Martijn Kajuiter steps down from executive chef role at The Cliff House Hotel

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

Michelin-starred chef Martijn Kajuiter is stepping down as executive chef at The Cliff House Hotel to pursue a different role within the company. 

According to a statement on the hotel's Facebook page, the chef will take up "a newly created commercial and business development position," in which "he will be involved in developing innovative, and expanding existing Cliff offerings, including Cliff @ Home and Cliff @ Work, as part of their catering products."

During his tenure Martijn received and maintained a Michelin star for the House Restaurant,which was retained in the 2020 guide. 

In a recent interview with The Staff Canteen, Martijn said that this was by no means a case of the team resting on its laurels, and that keeping hold of it each year was "a mental disaster."

"It seems that each years it gets more challenging to maintain and control the monster we have created. Staff resources and by times acceptance for our way of working is the one we struggle with the most." 

"If you build something up, you have something to live for, and each day we take it as it is. We are adaptive and creative in how to deal with this, we keep breathing."

The hotel is still seeking a replacement for the chef, touting the role as "an exciting opportunity for an ambitious chef to not only take the reins from Martijn but to begin to write a new chapter in the House Restaurant."

"The executive chef, with his or her own ideas, inspirations and ambitions, will be able to make a unique stamp on the House whilst retaining its original ethos, vision and most importantly standards of excellence." 

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor 4th November 2019

Martijn Kajuiter steps down from executive chef role at The Cliff House Hotel