Meet the Team
We are supported every year by a fantastic team, meet them here...
Our Fish&Pips team 2011-12 is very nearly complete - we just need one more chef and then we're there! Here are some faces....
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Philippa Hartley - Director, DevonPhilippa 'Pips' can't quite believe F&P is starting it's 6th winter - where has time gone?! Normally found at her desk in Devon speaking to guests, selling holidays and holding the purse strings - this winter brings a whole new adventure for Philippa. Expecting her first baby at the beginning of November there is a whole load of new challenges ahead and we look forward to adding a very small new member to the 'Meet the Team' page! |
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Judy Smith - Manager, Val d'IsèreWe are thrilled to have the brilliant Judy back on board as our Resort Manager heading up the team in Val d'Isère. Judy had 5 years experience working for one of the top luxury tour operators before joining us last year and has spent the past 3 winters in Val d'Isère so has a wealth of knowledge on the Espace Killy and the local gossip! She is an invaluable member of the Fish & Pips team - always full of energy, fun, and hardworking with a love for the mountains - what more could we ask for?! |
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Hollie Thompson - Chalet Host, Val d'IsèreHaving worked in housing for almost 4 years, I thought it was about time for some excitement in my life! The past few years have been far too serious and predictable so I figured I should let my hair down and have some serious fun on the slopes! I'm very excited to work my first season with the Fish and Pips Team. I'm hoping this will be the beginning of many more seasons, as well as the perfect opportunity to show off my cake-baking abilities and my not-so brilliant snowboarding skills. |
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Holly Richardson - Chalet Host, Val d'IsèreHolly is extremely excited about spending a season in the French Alps as part of the Fish & Pips team. After graduating from Newcastle University 2 years ago Holly has worked in pharmaceutical and insurance sales but now wants to swap her stilettos for skis while she decides what to do next! Holly cannot wait to learn the language, meet lots of new people and above all ski ski ski!! |
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Mat McCarthy - Chalet Chef, Val d'IsèreMat trained at Norwich city college for 3 years and achived a craft diploma. After which he worked at Morstonhall Hotel, a 1 Michelin Star Hotel on the North Norfolk coast where he worked all sections and spent 3 years there leaving as Junior Sous. He then went to London to work on the pastry section at the 2 Michelin restaurant The Square. He then returned to the countryside and worked at the bildeston crown, before starting my first winter in Megeve. |
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Tim Maitland - Chalet Chef, Val d'IsèreTim has a degree in history from the University of York but quickly realised that a career in the kitchen was for him! He trained at Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School and then spent a season working as a chalet chef in Le Grand Massif mountain range. He has most recently been working at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck restaurant and Chez Bruce in London. He is looking forward to putting into practice what he has learnt, along with a few of his own creative touches. He loves mountain life, and is looking forward to seeing how well his A-level french holds up! |
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Steph Ede - Chalet Chef, Val d'IsèreSteph has a Degree in psychology at Exeter university but realised half way through that her passion was less about the mind and more about food and cooking. Degree done, she moved straight onto Ashburton Cookery school where she completed a diploma. This was swiftly followed by a ski season in Val cooking in a chalet (which she loved!). She is currently working as a chef at Rhubarb Food Design. Her love for the mountains and skiing led her to pursue another season with more focus on the food. She can't wait for the season to begin with Fish&Pips! |
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Clare Truphet - Resort Manager, MeribelNow living year round in Meribel, Clare looks after the Meribel guests and chalets during the winter season, whilst trying to make the most of the snowier side of things. In the summer she works with Holly and Philippa getting things ready for the coming season and dealing with all things related to our operations here in France. She is excited about getting stuck in to her second winter with F&P, working with a great team yet again, and looking after lots of repeat and some new guests. |
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Elena Chong - Chalet Host, MeribelElena has just finished her degree at Oxford University and is thrilled to be doing a season with Fish & Pips, looking forward to a long-overdue break from studying! She's excited to meet a whole lot of new and interesting people and most of all to fit in as much skiing as she can. |
