Danny Parker leaves House of Tides

The Staff Canteen

Danny Parker announced on Instagram he will be leaving his head chef role at House of Tides and The Staff Canteen can exclusively reveal he will be moving to Jesmond Dene House as head chef in August.

He has spent four and a half years at Kenny Atkinson's Michelin-starred restaurant in Newcastle and he has decided it's time for a new challenge.

Speaking to The Staff Canteen he said: "It's been a very personal decision and Kenny has been very supportive. He's been where I am now with a young family and he agrees it's the right move for me. He has been very good to me, he's supported me with MasterChef: The Professionals and Great British Menu plus the people he has introduced me to over the years has been amazing - networking with me and for me, you can't put a price on that."

At Jesmond Dene House, an independent boutique hotel just outside Newcastle city centre, Danny will be overseeing the food for the whole hotel and he's looking forward to working on  a bigger scale and having a team of his own.

He said: "I want to do good food and I don't mind that it doesn't have a star. Will Michelin visit? Possibly. Will AA visit? Of course they will. But most important is that anything we do achieve will be mine and my team's achievement."

He added: "I think it's important to work in a variety of establishments especially from a business point of view so you can learn how to run a successful restaurant, it's knowledge you need as a chef."

Originally from the small market village of Stockton-on-Tees, Danny Parker knew from the age of 14 he wanted to work in the industry after securing his first job as a kitchen porter at a local pub. He went on to work at Wynyard Hall with Alan O’Kane before joining Kenny as his sous chef.

He made it to the final five of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2014 and will compete again this year in the North East heats of BBC2's Great British Menu. He also made the final of National Chef of the Year 2017.

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 27th June 2018

Danny Parker leaves House of Tides