Bradley Cacela steps up to head chef at The Coach in Marlow

Chef Bradley Cacela has been announced as the new head chef at Tom Kerridge’s The Coach in Marlow.

The news comes just days after the Tom Kerridge Group announced the closure of The Butcher's Tap and Grill, set to be replaced by new restaurant, The Chalk Freehouse with Tom De Keyser.

Located off King’s Road, the new gastropub will bring Tom De Keyser’s refined approach to British comfort food to a two-storey Victorian building steeped in local history.

Bradley is taking the reins from former head chef Sarah Hayward who is moving to The Hand and Flowers.

The Hand and Flowers in Marlow is the only pub in the world to hold two Michelin stars.

Bradley has been part of the Tom Kerridge Group for years after working at Hand and Flowers as a sous chef.

A post on social media read: “We’d like to congratulate and welcome Brad Cacela as the newly appointed head chef at The Coach, Marlow.

“Brad has been working within the group for over 8 years now and has always been an incredible talent

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within the team. Previously being senior sous chef at Hand and Flowers Marlow we are so excited to have him join The Coach and watch him on this amazing journey.

“Brad has said he is ‘very excited for this opportunity from Tom, grateful for this to be my first head chef role and excited for the new adventure."

One of his standout dishes, a duck pie, was famously described by Kerridge as 'Like Millwall away of flavour.'

Sarah's move

In 2014, Sarah Hayward was hired as a demi chef de partie at Tom Kerridge's Michelin-starred flagship, The Hand and Flowers. Two and a half years later, she moved to The Coach as a junior sous-chef.

In 2019, Tom put his faith in Sarah and asked her to join the founding team The Bull & Bear in Manchester. She started off as a sous-chef and was promoted to head chef in February 2020.

She remained at The Bull & Bear throughout the pandemic, before a team reshuffle across the restaurant group saw her move back to The Coach.

The chef has retained the gastropub's star in the the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2022 ever since.

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