From chefs to kitchen porters, waiters to logistics managers, our food and drink team’s hard work, dedication and passion for The Championships play a vital role in the smooth running of the event.
Anthony Davies, Head of Food and Beverage
Anthony joined The All England Lawn Tennis Club senior management team as Head of Food & Beverage in February 2015, with the responsibility for overseeing the strategic development of our guests' experiences of eating and drinking at The Championships.
“I think great food and drink is a really important part of a day out at The Championships and we have worked hard to make sure our offers are of the highest quality, showcasing the very best seasonal and responsibly sourced British ingredients. I am passionate about the role food and drink plays in enhancing our guests' Championships experience and look forward to helping create those special Wimbledon memories again this year.”
With over 20 years’ experience in the food, beverage and hospitality industries and a passion for guest experience, Anthony has a wealth of knowledge in both the B2B and B2C markets, having held senior roles within the hotel, casual dining and contract catering sectors.
Gary Parsons, Executive Chef
Gary’s been working at The Championships, Wimbledon as executive chef for just over six years. Writing menus and creating all the dishes, Gary manages 49 kitchens onsite with 330 chefs - it’s no mean feat.
“As executive chef I’m involved in developing all dishes and menus from the retail outlets, all the way through to the Royal Box, so there’s a real variety.
The planning cycle for such a grand event as The Championships is continuous. It’s a long tough process, but hugely rewarding when the event comes around and we see everyone enjoying themselves.
It’s also worth noting the sheer size of the event – everything around the grounds happens at the same time. Logistically it’s a challenge, but we have an experienced catering team on hand who can handle the pressure, particularly as it’s a 24-hour operation.
It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction working here – there is a lot of history attached to The All England Lawn Tennis Club, and once the tournament is over, you look back at what we have achieved over the fortnight with fond memories.
I’ll never forget the year Andy Murray won. It was fantastic to be part of the team at Wimbledon that year – it will always be with me. I was in Centre Court watching it on TV in one of the offices, it was a little surreal.”
Charlie Cook, Operations Director, Wimbledon
This year will be Charlie’s seventh Championships and second as operations director overseeing all operations at Wimbledon. From sourcing the very best ingredients to use in the kitchens to planning the day to day logistics, The Championships bring together Charlie’s love of food and passion for hospitality. Charlie leads his team to continually enhance the offering at Wimbledon through innovative food design and great service.
“Our people are our greatest asset, I believe in choosing people who have huge potential and developing them. Since joining the team at Wimbledon I have doubled the size of our culinary team and created a dedicated banqueting team.”
Claude Jarczyk, Senior Sous Chef, Wimbledon
Claude joined The Championships, Wimbledon last year as senior sous chef with only six weeks to go until the tournament began. She is part of Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Women in Food Ambassador programme which aims to support the needs of female chefs. She works alongside a number of high profile chefs including the Roux family in the Gatsby Club and The Royal Box. Claude has played a pivotal role in planning for this year’s Championships, designing hospitality summer buffet menu.
“Working at Wimbledon has been a great honour and a great opportunity to learn from some of the UK’s best chefs. Every year we come up with new culinary concepts and I look forward to developing my role within the company further.”
Jessica Joyce, Debenture Operations Manager
Jessica started working at The Championships, Wimbledon in 1999 as a waitress and has only missed two Championships since then. Jessica has managed meetings and events at Wimbledon since 2012 and looks after a team who are responsible for the day to day functions and events from cocktail parties to meetings and social lunches. During The Championships fortnight Jessica oversees all members and debenture areas including all restaurant and bar facilities.
