Andrew Kolvin has been appointed executive head chef at the four-star Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf and Spa in Tarporley. His rise to the top comes after making the leap from a pub manager, who occasionally helped out in the kitchen, to full-time chef. "I had to make a decision about which way I wanted my career to go and I chose kitchens," said Andrew, 38. "If you're going to do something you have to learn from the bottom up, so I went from being a well-paid manager to the bottom rung of the ladder." Despite only becoming a chef in his late 20s, Andrew's love of food started as a child with his mother's experimental cooking inspired by the chefs of the era, Ken Hom and Keith Floyd. He was also influenced by his Austrian and Hungarian grandparents' traditional cooking of dishes like Schnitzel. Since making the leap into the kitchen Andrew has worked in hotels across the country – even winning the 'best fish and chips' title at one chain – and spent six months at a small family-run restaurant in Florence. Andrew said: "I love hospitality which is why I'm so suited to hotels because it's all encompassing. "At a restaurant, it's just about the food but a hotel is home to people for a period of time and it's about giving your guests the best and making them feel comfortable." As head chef at Portal Hotel Andrew and the kitchen team prepare dishes not only for breakfast, lunch and evening but also for any weddings or functions. Even the shortbread served with tea and coffee in the bar is made in house. And on top of the Ranulf restaurant in the main hotel there is also The Premier, which overlooks the hotel's golf greens and offers a function room and bar. "People have a certain level of expectation and we try not just to meet that, but to exceed it," said Andrew. "We only use the best quality ingredients and source our products from reputable suppliers, for example our fish is sustainable white fish. "It is the little touches like these that make a difference to me and, more importantly, to the customer. "My favourite part of the job is sending out food, whether technical or simple, and hearing or seeing a customer's reaction to it. I enjoy doing a hard day's work and knowing the customers have gone home happy." And while Andrew's long hours mean he doesn't often cook much at home he admits he always finds time to indulge his love of baking. "I do make a mean lemon drizzle cake," he said.