Ben Cottam

I'm a chef with 15 years experience in the industry. I've worked in a wide range of culinary settings including private jobs, i was head chef at Ottolenghi as well as working for one of London's best private members club amongst many other different roles.

I specialise in vegetarian/plant based cookery with an onus on big flavour, fresh and seasonal cookery.

Refugee Community Kitchen (Calais, France) 2024 – Present

Kitchen Coordinator 

Coordinating and running a kitchen team of up to 40 members and cooking meals for 1500 people daily for a refugee charity based in northern France.

Private Chef (London, UK) 2024 – present

Working in various private households, cooking for dinners and events. Working closely with clients to design and curate creative menus.

Auden Hospitality (Cobham, UK) 2024

Consultant Chef

Working closely with the team to redesign and execute a new menu for Foxhill’s golf club. Budgeting dishes and training the on site kitchen team.

The Ministry (London, UK) 2022 - 2023

Head chef

Menu writing, dish development, kitchen management, team training. Reinvented and elevated the deli offering at the private members club, total creative overhaul that tripled the use and revenue of the deli.

Yeast Bakery ( London, UK) 2021 - present Consultant chef/recipe and menu development

Working with a family run and owned business to develop an exceptional brunch/lunch menu

Ottolenghi Belgravia ( London, UK) 2019 - 2021

Head chef (hired as sous chef, promoted within the first month)

Day to day running of the kitchen, in charge of all kitchen staff, ordering, organising staff rotas. Working closely with Yotam Ottolenghi and executive chef Calvin Von Niebel to develop new recipes for the delis and restaurants. Leading teams at offsite events and private bookings.

Sacred Grounds Café ( Exeter, UK) 2 0 1 8 - 2 0 2 0 Head Chef/Menu and recipe developer

Day to day running of the kitchen, ordering, recipe writing and menu creating. Training of others.

Refugee Community Kitchen ( Ca la is, France) 2 0 1 7 - present Volunteer Chef

Responsibilities include, running and directing a kitchen of up to 5 0 volunteers and cooking up to 3 0 0 0 hot meals a day.

The River Exe Café ( Exmouth, UK) 2 0 1 2

Sous chef

Working under the head chef, cooking predominantly seafood. The restaurant was located on a barge, floating in the estuary. This helped me gain the ability to work well in a busy, confined kitchen under unorthodox conditions.

Private catering ( Exeter, UK) 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 9

Working closely with clients to develop menus for a wide range of events. Managing time efficiently in order to produce a high-quality product to a deadline, working with budgets and organising general logistics of off site cookery.

Full GCSE and A-levels.

Graduate of Ashburton Cookery School.