The story of Elliott Grover has an almost unbelievable quality. A Cornwall boy who was afraid of the London Tube managed to serve roast beef and fish and chips to Roger Federer, Lady Gaga, and Brendan Fraser at the Academy Awards. It sounds like a pitch that a screenwriter might make and then discreetly drop because it’s too polished. However, it did occur. Actually, twice.
At fifteen, Grover emailed chef Mark Hix at the Ivy, Covent Garden, to ask for a job. By his own admission, he was primarily motivated by the money rather than the experience or any intense culinary passion at the time. A trial at Scott’s Mayfair, a long-term job at Le Caprice, and a sixteenth birthday spent in a professional kitchen in one of London’s most famous restaurants were the next steps. His father drove him up from Cornwall, leaving at one in the morning and arriving in the capital at six. Young Elliott made a silent, personal vow to himself as he strolled down Oxford Street, gazing at the windows of Hugo Boss and Rolex.
In those days, Le Caprice was the kind of establishment that could either break or make a young chef. It made Grover. He talks about the pianist there, who is still at what is now Arlington, giving him late-night rides home with Jools Holland. Grover didn’t know who Jools Holland was at the time. That detail—a teenager navigating one of London’s most famous kitchens while still just a child getting his bearings—has a certain allure. Every date and celebrity he prepared meals for during those formative years was meticulously documented in a book his mother kept. It seems that Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall was on the list from the beginning.
His career took paths from Le Caprice that few people are able to maintain at the same time. Scott’s Mayfair gave him access to a private dining world that served celebrities and royalty, as well as sous chef duties. According to reports, he was present on the day Prince Harry had dinner. He was also present on the afternoon when Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi got into a rather public altercation on the terrace, which is the kind of theater next to a kitchen that stays with a chef for decades. Grover assumed leadership roles in larger, more intricate culinary operations at Hix Soho and later The Ned hotel, overseeing several dining concepts concurrently and picking up the more difficult hospitality management lessons that skill alone cannot impart.
Since Wolfgang Puck’s company has been catering the Governors Ball for decades as a sort of Hollywood institution, it’s still unclear exactly when the Oscars connection first clicked into place. The fact that Grover has now done it twice is evident. His menus, which included roast beef, fish and chips, and sherry trifle, were defiantly, almost mischievously, British. The response in some parts of Los Angeles is unimaginable. It went pretty well, according to most accounts.
In his current role as Culinary Director at 45 Park Lane, Grover is in charge of Sushi Kanesaka, which has a Michelin star, and CUT, which is regarded as one of London’s better steak restaurants. He has talked about how his time in California affected him, especially the practice of chefs working on the dining room floor instead of permanently behind the pass. He took that with him when he returned to London. It’s genuinely intriguing to consider whether that cultural transfer has any long-term effects on how fine dining establishments in Britain function.
Observing Grover’s path gives the impression that he realized early on—possibly before he could fully express it—that professional cooking is just as much about relationships and surroundings as it is about technique. He claims that he calls his suppliers every day. Not every week. Every day. When a Hollywood director may be waiting in the room upstairs for the ideal Dover sole, that level of detail either indicates a sincere obsession or someone who simply cannot afford to let things slip. Most likely both.
His Instagram following is currently close to 200,000. He frequently makes an appearance on This Morning. He is represented by a literary agent. It’s safe to say that the Cornwall boy who refused to board the tube has found a solution.
FAQs
1. Where did Elliott Grover grow up?
He grew up in Cornwall, England, before moving to London at 16.
2. What is Elliott Grover’s current role?
He serves as Culinary Director at 45 Park Lane in London.
3. Has Elliott Grover cooked at the Oscars?
Yes, he has catered the Governors Ball twice alongside Wolfgang Puck.
4. What did Elliott Grover serve at the Oscars?
He served roast beef, fish and chips, and sherry trifle.
5. How did Elliott Grover get his first culinary job?
He cold-emailed chef Mark Hix at the Ivy and earned a trial.
