The former top chef at Liverpool FC, who offers food advice to Premier League stars, was announced as the new executive chef of a growing city catering company.
Chris Marshall, 49, is three weeks into his role at Relish, an event and catering company that took over operations of The Venue and a café bar in the Royal Liver Building last year, while also feeding the Laing O'Rourke crew constructing Everton FC's Bramley Moore Dock stadium. Thirty years ago, Chris from Speke arrived at a Widnes catering college with little cooking experience and no career plan. Since then, networking, jumping at opportunities, and never being afraid to ask questions, have propelled the dad-of-one into some of the most prestigious kitchens in the city.
Along with five years working with restauranteur and TV chef Gary Rhodes in venues across London and Manchester, Chris headed the openings of Liverpool's Radisson Hotel and Panoramic 34, one of the country's highest restaurants and "probably the most high-profile opening in Liverpool at the time". For six years, Chris spearheaded the transformation of Liverpool FC's hospitality offer from "basic" when he arrived, to "probably the best in the Premier League", with street food on sale and each box having their own chef. Despite working with international brands and celebrities, Chris stays focused on being as innovative as he can, and on cooking and using the best produce, "whether that be a burger, a dinner for 600 people, or a stadium full of match-going guests".
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The Everton season ticket holder said "you have to constantly be adapting and learning, you see new things all the time and you meet some absolutely incredible people" as a chef. But he said long hours and low starting pay make it hard to draw young people into the industry. Between leaving his six-year stint as executive chef at LFC and starting his job at Relish in April, Chris took 18 months off, one of the only times in his career he's had a chance to properly look after himself. He still worked one-to-one with unnamed Premier League footballers, "helping them with their nutrition", but it was on his terms when he wanted to.
He's fortunate to be at a point in his career where he can be picky about employers, looking for firms with a long-term vision. That's what he sees in Relish, along with a chance to work in the Liver Building, "one of the most iconic buildings in the city". Chris said: "If you're confident enough in what you do, and how you do it, you will find the right fit. You've got to be strong in what you believe as well, and ask, 'Is this the right place for me?'"
Now heading up Relish's operations as executive chef, Chris is excited to return to a working kitchen, launch new menus across the company's sites, and make it "the most prominent event caterer in the city". The Liverpool-based company caters for Town Hall, St George's Hall, Croxteth Hall and Grange Garden, and it's opening a new café bar in the city's The Capital building this summer.
Relish's co-CEO, Chris Foulkes, said: "Chris is an ambitious and talented chef who comes from a rich and reputable culinary background. He is passionate about food and the development of those he works with, his dedication is contagious, and I am confident Relish will go from strength to strength with him at the wheel. Relish has a reputation for outstanding cuisine, and we're looking forward to Chris enhancing that reputation as he moulds our offering to fit with his vision."
