UK: 28-year-old Oliver Walker has joined the 22-room hotel near Manchester as head chef.
Walker previously worked seasonally for three years at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza. He also ran a street food style events van called The Nomad at music festivals and private events.
Prior to this, Walker trained under Macdonald Hotels in Glasgow and spent much of his time at Gleneagles.
At Oddfellows On The Park, Walker will helm The Galloping Major restaurant. It was named after the previous owner of Bruntwood Hall who was often spotted on horseback when the park was run as a private stud. He was responsible for adding the ballroom where the hotel’s restaurant now sits.
Events up to 100 people are held in the restaurant, the hotel’s Parlor Rooms and Bar, for the terrace that runs the breadth of the hall overlooking Bruntwood Park.
Commenting on his appointment, Walker said: “I’m delighted to be taking up a head chef role so close to my Salford roots. I grew up on local and regional Northern ingredients and I can’t wait to showcase them in the food here at Oddfellows. As well as a tasting menu that will be as imaginative as it is seasonal and locally sourced, I’m looking forward to creating events and weddings menus that exceed expectations. It’s just as important to me that food for events should be as awe-inspiring to guests as any tasting menu.
“I’ll be drawing on my Pikes experience to create a more casual menu for daytime and hotel dining,” he continued, “elevating the basics like burgers and grazing platters for informal dining. And I’m particularly looking forward to creating an afternoon tea worthy of a setting where it would have been enjoyed in Victorian times, overlooking what was once the owner’s private 100-acre estate just outside of Manchester.”
Carlo Iulianella, general manager of Oddfellows On The Park said: “Oliver is an amazing chef, Manchester born and bred but with an excellent international pedigree. Whilst his food is modern British, he has a flair for presentation, and flavours that pack a real punch, which will bring a real drama to our beautiful ballroom at Bruntwood Hall. We are delighted Oliver is joining the Oddfellows family. He is a huge asset to the team.”
Oddfellows On The Park is the second boutique hotel in the Oddfellows collection, with a sister hotel in Chester.
