Profile

MAX GNOYKE

My career started at 13 working for my parents in the family’s country house hotel in the West Country. I then progressed to London to the Connaught Hotel in Michel Bourdin’s Michelin-starred kitchens before going on to work for Michel & Albert Roux at the three-Michelin-starred Gavroche.

After a stint at Gravetye Manor, a Relais Chateau in Sussex, I then joined Paul Heathcote in Lancashire. The relatively new restaurant in Longridge had gained its first Michelin star and part of my brief was to help gain a second star and look at the possibilities of helping Paul open another restaurant.

The second Michelin star came a little over a year after I started, placing the Longridge restaurant among the top eight restaurants in the UK. The focus then was on to expanding the Heathcotes business.

I opened both Heathcotes Brasserie & Simply Heathcotes in Manchester as Executive Chef, gaining a Michelin red M for both amongst many other accolades. Both restaurants were very much ground-breaking for the mid-nineties and helped set the scene for what is now a vibrant eating-out culture in the North West.

My role then developed out of the kitchen and as Managing Director of Heathcotes Restaurants, I became responsible for everything within the business – a true restaurateur. Under my management, Heathcotes became one of the North West’s premier restaurant groups.

At the end of 2007, I felt the need to go it alone & recognised an opportunity in the market for a quality, hands-on consultancy service tailored to each of its clients’ needs. Early in 2008 Full of Flavour was born.

Milestones

1986

Connaught Hotel, Mayfair, Michelin Star

1990

Le Gavroche, London, 3 Michelin Stars

1991

Gravetye Manor, Sussex, Relais Chateau

1992

Heathcotes Restaurant, Longridge, as Sous Chef, awarded second Michelin Star in 1994

1995

Opens Heathcotes Brasserie in Preston, Brasserie of the Year in the Independent and Lancashire Life.

Achieved Michelin Bib Gourmand

1996

Opens Simply Heathcotes in Manchester. Achieved Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Heathcotes School of Excellence & Heathcotes Outside are launched

1997

Max given an Acorn Award which places him in top 30 individuals under 30 in the catering industry.

Heathcotes awarded Caterer and Hotelkeeper Independent Restaurateur of the Year

1998

Commonwealth Games, Kaula Lumpur, part of a delegation from Manchester sent to promote the Manchester 2002 Games.

Heathcotes cookery book Rhubarb and Black Pudding published, co-written with Matthew Fort

2001

Simply Heathcotes in Liverpool opens.

Achieved Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2004

2002

Olive Press, Preston; Simply Heathcotes, Leeds

2003

Olive Press, Manchester; Simply Heathcotes, Wrightington

2004

Olive Press, Warrington; Olive Press, Liverpool

2005

Chop House, Preston; Olive Press Bolton

2007

Achieved The Sunday Times Best 100 Star rating. At the time, the only restaurant group to have achieved this accolade.

London Rd Restaurant, Alderley Edge; Olive Press, Clitheroe; Olive Press, Cheadle Hulme; Grado, Manchester

2008

Full of Flavour consultancy is formed.

ACCL Liverpool Arena opened

2009

Max becomes a mentor for final-year Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Management undergraduates at Oxford Brookes University

2012

Judge for North West Young Chef of the Year

2013

FoF website launched