Rockwater, a lifestyle restaurant brand, has announced the appointment of Josh Deacon as Group Executive Chef. The position is a new role for the south coast-based group which currently operates Rockwater Village in Branksome and Rockwater Hove and will be opening a third venue in Sandbanks this summer.

Josh has 12 years’ experience as a chef, previously holding positions as Executive Head Chef at The Stratford Hotel in east London and Head Chef of the Rail House Café in the City of Westminster. As a classically French-trained chef, Josh received most of his training in high-end resorts and fine dining restaurants of a Michelin-standard. He has also learnt from accomplished chef and restauranteur Gordon Ramsey OBE at the Savoy Grill in the iconic Savoy Hotel and Gordon Ramsey’s Maze restaurant.

Josh says: “I’m excited to be moving into my new position as Group Executive Chef at Rockwater. I have a passion for championing local producers and believe in using the best ingredients to create delicious, seasonally driven menus. Rockwater venues are set in the most spectacular locations, with the sea just a stone’s throw away from each, and this presents incredible opportunities for me and my kitchen teams to create a destination dining experience.”

Josh, who was previously awarded best in class in the Junior Restaurant platter category for the Hotelympia International Salon Culinaire awards, oversees culinary operations across all Rockwater venues and has launched a new spring menu. He leads the menu development and engineering across two sites at Branksome and Hove, currently supporting a 70-strong kitchen team in achieving high standards of excellence, taste, presentation, and guest satisfaction. The kitchen team will increase to 100 persons with the Rockwater Sandbanks opening later this year. Josh also works closely with the operations and management teams to create new concepts for future restaurants and launch new menus.

Josh adds: “An exciting part of my role includes supporting management to develop and bring to fruition the forthcoming Rockwater Sandbanks venue. I’m looking to introduce a host of new dining concepts to Sandbanks, allowing guests to enjoy a variety of new and intriguing dining experiences. We’ll be offering standards and styles of dining to suit many preferences, which will allow customers to revisit the venue time and time again as they enjoy completely different experiences and culinary tastes. I’m sure that the combination of different dining styles and the gorgeous panoramic views of the water across Poole harbour and the Jurassic coast will create a venue that is second to none in the area.

“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career which brings me out of the city and to the south coast. The business boasts an amazing amount of potential, and the sky is the limit for what we can do, we’ll constantly be striving for absolute excellence in all our venues. I look forward to raising the standard of dining along the south coast, working closely in tandem with our suppliers and amazing team of chefs.”

Luke Davis, CEO and founder of Rockwater, adds: “It’s great to welcome Josh to the Rockwater family as Group Executive Chef. He joins us at an exciting time with the impending opening of our Sandbanks venue later this year. His extensive experience will further enhance the dining offerings across our venues, and we look forward to the culinary journey ahead under his guidance.”

Josh is introducing a new spring menu to both Rockwater Hove and Rockwater Village to coincide with his appointment. The Bar and Kitchen spring menu is now available, and the new Roof Terrace spring menu will be available from 3rd April. For further information about Rockwater, please visit https://rockwater.uk.