Creative Cooks

Damien Dupuis is every inch a chef…a 34-year-old Frenchman who has had a passion for food since the age of seven.

Now he is the head chef of the renowned Inn at Fossebridge, Cotswolds dining inn with a growing reputation for some of the region’s best, value for money menus.

Damien has succeeded Laurent Guillery who has returned to his native France.

Damien and Liz Jenkins, a graduate of the Pru Leith cookery school and daughter of inn owner Robert Jenkins, are determined in the months ahead to further develop menus with new dishes to help them in their pursuit of key awards for the kitchen team.

"Our greatest wish is to achieve recognition for the superb food created by our team. We are renowned as a major Cotswolds destination, and we are seeking greater acceptance that our food is a great tribute to our staff", Liz said.

Damien and his twin brother, who cooks at a restaurant in France, have become head chefs at the same time – both learning about each other from their parents who live in Toulouse.

They studied food, preparation and creative cooking for six years at a cookery school in France; both achieved distinctions in their craft – but Damien wanted to do something different: to move to England to improve his English and further broaden his experience.

Since then he has worked in a variety of restaurants, from the ill-fated Fishworks, to Calcot Manor, the Halfway Inn and Bibury Court Hotel. He returned to France for family reasons for six months, but on his return took all sorts of kitchen roles before eventually gaining the position of deputy head chef at The Inn at Fossebridge.

His passion is cooking fish; his famous customers have included football manager Harry Redknapp, Kate Moss, Zara Phillips and former Scotland goalkeeper Bob Wilson.

He loves the work of French chef Bocuse (my mentor), Gordon Ramsay and James Martin and outside work he is "rugby mad", likes trying other restaurants and dining with friends.

He said: "The Inn at Fossebridge is a great destination for food and accommodation and becoming head chef really is a passionate Frenchman’s dream come true".

Liz Jenkins, general manager at The Inn at Fossebridge said: "Damien brings excellent skills to our kitchen, he’s admired by his peers and will undoubtedly help us gain even greater recognition as a dining inn in the future".