World-renowned Michelin starred chefs Angela Hartnett and Claude Bosi will be first on the pass for Aberdeen’s Signature Food Festival 2023 in April.
The line-up announced today (Monday 13 February 2023) also features firm festival favourite Atul Kochhar.
The Michelin chef makes a welcome return for the first helping of Signature 2023 which takes place at The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen in April.
Tickets go on general sale on Monday 20 February on the Signature website.
£1 million raised for local causes
For the first time the event, which has raised over £1 million for charity since 2017, will host events in both spring and autumn. It is run by The JEllie Foundation which raises funds for local children’s charities.
Angela Hartnett OBE will be in the kitchen on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April. Chef Hartnett is one of the UK’s most loved chefs, known for her sophisticated, yet simple, Italian-inspired cooking.
Her Mayfair restaurant Murano opened in 2008 and within four months achieved a Michelin star and four red rosettes. Angela’s food is described as representing “simplicity at its absolute best”.
Claude Bosi is next on the menu and will cook up a storm on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 April. He launched Claude Bosi at Bibendum in March 2017 and it was awarded two Michelin stars less than six months later. Chef Bosi is a legend amongst his peers and known for combining highly skilled classical techniques with the world’s best produce.
Atul Kochhar makes a welcome return to Signature on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 April. He is the pioneering twice Michelin-starred chef from India, who has changed the way people perceive and experience Indian cuisine in the UK.
Chef Kochhar is a friend of the festival and will be making his third appearance by popular demand. His restaurants celebrate the life and culture of India and its bounty of beautiful flavours, aromas and spices.
Tickets for Angela Hartnett and Claude Bosi are £200 per person and for Atul Kochhar, £150, which includes Champagne on arrival and paired wines with each course.
Signature Food Festival 2023 continues into the year
Further high-profile chefs will be announced in May for the second serving of Signature which will take place in September and November 2023, along with the now legendary Sunday Lunch.
The fine dining festival, the only one of its kind in Scotland, is the creation of Gillian and Graham Wood, owners of the four-star Queen’s Road hotel.
Signature exists to raise funds for The JEllie Foundation which was set up by the couple to raise funds for local children’s charities.
Graham said: “The generosity of Signature diners has raised over £1million for local good causes so we’re always motivated by their kind donations to keep finding and attracting the highest quality British chefs.
“We set out to attract the most respected chefs to the festival to give diners in Aberdeen the opportunity to sample their cuisine without the need to travel to their individual restaurants. Angela Hartnett and Claude Bosi have both been on our wish list for several years.”
Charities which have benefitted from The JEllie Foundation donations include:
- Ballater-based A Bear Named Buttony which supports children and young people who have a stoma
- Home-Start Aberdeen which used their donation to support their crisis fund providing supermarket vouchers and help with energy costs for families in need locally
- The Leanne Fund which helps young people with cystic fibrosis
- The Baird Hospital Parents’ Hotel which will allow the parents of premature babies stay close while they are in hospital
More information about the chefs and the festival can be found at www.signaturefoodfestival.co.uk and information about The JEllie Foundation can be found at www.jelliefoundation.com.
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