Andrew D’Ambrosi · Chef & Culinary Consultant
Concept development, menu costing and operational support for restaurants, hotels, food retail and hospitality groups.
London-based · UK & international projects
Concepts created.
Kitchens led.
The experience behind the offer
I’m Andrew D’Ambrosi, a chef and culinary consultant based in London. I bring more than two decades of experience in concept development, executive kitchen leadership and operations across multiple outlets. My background includes restaurants, hospitality groups, hotels, private members’ clubs, food retail and catering in the UK, Europe, the US and the Caribbean.
I work with owners and operators to develop a clear food offer, costed recipes and practical kitchen standards. Each assignment reflects the customer, price point, staffing and production capacity of the business. My culinary experience spans French, Italian, Latin American and pan-Asian cooking, American barbecue, seafood and plant-based concepts.
Consulting services
Focused assignments and ongoing culinary direction for restaurants, hotels, delis, fast casual concepts and hospitality groups.
Develop or reposition a food offer around your target customer, selling price and service model. Translate the concept into recipes the kitchen can deliver.
Prepare the kitchen team, production routines and culinary standards for launch. Support the implementation of an established brand in a new location.
Review recipe costs, portion control, purchasing and kitchen workflow. Establish priorities for improving consistency, cost visibility and service delivery.
Develop retail and catering ranges for batch production, takeaway and home finishing. Align the food offer with the format, customer and production requirements.
Selected projects
Examples of concept development, brand implementation and culinary leadership, with clearly identified roles and supporting coverage.
Neal’s Yard · 2026–present
Head Chef · International brand opening
What this demonstrates
Brand transfer · Team training · Opening kitchen leadership
Trained with Buvette in New York before taking its established culinary approach into the London kitchen. Led kitchen preparation and opening execution, translating the brand’s recipes, routines and standards into a new team and location.
Press & project evidence
London launch · June 2026.
The Cotswolds · 2019–2025
Co-founder & Executive Chef · Food retail
What this demonstrates
Concept creation · Prepared-food products · Retail & catering menus
Created the culinary concept and food range for a chef-led shop, from Southern fried chicken and seafood rolls to seasonal salads, prepared meals and catering. Developed the range for takeaway, home finishing, catering and events. The business continues to serve signature food I created.
Press & project evidence
New York · 2015
Executive Chef · Concept Creator & Culinary Innovator
What this demonstrates
Culinary innovation · Original concept creation · Lasting food identity
Created the culinary concept and food identity of Avant Garden for Overthrow Hospitality, pioneering an approach that put vegetables at the centre of fine dining. Built dishes around the character of each ingredient, using layered preparations, contrasting textures and precise presentation. This approach helped shape New York’s emerging plant-based fine-dining scene, earning acclaim from Eater and The New Yorker. The success of the concept became a catalyst for Overthrow Hospitality’s move towards vegetarian dining across its venues. My dishes continued to be served after I left, carrying forward the culinary identity I created. The restaurant went on to receive Michelin Guide recognition.
Press & project evidence
Brooklyn · 2013–2015
Executive Chef · Seafood concept
What this demonstrates
Seafood menus · Dish development · Kitchen leadership
Led the food at this Brooklyn seafood restaurant, from crudo to squid cut into tagliatelle. The menu brought precise preparation and an inventive approach to a compact neighbourhood restaurant.
Press & project evidence
Culinary direction across a group
As Group Executive Chef at Overthrow Hospitality and Bamboo Group, I worked across distinct food identities: plant-based dining, seafood, Latin American cooking, Asian fusion, sushi, American barbecue and Nikkei.
For owners and groups operating multiple outlets, I provide direction on menu development, recipe specifications, purchasing and production standards. The aim is consistent delivery across the business, with a distinct food identity for each concept.
Discuss culinary direction ↗Working together
A kitchen or menu assessment with a written review, priorities and practical recommendations.
A new concept, menu, product range or opening brief, with agreed deliverables and milestones.
Regular support for menu development, recipe costs, team standards and delivery across your outlets.
Each engagement starts with your business objectives. We agree the deliverables, timetable and fee before work begins.
Send a project brief ↗Featured in
Chef · Executive Chef · Group Executive Chef
Selected independent coverage
Robert Sietsema’s assessment of the opening menu.
Read the reviewTatler’s dinner-party directory recommends the menu and connects the cooking to Andrew’s restaurant background.
Read the feature
