Spencer Metzger is the Head Chef at the prestigious London hotel, The Ritz. Essex born Spencer realised he wanted to be a chef at the young age of 15, following his work experience at The Ritz. He went on to train at Bournemouth and Poole College before returning to The Ritz. Having already impressed the team, he gained a position as an apprentice and has since worked his way through the ranks to become Head Chef. In 2016 he left to spend a year working at Simon Rogan’s Lake District restaurant L’Enclume, which held two Michelin stars during his stint there. Spencer is trained in classical French cuisine, but he has picked up some more contemporary influences along the way.

Spencer was the Roux Scholarship winner in 2019. He impressed the judges immensely, with both Michel Roux Jr and Angela Hartnett gushing over his sauces in the final and regional finals. Angela went as far to say it was the ‘best sauce she’d ever tasted’! Having won the competition, Spencer chose the 3 Michelin-starred restaurant, Frantzen in Stockholm for his three month-internship, before returning to his position at The Ritz with the skills he’d honed.

In 2022, Spencer competed in BBC2’s Great British Menu and was crowned Champion of Champions. Spencer won two dishes in the banquet and again the judges were blown away by his impeccable skills. When judging Spencer’s main course in the competition, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge said: “this is one of the best dishes I have eaten, anywhere in the world, it is outstanding!”

His talent has been spotted throughout the industry which led to him being named the Restaurant Award’s ‘Chef to watch’ in 2022. Spencer was also listed as one of Acorn 30 under 30 in 2021.

Spencer is never one to shy away from a competition, which is understandable given his track record! He is currently competing in the Master of Culinary Arts, with the finals fast approaching this month.

Instagram – @spencermetzger