooking has won multiple awards when he was Executive Chef at Bents, Cheshire’s biggest independent garden centre, and he also became a Master for The Craft Guild of Chefs.

Nick Icke, KPI’s Head of Hospitality enthused, “Tony is a real landmark appointment for KPI and his experience and insight will be great news for us. Our clients will be able to rely on his in-depth knowledge of the sector and take advantage of KPI’s exclusive pool of hospitality talent.” Tony also developed his own online hospitality consultancy business, supporting small businesses across the UK with food safety, online menus, training and business support. 

More recently Tony’s career has turned towards recruitment, joining a temp agency over two and a half years as consultant, then becoming Client Relations Director. “The move to KPI excites me because of the relationships we have with some of the UK’s biggest brands and the depth of our talent pool, which is something other agencies just don’t have. We’ll be looking to capitalise on the current database, grow our footprint across the North West and Midlands and support our national clients,” said Tony.

“In my spare time, I enjoy a lot of biscuits, which means training to keep my waist in check, from sky diving to Tough Mudder, (which I have done a few) and even preparing for a triathlon later this year. I like to keep busy; with a wife and three children that’s not much of a problem.”

Tony is also an ambassador for a mental health social enterprise "The Burnt Chef Project" which includes supporting the new generation joining Hospitality with talks and awareness as well as physical activities, podcasts, talks and ending stigmatism around mental health in hospitality for a sustainable future of the industry.

If you’re recruiting chefs, kitchen staff, waiters, front of house or any specific hospitality staff, Tony can help. Call 01925 637871 or email TonyL@kpihospitality.co.uk.