Newly Elected President, Gastronome William (Bill) Brogan.

Gastronomes were delighted to elect Bill as the new President at the recent AGM. With a diverse and interesting career all over the World, Bill will be bringing a wealth of experience to the Reunion des Gastronomes.

Bill started out following his mother who was also a chef and who did work at RAF Scampton the home of the Dambusters and Red Arrows. He cooked cakes and biscuits for the street when he was growing up in Lincoln from the age of eight.

He started out as an apprentice at the Eastgate Hotel in Lincoln a THF hotel, and then moved for a short stint to the Officers Mess at RAF Swinderby, before re-joining THF at the New Bath Hotel in Matlock, Bath, whilst attending High Peak College in Buxton

It was then back to Lincoln and the White Hart Hotel, a privately owned hotel, where he met John Mann ex of Dorchester Hotel, who brought him down to Thatcher’s Hotel in East Horsley.  It was here he met Shaun his best friend ever since and a Fellow Gastronome.

Then to Lainston House Hotel in Winchester as Senior Sous Chef, and whilst here he covered as Head Chef at Pennyhill Park Hotel as the hotels were in the same group. Bill was then asked to join Inn on the Park Hotel on Park Lane, which was great fun and living in the East End. Just by chance he was then asked to become Head Chef of Le Talbooth Restaurant in Dedham where he kept the Michelin Star and won the Catey Award for menu of the year.

It was a move to the George Hotel in Dorchester on Thames where he won AA Rosettes and an Egon Ronay Star.

Bill then moved into a suit and joined ICI Catering in Wilmslow Cheshire, looking to raise standards across all the ICI sites throughout the UK and also look after the high-end private dining. It involved some work for Zeneca and then Astra Zeneca (as the company split)

It was then going to work shoreside for P&O, Managing the onboard facilities, of 12 ships, with extensive travel to Ireland, Spain and Finland and two years in Japan on a project of three new build ships. This was managed by Sutcliffe Catering but became in house.

It was then a move down from Cheshire to Cambridge, as Catering and Conference Manager of St Johns College for 17 years, the largest catering operation of an Oxbridge College

In January 2022 Bill moved to owning and running his own restaurant in the middle of Cambridge with his wife, called Market House

As well as attending High Peak College Buxton, Bill did his apprenticeship at Lincoln College of Technology, 706/3 Pastry at Cassio College Waford. HCIMA Part A at Bournemouth and Part B at Brunel College, Bristol

Bill did WSET courses including the Diploma at Huddersfield College, and Liverpool John Moore University

He represented Cambridge with Tuco and has just become a board member of Cambridge run study tours for them to China, Lisbon and Cambridge

His hobbies include football, rugby, travel, food, wine, music, cinema, reading and the Lancaster Bomber.

He runs a Food and Wine Appreciation Group for nearly 40 years and is a member of some other clubs. Bill is married with two daughters.