Granger and Co.

Chef Chats: Anthony Ekizian

Group Head Chef at Granger & Co.

Aspiring chefs! Learn all about what it really takes to become a chef, the vast opportunities that open up with this career, and some words of wisdom from Anthony Ekizian.


We chatted with Anthony Ekizian, Group Head Chef for Granger & Co. in London, who told us all about his dynamic career working in kitchens across multiple countries – ranging from Michelin-starred fine dining to high-street restaurants, and more.


 

Anthony Ekizian Head Chef Granger & Co


Anthony Ekizian, Group Head Chef at Granger & Co.

 

Granger and Co. is a well-loved all-day dining restaurant with venues across the globe, all housing an easy-going, friendly atmosphere and serving up fresh, high-quality Australian cuisine. Here’s how Anthony got to his role of managing all four Granger and Co. kitchens across London:


“The work was hard but I learnt the basics of Michelin star. When you’re passionate about something, the hours don’t matter so much. Everyday I was learning something new and that’s what mattered.”


“I then went on to work for another restaurant in France as a Chef de Partie, and little-by-little, with each new environment I became more experienced.”


Anthony then moved to New York, where he started life in a small French restaurant as a Sous Chef, before progressing onto work in various other restaurants, including a three Michelin star restaurant. He tells us of the fond memories he has working abroad:


“When I was a young chef in New York, we often had famous musicians, actors and models come in, and sometimes they would stay and have a drink with us after the restaurant closed. That was a cool part of my job which I really enjoyed.”


“That’s the great thing about being a chef – you can really travel a lot.”


“As a classically French trained chef, I learned so much about new worldwide cuisines working in New York. It was great to learn all this and prepared me for my first Head Chef position.”


After four years in New York, Anthony had picked up English well and learned a lot about Kitchen Management, at which point he moved to London.


“In London, I took a Sous Chef position for the private dining room of the BNP Paribas Bank, and became Head Chef after six months. I worked there for nine years, and as the company expanded I was able to take on an executive position running multiple kitchens.”

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“But after nine years I wanted to go back to high-street restaurant businesses, rather than private and fine dining.”


Anthony then went on to work at the reputable french restaurant, Aubaine, for three years, before moving to Granger and Co, where he works today.


“I always loved Granger and Co, so when the opportunity came along I applied.”


“Even if you don’t have any qualifications but are committed and working for the right business, you can definitely still make a good career as a chef. Great chefs are passionate and committed. There are great opportunities and you can make a very decent living also.”


“The model of working long hours is changing. Here at Granger and Co, one full shift is nine hours, so you work forty-five hours a week. So despite what people say, you can definitely have a life outside of work as a chef, and you will notice that over time more and more restaurants are taking on this model of work.”


“The best part of being a chef is playing with food, creating dishes, discovering different flavours and techniques. It’s really creative.”


“At Granger and Co, we’re very good with people. We really care about our team. During the lockdown, all our team were on furlough; no-one was made redundant. The operations team worked hard to make sure everyone got something beyond furlough. After lockdown, we took the effort to ensure people were feeling well at work, after not working for so long. It’s about communicating with your team, and at Granger and Co, we are close to our team and we really care about them.”


“And if you look at our restaurant, there are lots of employees – chefs, waiters and managers – who have been with us since the beginning. We have a good, close, honest team, and that’s what I love about it.”


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