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Tracy Tully - Chalet Host, MeribelTracy can't wait for a season with Fish&Pips! As a Canadian who has been away from Canada for over a year travelling, she misses the snow and looks forward to a chance to break in her snowboard! She has lived in Banff (in the Canadian Rockies) for a ski season and love that mountain town feel! Don't get the wrong impression, she is not an experienced boarder but has set the goal to change that this season! She is always looking for the next adventure and thanks to Fish&Pips I've found it! |
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Lucy Golding - Chalet Host, MeribelAfter a wonderful season with Fish and Pips last year, I didn’t think that another season was an option due to a looming post-graduate study. However, by miraculously managing to defer my journalism course for a second year (sorry Dad), I will be returning as a chalet host for Fish and Pips and I couldn’t be more excited. Feeling desperately sad when I left Meribel in April, it’s a real dream to be able to experience it all again. Drastically better at making beds and eggs but still pretty lacking on the skiing talent, 2011/12 will be the time I really crack how to slide down a mountain. I’m also looking forward to meeting lots more lovely guests as well as all the new and old Fish and Pippers! This year is definitely the last though... |
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Chris Wooldridge - Chalet Chef/Host, MeribelChris spent 3 years in the ski industry in British Columbia, Canada, as a ski/snowboard instructor from 2005-8. After a nasty injury he came back to the UK to pursue a love of cooking. This led to a Cordon Bleu Diploma, and 3 years in various London restaurants, including 18 months at Angela Hartnett's michelin starred Murano, specialising as a pastry Chef. These two vocations naturally led me to seek out Fish & Pips, and after an amazing summer in Alderney and spending time with some of the Meribel team, he is giddy excited to be heading back to the mountains, and back to the snow!! |
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Jessica Prince - Chalet Chef/Host, MeribelAfter spending the past 12 years working her way up through the kitchen brigade in London to senior sous chef, she is thoroughly looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with her guests and the food.Fresh air and open spaces are in real shortage in this industry and to be able to have the moutains at your door step and huge blue sky all around she can't think of a better place to take a step away from the race of London and do what she initially came into this career to do which is cook.Having come to know Holly and some of the team over the summer and she is very excited about meeting everyone else and really getting stuck in.Feeling a little Bambi-ish on the old skis but it would be a real bonus to crack it this coming Winter with Fish & Pips. |
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Rhys Bennett - Chalet Chef, MeribelRhys has had the time of his life in Alderney this summer working with Holly and lots of his F&P peers but not to worry, he is set to return to F&P but to Meribel this time! Although Judy is sad to see him go from Val d'Isère, Holly is thrilled that she gets to see his smiley face lots in Village. Before cheffing for F&P and being integral part of the kitchen team at The Georgian House, Alderney, Rhys spent two years cooking for a high profile gastro pub in North London, learning a great deal about seasonal British produce and imaginative ways in which to cook with them. He is looking forward to returning to a different, pushing his culinary skills even further, putting away his sea kayak and getting back on his snowboard! He is a super chef and team player with bags of enthusiasm and passion - we are delighted to have him back for a second winter. |
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Kevin Honeywood - Chalet Chef, MeribelWe are delighted to have Kevin back in the team for his 3rd season. Kevin is an amazingly talented chef who is always full of new ideas. Kevin was instrumental in getting our cook book from the idea stage to the final product. The cookbook is now available to buy in all our chalets. |
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Peter Gray - Chalet Chef, MeribelThis is my second season with Fish and Pips because like most people find, doing one season just isn’t enough. Last year I learnt to snowboard from scratch, something I grew to love, and this year I can’t wait to improve on what I know and maybe even beat Kev down the mountain! I’m especially keen to do more off piste stuff if the snow manages to hold out. Instead of restaurant work like I’ve been doing for the majority of my career, I opted for a change this summer and landed a job cooking privately for a family in both Marbella and Essex; still hard work but great to have the freedom of working on my own ideas. I look forward to bringing these ideas back to France this winter, not to mention my daily visits to the bakery and Lodge du Village. |
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Dan Curgenven - Driver, MeribelDan is returning to Meribel for his 3rd season. Although this is his first (of many, he hopes) as part of the Fish&Pips team, he offers a wealth of knowledge about the 3 Valleys and light bulbs, hot tubs, snow chains and many other Alpine idiosyncrasies! He's looking forward to getting stuck in, and hanging up his summer chainsaw and rugby kit for his winter snowboard boots!!! |
Watch this space for more news on the new team for next year.
