Richard Corrigan

Richard Corrigan was born in 1964 in Dublin and grew up in a farming family in County Meath, where hunting and fishing for dinner was the norm. This has led to his style of cooking and his passion for earthy and natural ingredients in addition to his philosophy that food should reflect who we are and where we are.

He won his first Michelin star at Stephen Bull's Fulham Road restaurant in 1994, before launching the acclaimed Michelin-starred Lindsay House in London's Soho in 1998. He has been awarded many other culinary accolades, including Outstanding London Chef at the London Restaurant Awards. He appeared each week on the TV series "Full on Food" for the BBC and in 2006 he was one of 4 chefs who won a BBC competition, Great British Menu, to cook for the Queen’s 80th.

In that same year, Richard bought the lease and took charge of the well-established Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill restaurant, and can generally be found either behind those stoves or in the award-winning Corrigan's Mayfair. In addition he now has his own television series called "Corrigan Knows Food".

Ron Blaauw

Blaauw was born in Hoorn, the Netherlands, in 1967. After high school he worked as a cook in "De Kersentuin" in Amsterdam under chef Jon Sistermans and La Ciboulette where he learnt the tricks of the trade.  In 2009 Blaauw received recognition in Restaurateur / entrepreneur in 2009 from Gault Millau.

In the Netherlands Ron Blaauw is known for his efforts to convince the public that Michelin starred restaurants are not necessarily posh and expensive places. His philosophy is centred around the ‘indulgence of the inner man’ and the importance of putting his heart and soul into cooking. In 2011 his flagship restaurant named after himself, Ron Blaauw in Amsterdam, was awarded its second Michelin star. Known for sourcing excellent quality and variety of produce, his enthusiastic embrace and mastery of modern cooking techniques still allow his dishes to always carry a certain ¨Dutchness¨ to them.

His passion is also reflected among his colleagues and others in his role as Culinary Director at Dutch restaurant collective, the HME Group. At SAIL Amsterdam 2010, Ron and his team delivered menus of exceptional international quality aboard Tall Ships catering for 10,000 lucky guests. He is relishing the chance to do the same in London in 2012 on an even grander scale.