Founding Director of the Modern Pantry
Friday, 8th September 2017
Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, Anna studied business management before venturing out into the world of food.
Anna first trained as a chef under Fergus Henderson (St John) in 1992 at his first restaurant venture, The French House Dining Room. She then worked with Peter Gordon (The Providores) in 1994 at Green Street and again in 1998 at The Sugar Club, Soho. She also spent a year in Melbourne, Australia working for Stephanie Alexander as well as stints in New Zealand.
In 2001, Anna, Peter Gordon and partners opened their award-winning Marylebone restaurant, The Providores. Awards included the prestigious Catey's "New Comer of the Year Award" 2003, two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence in 2002 through 2005, and Square Meal 'Best New Restaurant Award', autumn 2001. Anna also acted as consultant chef to the award-winning Michelin starred New York restaurant PUBLIC.
In 2005 Anna left The Providores to focus on developing The Modern Pantry which opened its doors to critical acclaim in August 2008. Since opening, The Modern Pantry has gained 2 AA rosettes from 2008 through 2012 and been listed as a "Bib Gourmand" in the Michelin Guide 2009 and 2010. In 2010 Phaidon published "Coco", a book showcasing 100 of the world's top up and coming chefs of which Anna was one. In 2011 Anna's first book 'The Modern Pantry Cookbook' was published to critical acclaim and she was awarded an MBE in the 2012 New Year's Honours List for her services to the restaurant industry.
Anna's culinary philosophy is driven by the desire to please and excite the palate by renewing everyday cooking with modern ingredients and global inspiration -- The Modern Pantry, in fact.
