New Executive Head Chef Takes Over at Jesmond Dene House
Chef, Eddie Saint, former senior sous chef at Jesmond Dene House has taken over from Danny Parker as executive head chef at the famous eatery, overseeing all events at the house as well as Fern Dining Room & Bar with immediate effect.
Father of two, Eddie, 33, from Tynemouth has worked in various hotels throughout the North East, starting with 2AA Rosette’s Hotel du Vin in 2009 as a commis chef, and sous chef before embarking on a new challenge at Close House and then Eslington Villa. Eddie then went on to work as a lecturer at Newcastle College, where he taught kitchen larder and patisserie to levels #1 and #3 and empowering his students to achieve gold awards at NECTA competitions.
Following his stint at Newcastle College, Eddie moved on to work at the famous Riley’s Fish Shack as head chef and stayed in the position until the Covid pandemic hit, but it was there where his passion for developing his knowledge in fish first emerged.
From joining Jesmond Dene House in 2021 as senior sous chef, Eddie has played an integral part of the operation and has for the past two years been running the Fern restaurant side of the business operation.
Using his vast experience in the industry, Eddie has trained numerous junior chefs during his time at Jesmond Dene House and has become heavily involved in the development of Fern restaurants’ offerings by helping to devise the menus, organising of their special events as well as the financial aspects of running a busy, high-profile kitchen.
Talking about his promotion, Eddie told us:
“I am thoroughly delighted with the position of Executive Head Chef and am looking forward to using my experience to create some exciting dishes for the guests of Jesmond Dene House and Fern Dining Room & Bar. I am fortunate to have worked alongside Danny Parker, who has moved onto pastures new, and I wish him all the very best, but I really look forward to the challenges ahead in my new position.”
A keen lover of fish and homegrown produce, Eddie intends to plan some fun events around these themes and bring some excitement to Jesmond Dene House utilising the Secret Garden Kitchen for outdoor BBQ’s and make the most of the heritage that Jesmond has to offer. The appointment of Eddie also coincides with the launch of their brand-newSummer seasonal menu at Fern restaurant, of which Eddie and his team created.
Events and marketing manager, Christina Stephenson concluded:
“We’re pleased to be able to promote one of our very own chefs into the position of Executive Head Chef at Jesmond Dene House and Fern restaurant. Eddie beat off stiff competition to gain the position and his determination to succeed to the top in such a tough industry is to be applauded. We are delighted he has taken the position and are excited for the future plans he has for our very special venue.”