VOL 26 ISSUE 49, Dec. 8, 2025
Main caption: Andrew Wong, owner of a two Michelin-star Chinese restaurant in London, works alongside Tas Hamilton, sous chef for Delaware North U.K., for a Signature Chef Series at Wembley Stadium, part of a broader series at venues across the Delaware North U.K. portfolio.
Delaware North U.K. hosted a Signature Chef Series this year at venues across the country, bringing in some of the most celebrated chefs in the United Kingdom to elevate guests’ dining experiences.
The Signature Chef Series features guest chefs who partner with Delaware North culinary team members to offer premium tasting experiences for select guests during major events – from Premier League games for Arsenal Football Club and Sunderland AFC to concerts such as Coldplay and Oasis.
The series included stops at nearly every venue where Delaware North U.K. provides hospitality services: Wembley Stadium, London Stadium, Emirates Stadium and the Stadium of Light.
Who are the signature chefs?
- Andrew Wong, owner and executive chef of two-Michelin-starred A. Wong in London, the first Chinese restaurant outside of Asia to achieve this recognition.
- Calum Franklin, head chef of The Georgian at Harrods in London and The Public House in Paris.
- Tommy Banks, head chef of Michelin-starred restaurant The Black Swan in North Yorkshire, England, and the youngest British chef to be awarded a Michelin star, at age 24.
- Henry Harris and David Strauss, head chefs and co-owners of Bouchon Racine in London, which ranked as the No. 5 restaurant in the U.K. in the National Restaurant Awards 2025.
- Mitch Tonks and Ben Tonks, founders of The Seahorse in Dartmouth, U.K., and the Rockfish Restaurant Group. The father-son duo are prominent figures in the sustainable seafood industry.
Wong created an authentic Chinese experience during two nights of Dua Lipa shows at Wembley Stadium in London. Working alongside U.K. Head of Culinary Development Gary Foakes and Junior Sous Chef Tas Hamilton, the team presented masterful reinterpretations of Asian cuisine, offering menus that blended centuries-old traditions with modern techniques. Each plate – whether classic dim sum, scalded kingfish carpaccio or crispy prawn wontons – reflected a story of culture and craft. Wong also visited Emirates Stadium for the Oct. 4 Arsenal vs. West Ham United match.
“It’s been a wonderful experience working with the Delaware North team,” Wong said. “From pre-event logistics to the super professional team at the event, it’s a real joy and a learning insight into the world of events.”
Franklin, a longtime Delaware North U.K. partner, delivered a classic British menu at the Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park concerts at Wembley Stadium, as well as the Arsenal vs. Atlético de Madrid Champions League match on Oct. 21 at Emirates Stadium. He presented an outstanding menu featuring a vegan beetroot and squash Wellington, mackerel rillette toasts and Isle of Wight tomatoes finished with a goat’s curd salad.
Just weeks before Banks worked with Delaware North to open the concept Banks on the Wear at the Stadium of Light, home of Sunderland AFC, he delighted guests during an Oasis concert at Wembley with a carefully curated farm-to-table experience. Banks uses primarily homegrown or locally foraged ingredients, resulting in dishes that celebrate the British countryside, such as pork belly with Oldstead kimchi, crispy pork skin and apple butter, and rolled lamb shoulder with lamb fat Pommes Anna, garnished with pea and mint.
Harris and Strauss brought a French twist inspired by their restaurant Bouchon Racine. Collaborating with Junior Sous Chef James Smith, their dishes included spiced crab and fennel salad, fillet of beef au poivre, and a watercress and shallot salad with mustard dressing.
Mitch and Ben Tonks, cooking alongside junior sous chef Adam Killingley, concluded the Wembley season with a special menu focused on sustainable fish with an Italian twist, including turbot fish purchased at the market on the morning of the event. Other showstoppers included tuna confit in Iberico pork fat, cured red mullet with verjus, grapes and pink pepper, and a Sgroppino for dessert – an Italian lemon sorbet blended with vodka, prosecco and Black Sambuca liqueur.
“Cooking with the Delaware North team was a real privilege,” Mitch Tonks said. “What struck me most was how they deliver world-class hospitality on such a huge scale, yet with the heart and integrity you’d normally only find in a small independent restaurant.”
The U.K. Signature Chef Series offered intimate tasting experiences that treated guests to the very best while showcasing what happens when great talent, great ingredients and great hospitality come together.
Beyond delighting diners, the series provided Wembley culinarians with a unique opportunity to share expertise, techniques and cultures – enhancing their craft and sparking fresh ideas for menus across the company’s venues.
“Bringing together such talented chefs for the Signature Chef Series has been fantastic,” said Neil Richards, food services director for Delaware North U.K. and the architect of the series. “We’ve learned a lot from each other, and we are looking forward to further integrating them with our operations at our venues, so we can keep creating those once-in-a-lifetime moments for our guests.”