Savoy employs first female chef in 126-years

London institution The Savoy on the Strand has employed its first female head chef at the Savoy Grill for the first time in the five-star hotel’s 126-year history.

As reported by the Evening Standard, former MasterChef semi-finalist Kim Woodward has smashed the glass ceiling by being given the top job.

“It’s an absolute honour to be the head chef in one of London’s most iconic restaurants. There is so much history here, and the people who come through the door come here for the classic dishes the Grill is famous for,” Woodward said.

Woodward has big shoes to fill, as previous head chefs at the Grill have included Marcus Wareing, Andy Cook and the “king of chefs” Auguste Escoffier, who was the first to take up the post when the hotel opened in 1889.

Employed by manager César Ritz, Escoffier created a number of signature dishes at the restaurant including Peach Melba in 1893, in honour of Australian opera singer Nellie Melba. The Omelette Arnold Bennett, which Escoffier created for the British novelist, is still on the menu today.

In her new role Woodward will run at 35-strong team at the Art Deco-inspired Grill owned by the Gordon Ramsay Group where she worked as a sous chef for two years between 2010-2012 before heading up York & Albany in Camden.

Woodward is keen to continue the culinary traditions established by Escoffier, like a daily roast trolley and British classics Beef Wellington and Dover sole.

The Cheshire-born chef is also keen to put her own stamp on the restaurant via signature dishes like her tonka bean and strawberry millefeuille.

The Savoy Grill has been a celebrity magnet since it opened, attracting the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Franc Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.