A pioneer of the "farm-to-fork" philosophy, Simon Rogan has built a career studded with accolades through experiences, dreams, and flavors, opening numerous establishments around the world.
Simon Rogan grew up closely connected to the world of food thanks to his father and, despite being a picky eater as a child, Simon soon developed his interest into a passion. At the age of fourteen, he began working in a Greek restaurant in Southampton. In an effort to consolidate the classical skills he had started to develop in college, Simon moved to the “Rhinefield House Hotel” in Hampshire, where, at seventeen, he learned from one of the former chefs of the “Savoy”, acquiring a solid classical foundation.
In 1988, he secured a position as a pastry chef at “Geddes Restaurant” in Southampton, under the guidance of chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. The 1990s were crucial for Simon's professional growth, as he worked in various successful restaurants such as “The Maltster's Arms” in Devon, “Gordleton Mill”, and “Nansidwell House Hotel”, in addition to internships with Marco Pierre White and John Burton-Race. He then worked for two years at “Lucas Carton”, a three MICHELIN-Starred establishment in Paris, and finally achieved his first role as head chef at “Adlington Place” in Croydon.
2002 marked a pivotal moment in his career with the opening of “L'Enclume” in Cartmel. Here, Simon combined his love for natural ingredients with his foraging experience, creating dishes that enhance the flavors of the natural world. The restaurant, awarded Three MICHELIN Stars (the first in 2005, the second in 2013, and the third in 2022) and a Green star. The chef's cuisine emphasizes the use of local ingredients, with most of the produce coming from Simon's farm, which supplies over ninety percent of the kitchen's products, located near the restaurant in the beautiful Cartmel Valley, in Cumbria.
Simon has also opened other successful restaurants, including “Rogan & Co”, which earned One MICHELIN Star in 2018, and “Roganic”, an organic pop-up in London, closed in 2013, replaced two years later by the new “Mr Cooper's House and Garden”. In 2013, Simon also managed “The French at The Midland Hotel” in Manchester and in 2014, he oversaw the menus of “Fera” in London, which was awarded a MICHELIN star in 2015. During the same period, “L'Enclume” was named the best restaurant in Britain and Simon was recognized as the best chef in Britain.
In 2017, Simon left “The French at The Midland Hotel” and “Fera” to focus on his independent restaurants. In addition to those already established, he opened “Aulis London” and “Henrock” in the United Kingdom. He then relaunched “Roganic”, this time in Hong Kong, opened two branches of “Aulis”, one in Hong Kong and the other in Phuket, and inaugurated “ION Harbour” in Valletta, Malta. By expanding his "farm-to-fork" approach well beyond the UK borders, Simon established himself as a pioneer in the global culinary scene.
