Ben Tobitt

Group Head Chef
JRG Dubai

Born in London in 1977, Ben was no stranger to spending time in public houses and restaurants. Greatly inspired by his father, who was a qualified chef and passionate home cook, Ben developed a keen sense of the trade, all of its secrets and tips for searching for quality produce, a key component to being a chef through trips to the city’s Borough Market and through summer holidays in France.

After Ben completed school, he enrolled at Islington & Camden Catering College, where he gained his NVQ in catering and hospitality as well as a number of other qualifications in food, fuelling an unwavering desire to expand his culinary foundations.

Ben began his career at the London Hilton and spent a number of years at reputable establishments including The Thomas Cubitt where he worked as Junior Sous Chef and Wabi Restaurant as Sous Chef. Ben joined Caprice Holdings in January 2003 and spent four years working across a number of the group’s restaurants, including Le Caprice, The Ivy and Soho House where he worked as Senior Sous Chef between July 2008 and March 2009.

Ben gained experience and confidence whilst indulging his other great passion, travelling, working on an American cruise liner for a year in 2004 before getting his first taste of the Middle East in April 2009, working as Senior Chef De Partie for Mirai restaurant in Souk Al Bahar.

In 2010, Ben returned to the Caprice group to work for Urban Caprice, the events division of Caprice Holdings. He also freelanced for other restaurants in the group including The Ivy.

In February 2011, Ben left London and moved to the UAE once again, this time with where he helped launch The Ivy Dubai. Joining as Sous Chef, Ben played a key role in the pre-opening of the restaurant and over a 12-month period, he quickly climbed the ranks becoming Head Chef of the iconic restaurant. Chef’s Ben’s quick-fire skills in the kitchen and penchant for creating new dishes helped to keep The Ivy on top of Dubai’s culinary scene.

When JRG Dubai (Jumeirah Restaurant Group Dubai) launched in February 2015, Ben was a top candidate to take a more corporate chef level role given his experience, penchant for the industry and ability to share that passion with others.

Since July 2015, Ben has held the position of Group Head Chef, JRG Dubai where he plays an instrumental role in chef mentoring, menu and concept development across a portfolio of over 40 F&B outlets. Ben spearheaded the re-development of children’s menu across a number JRG Dubai’s restaurants ensuring the offerings are nutritious and well-balanced, yet still appealing for the younger ones.

In his spare time, Ben enjoys socialising with friends, watching football and keeping fit.