Mark Hix
Having chosen catering over metalwork at school, Mark attended Weymouth College and completed City & Guilds Qualifications.
Mark then moved to London to join the Staff Canteen at the Hilton as Commis Chef before moving on to the Grosvenor House Hotel for 2 years working for Anton Edelman and Vaughan Archer. He then worked under Anton Mosimann at the Dorchester as Chef de Partie.
Mr Pontacs, a small restaurant group incorporating The Candlewick Room, was his next move. After only two months working as Sous Chef he was promoted to Head Chef, at just 22 years old. After many months of hard work and effort The Candlewick Room was awarded a Michelin Red M, the only restaurant in the City to be given this award.
After 4 years at the Candlewick Room, Mark took the position of Head Chef at Le Caprice and when Chris Corbin and Jeremy King opened The Ivy in 1990 Mark was appointed as Executive Head Chef for Caprice Holdings Limited overseeing both Le Caprice and The Ivy and in 1998, J Sheekey. As the company continued to expand over the years Mark was made Chef Director, overseeing a further six sites - Daphne’s, Bam-Bou, Rivington (Shoreditch and Greenwich), Scott’s and Urban Caprice.
In December 2007 Mark left Caprice Holdings after 17 years to concentrate on his own projects. His first project was working with Rocco Forte, taking the role of Director of Food at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair. April 2008 saw the opening of the much anticipated restaurant ‘Hix Oyster and Chop House’ in Smithfield which was nominated in three categories at the London Restaurant Awards this September. And just two months' later his second venture, Hix Oyster and Fish House opened on the coast of Lyme Regis.
Aside from the restaurants and events, Mark has been involved in a number of other projects within the catering world, including consultancy work, various cookery demonstrations and judging panels, charity events, writing and television & radio appearances. This year he was awarded GQ Chef of the year and also won the Academy award for Outstanding contribution to London Restaurants.
Mark writes a regular weekly column for The Independent on Saturday magazine, and his innovative writing has won him several highly acclaimed awards. Last year Mark took part in the BBC’s Great British Menu and as one of the three finalists, took both his famous Stargazy Pie and Perry Jelly to Paris to cook for the British Ambassador's banquet.
Awards:
2003 Glenfiddich – Best newspaper cookery writer of the year
2005 Guild of Food Writers – Best Cookery Writer
2006 Andre Simon Awards – Special commendation for British Regional Food
2007 Guild of Food Writers – Michael Smith Award for work on British food.
2008 - GQ Chef of the Year.
2008 - Academy award for Outstanding contribution to London restaurants.
