BBC Good Food Show Summer - 15th - 18th June 2023 - NEC Birmingham - Show Interviews

3,000 cocktail ideas to try at home...and some seasonal specials!

Michel Roux

You can catch Michel cooking live in the Big Kitchen on Friday 25th November! You can also catch him at the Let’s Talk Good Food Stage and at our book signing.

You can catch Glynn cooking live in the Big Kitchen on Sunday 27th November! 

Often called the ‘Yummy Brummie’, Glynn Purnell started cooking professionally at the age of 14. After securing a work experience placement in a hotel kitchen, he spent the next two years catching the No 966 bus to the Metropole Hotel at the NEC where he was quickly promoted to making salads and flipping burgers. A six-year stint followed, gaining experience in every department from banqueting to the A La Carte Terrace Restaurant, where he discovered his talent and passion for fine dining. It wasn’t long before he began winning awards including the prestigious Salon Culinaire.

His next professional step was as Chef de Partie at Simpson’s Restaurant where he progressed to the position of Sous Chef. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star and Glynn went on to win many accolades within the industry.

After training with top chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Claude Bosi, Glynn travelled abroad to work with well-known Michelin starred chefs in Europe. He went on to help launch Jessica’s in July 2003, which was awarded Birmingham’s first Michelin star back in 2005. Glynn is now the proud owner of two establishments in Birmingham, Purnell’s Restaurant on Cornwall Street, which opened in July 2007 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2009, and Purnell’s Bistro & Ginger’s Bar on Newhall Street, which opened in September 2012.

Glynn has become a household name after taking part in the Great British Menu, winning twice and then later appearing as a mentor. He has previously featured on The Great British Food Revival and The Secret Chef, among other television programmes. He can regularly be seen on Saturday Kitchen as a host and guest chef. He presented the latest series of My Kitchen Rules UK alongside Rachel Allen on Channel 4 last year.

Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast, Gennaro is widely known as the Italian legend who taught Jamie Oliver all he knows about Italian cooking.

Gennaro’s TV credits include the fabulous series ‘Jamie Cooks Italy’ where Gennaro introduced Jamie to a number of Italian nonnas and featured their many shared recipes and BBC2’s ‘Two Greedy Italians’ alongside the late great Antonio Carluccio.  He also regularly appears as the Italian food expert and main guest chef on BBC1’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and Channel 4’s ‘Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast’ and ‘Jamie’s Christmas’.

Over the last few years, Gennaro has been working with brands including Citalia, Bertolli and Birra Moretti – creating recipes for their YouTube  channels and social media platforms. Follow Gennaro on Instagram on @gennarocontaldo and his Gennaro YouTube channel for recipe inspiration and delicious videos of all the wonderful dishes that Gennaro loves to make.

Gennaro has written over ten cookery books, with over 100,000 copies sold and some translated into foreign language editions. His latest book Limoni: Vibrant Italian recipes celebrating the lemon (Pavilion Books), is out now.

Marcus Bean

Marcus Bean will be hosting the Big Kitchen each day at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022.

Self taught chef Marcus Bean whose passion for cooking drove him to win Iron Chef Uk in 2010.

Following his success on the show, Marcus has been a regular chef on ITV’s “This Morning” cooking for Holly Willoughby & Phillip Schofield & other presenters on the show.

He’s appeared on Good Food Channels “Market Kitchen” Channel 4’s “What’s Cooking” shows on Food Network & ITV’s new children’s cookery show “MunchBox”.

Barney Desmazery

Barney Desmazery will be hosting the interviews at the Let’s Talk Good Food Stage each day at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022. 

Barney Desmazery is the Senior Food Editor across BBC Good Food magazine and online. Barney looks after recipes and interviewing the chefs and producers we feature. Before becoming a food writer Barney worked as a chef in England, France and Australia. On weekends he can be found in his kitchen cooking with his children, aged 12 and 8.

Barney Desmazery, Senior Food Editor across BBC Good Food magazine and online, hosts the BBC Good Food Stage at the Shows.

Paul Ainsworth will be cooking live in the Big Kitchen on Saturday 18 June. You can also see him around the Show in a live interview on the Let’s Talk Good Food Stage. 

Growing up in his parents’ guesthouse in Southampton, Paul Ainsworth was part of the
hospitality industry from the very beginning. Watching and helping his parents at work, he
developed a strong sense of hard work and determination to succeed. A passionate
supporter of Cornish farmers, fishermen and artisanal producers, Paul’s passion for
imaginative and flavour-packed cooking celebrates everything the region has to offer.

Gennaro Contaldo will be cooking live in the Italian Kitchen on Saturday 18 June. You can also see him around the Show in a live interview on the Let’s Talk Good Food Stage and at the Book Signing.

Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast, Gennaro is widely known as the Italian legend who taught Jamie Oliver all he knows about Italian cooking.

Gennaro’s TV credits include the fabulous series ‘Jamie Cooks Italy’ where Gennaro introduced Jamie to a number of Italian nonnas and featured their many shared recipes and BBC2’s ‘Two Greedy Italians’ alongside the late great Antonio Carluccio.  He also regularly appears as the Italian food expert and main guest chef on BBC1’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and Channel 4’s ‘Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast’ and ‘Jamie’s Christmas’.

Chris Bavin will be hosting the Italian Kitchen each day at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022. 

Chris is so full of character he was born to be on TV. After a TV production company first stumbled across him in 2011 he has gone from strength to strength and is currently co-presenting his fourth series of BBC1’s hugely successful series Eat Well For Less? With Gregg Wallace. The show has had incredible ratings across its first three series with the next two to be aired later on this year.

In addition to Eat Well for Less, Chris has presented Tomorrow’s Food with Dara O’Brian, The Truth about Meat and he is co-presenter of BBC1’s returning series Food: truth or scare with Gloria Hunniford.

Chris is the co-founder of ‘The Naked Grocer’ a retail business that was twice voted as ‘National Independent Retailer of the Year’ award as well as ‘Best Contribution to the Community’ award. The Naked Grocer is now an online business supplying catering, fruit for offices as well as veg boxes for the public. www.thenakedgrocer.com

Chris Bavin’s first job was as a junior flower trader, a job he relished and excelled at. He spent much of his working day in various wholesale markets across the UK, places where Chris felt very much at home. Packed full of all the colourful characters and the buzz that a busy wholesale market provides, Chris felt he had found his vocation.

After selling flowers into the wholesale markets and retail multiples for six years he took a side step to trade fruit and vegetables. This again was something that he not only enjoyed but did very successfully. He has worked in all areas of fresh produce: importing, wholesaling, retailing, food service & catering.

Chris is passionate about educating and raising awareness in children of where food comes from and encouraging them to learn how to increase their consumption of fruit and veg. One of his ambitions is to teach others how eating healthily can be cheap and easy to achieve. Chris is currently working on writing his first book. 

Chris is also passionate and has a great interest in farming, all areas of fresh produce in particular the history and future of food, reducing food waste, wholesale markets and of course flowers and plants.

Chris lives in Surrey with his lovely wife Millie and their children.

https://hollychocs.com/