A top chef has been snapped up by one of Scotland's leading hotel restaurants.
Luxury boutique hotel, One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, has appointed Gary Townsend as head chef of its 3AA Rosette restaurant.
The Glasgow hotel in Hyndland is renowned for its luxury reputation having hosted many famous guests over the years.
Gary will continue the restaurant's strong ethos for using fresh, seasonal, locally sourced and where possible organic produce.
The ambitious classical chef has more than 16 years experience in some of the country’s most renowned kitchens.
These include Tom Kitchin’s, The Kitchin and Martin Wishart, where he worked as a sous chef during the time the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star back in 2011.
Gary was formerly head chef of Cameron House, which closed following a fire earlier this year.
'INCREDIBLE REPUTATION'
He has experience in a number of Michelin kitchens having also worked for L’Enclume, Restaurant Sat Bains, Hibiscus and Midsummer House Rosettes.
Gary Townsend, said: “One Devonshire Gardens has an incredible reputation and it is a real honour to take on the role as head chef and join a fantastic team in the kitchen.
"It is a pleasure to work somewhere that shares my passion for good quality, seasonal produce and celebrating Scotland’s fantastic larder.
“It’s been a busy few weeks already with lots of developing and planning, something that I am incredibly passionate about.
"Learning and development is a key role of being a chef, ensuring that everything that goes out is the best it can be for both the customer and the team in the kitchen.”
Gary heads up a team of 11 in the kitchen, including a number of chefs he has worked with previously at Cameron House.
Gary describes his style as ‘classical French but with a modern twist’.
He will be responsible for a suite of new menus including a la carte, seven course tasting and a new menu for the hotel’s popular Sunday lunch.
Gary said: “It’s been an incredibly busy but very fun start reviewing the menus.
"We have a fantastic larder here in Scotland and you’ll find this in each of the new menus, whether that’s the tasting menu right down to the vegetarian a la carte which features various types of beetroot and wild mushrooms which are both delicious right now.
"We are extremely fortunate to have, in my opinion, the best seafood on the planet and this is showcased through the menus with dishes including salmon, scallops and lemon sole.”
Gary has also worked closely with One Devonshire Garden’s in-house sommelier, Alan Brady, on the new menu.
Marianne Clavé, general manager at One Devonshire Gardens, said: “Gary is an outstanding chef and we are thrilled to have him join our team.
"He’s already created a number of incredible dishes and we are excited for our regular guests and new customers to experience his new menus.”
