Jason Atherton started out working alongside chefs including Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis and Ferran Adria at el Bulli, before joining the Gordon Ramsay Holdings in 2001 and launching ‘Maze’, first in London and then another five globally. Jason left Gordon Ramsay Holdings in 2010 to launch his own restaurant company, Jason Atherton Ltd.

Since then, Jason’s ‘The Social Company’ has grown into a globally renowned restaurant group, with a portfolio of restaurants which include the Michelin-starred City Social, as well as Social Eating House, The Blind Pig bar, Little Social and Berners Tavern – named ‘the defining restaurant of the decade’.

Alongside his London restaurants, Jason has also opened restaurants in Shanghai, Dubai, Mykonos and St Moritz. Jason’s latest opening is ‘Row on 45’, bespoke fine dining situated in The Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Dubai.

David McKown, director of the Conference, commented: “We are delighted to announce that our opening event next year will be an evening with Jason Atheron on Wednesday 26 June, this will be the 25th conference since our first in 1998 and we are very excited to have Jason with us here at the University of Sheffield.”

Other chefs confirmed for the conference so far include Simon Rogan, Tim Allen, Tom Booton, Paul Leonard, James Sharp, Andrew Gravett, Florian Poirot and Lorna McNee, protégé of the late two Michelin-starred chef Andrew Fairlie and Great British Menu’s 'Champion of Champions' 2019. Lorna is the only current female chef in Scotland holding a Michelin star. 

For further details visit www.skillsforchefs.org.uk.