Lifestyle restaurant brand Rockwater has announced the appointment of Josh Deacon as group executive chef.
The position is a new role for the south coast-based group which currently operates Rockwater Hove and Rockwater Village in Branksome, Poole, and will be opening a third venue in Sandbanks this summer.
Deacon has 12 years of experience as a chef, previously holding positions as executive head chef at The Stratford Hotel in east London and head chef of the Rail House Café in the City of Westminster.
As a classically French-trained chef, he received most of his training in high-end resorts and fine dining restaurants of a Michelin-standard. He has also learnt from chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsey OBE at the Savoy Grill in the Savoy Hotel and Gordon Ramsey’s Maze restaurant.
Regarding his appointment, Deacon said: “I’m excited to be moving into my new position as group executive chef at Rockwater. I have a passion for championing local producers and believe in using the best ingredients to create delicious, seasonally driven menus.
“Rockwater venues are set in the most spectacular locations, with the sea just a stone’s throw away from each, and this presents incredible opportunities for me and my kitchen teams to create a destination dining experience.”
Deacon will oversee culinary operations across all Rockwater venues. He leads the menu development and engineering across two sites at Branksome and Hove, currently supporting a 70-strong kitchen team.
The kitchen team will increase to 100 persons with the Rockwater Sandbanks opening later this year. He also works closely with the operations and management teams to create new concepts for future restaurants and launch new menus.
Deacon said: “I’m looking to introduce a host of new dining concepts to Sandbanks, allowing guests to enjoy a variety of new and intriguing dining experiences. We’ll be offering standards and styles of dining to suit many preferences, which will allow customers to revisit the venue time and time again as they enjoy completely different experiences and culinary tastes.
“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career which brings me out of the city and to the south coast. I look forward to raising the standard of dining along the south coast, working closely in tandem with our suppliers and amazing team of chefs.”
Luke Davis, CEO and founder of Rockwater, added: “It’s great to welcome Josh to the Rockwater family as group executive chef. He joins us at an exciting time with the impending opening of our Sandbanks venue later this year. His extensive experience will further enhance the dining offerings across our venues, and we look forward to the culinary journey ahead under his guidance.”