Thai Leisure Group (TLG), the operator of Thai restaurant brands Chaophraya and Thaikhun, has appointed Simon Firth as its Executive Chef. This role has been newly created to bolster the company as it plans to grow its estate to 35 restaurants by the end of 2018.
Simon, who spent the last 10 years working as Group Executive Chef for Manchester Central Group, will head up back of house operations across all of TLG’s brands, particularly focusing on training, compliance, purchasing and recruitment.
Simon said “I’m delighted to be taking over the role of Executive Chef at Thai Leisure Group. I have been passionate about Asian cooking all my life and look forward to overseeing logistics at TLG and easing growing pains as the business looks to scale its operations over the coming year.
“One of my main goals is to make Thai cooking accessible to young chefs all across the UK and promote the speciality as a viable option for young chefs leaving college. This new role gives me the platform to do that – I can’t wait to get started.”
Simon is currently a World Master Chef and a Master Craftsman in the Craft Guild of Chefs. His other accolades include achieving four Knife and Forks in the Michelin Guide and runner up in The Craft of Chefs banqueting chef of the year Award 2010.
Ian Leigh, MD said: “It’s great to have a chef of Simon’s calibre joining our team. The business is entering a period of expansion and his experience will prove invaluable in attracting, retaining and training new staff, as well as overseeing logistics during this busy period.”