Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Bobby Geetha, North East and Yorkshire heat

The Staff Canteen

Editor

consultant and culinary director Bobby Geetha is one of four chefs representing the North East and Yorkshire on Great British Menu 2022

Series 17 of the competition starts on February 1st 2022 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air every Tuesday at 8pm, every Wednesday at 9pm (as of the week commencing March 7th) and Thursday at 8pm for eight weeks.

Bobby is part of a whole new consortium of chefs to compete for the North East and Yorkshire, facing chefs Luke French, Liz Cottam and Mark Aisthorpe in a bid to cook at the final banquet.

Bobby was the first to leave the Great British Menu kitchen after serving his fish course, with veteran judge Michael O'Hare and host Andi Oliver citing the fact that he was called in to take part in the programme at a short notice, so lacked preparation. Liz was then eliminated from the competition at the end of day 2 of the North East heat, leaving Mark and Luke to cook for the judges on Thursday 10th March at 8pm.

Despite a tight race, with both chefs earning some high scores for their dishes, Luke took the title to represent the North East and Yorkshire in the regional finals.

Biography

Born in South India, Bobby Geetha is a consultant chef, cookbook author and the founder of hospitality media company, Fine Dining India.

After obtaining a degree in hospitality and hotel administration at a hotel management school in Kovalam, in the Southern Indian region of Kerala, Bobby went to the state of New York, where he undertook a hospitality management certificate at Cornell University. Upon his return to Kovalam, he worked forTaj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, first as a trainee manager, then transitioning into the kitchen, where he eventually held the position of senior chef de partie.

In 2009, Bobby moved to the UK and worked in hotels around the country (Sofitel London, Novotel Liverpool, London Hilton on Park Lane) as well as undertaking stages at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, The Fat Duck and Noma in Copenhagen.

The chef then went on to work for Restaurant Associates, and was the corporate executive chef for Asha's restaurant group until the pandemic struck in March 2020. Since then, he has moved into a consultancy role, helping to deliver Indian restaurant concepts including Fleur Café, Flora Indica, My Spice Kitchen, Vermillion and Shezane Edinburgh.

He was a quarter-finalist on MasterChef UK in 2016, and a semi-finalist in the Craft Guild of Chefs' National Chef of the Year competition.

With a style he describes as “innovative Indian dishes with an international approach,” on Great British Menu, the chef will cook dishes inspired by food travelogues and coverage of Formula 1 racing.

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