Chris Wheeler, the former executive chef at the five-AA-red-star Stoke Park Country Club, Spa & Hotel in Buckinghamshire, has died.
In an interview with The Caterer in 2010, the chef confessed he had grown up wanting to be a zoo-keeper, but after a nine-month catering work placement in France, his mind was changed and he couldn’t shake off the idea of becoming a chef.
The news of his sudden death was confirmed by the Hurlingham Club in London’s Fulham, where Wheeler has been executive chef since January 2025.
After finishing college, he went to work with renowned French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli at Le Provence in Lyminton, Hampshire, where he was later offered the role of head chef aged just 20.
Though he turned this job offer down to work as a pastry chef at a Surrey hotel, he was later reunited with Novelli at the Four Seasons hotel in London’s Mayfair, which was subsequently awarded five AA rosettes.
He supported the growing restaurant empire as operations manager and group head chef and was also involved in opening Maison Novelli in London’s Clerkenwell in 1996.
Wheeler stayed with Novelli until the collapse of the Novelli Restaurants in the early Noughties, having re-mortgaged his house in an attempt to save the business.
In 2003, Wheeler joined Stoke Park Country Club, Spa & Hotel as executive chef. During his time there, he baked the cake that starred in the 2004 Daniel Craig film Layer Cake and in 2006 ran the London Marathon while dressed as a chef, flipping a pancake for the entire race, finishing in six hours and 50 minutes.
At the 2016 Hotel Cateys, he was awarded Chef of the Year (over 250 covers) in recognition of his “immense leadership qualities”, the same year he appeared on Great British Menu, serving up a series of highly creative dishes, including a main called ‘The Ashes Over and Down Under’, complete with an edible cricket pitch.
In 2018, he published his debut cookbook, looking back on his 12 years with Jean-Christophe Novelli and his 16 years at Stoke Park.
Prior to joining the Hurlingham Club, he was chef-patron at the Crown Inn at Burnham Beeches in Slough.
Hospitality pays tribute
The industry has paid tribute to Wheeler, who is remembered for his passion and dedication to hospitality.
Jean-Christophe Novelli told The Caterer: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I say goodbye to my dear friend, Chris Wheeler. His loss is a devastating blow to the industry and to humanity. Chris was an extraordinary chef, but even more extraordinary as a man – warm, generous, steady and endlessly kind. In the kitchen he moved with grace and precision; beyond the pass he carried a gentleness and humour that made everyone around him better. That is how I will always remember him. I have worked with many remarkable people, but without Chris I truly don’t know where I would be today. He was a friend, my little brother from another mother, a leader and the perfect gentleman. Always calm under pressure, fiercely loyal, the ultimate professional – and in all our years together, we never had a crossed word.
“I invited Chris to come and work for me when he was a 16 year old college student. For more than 30 years he has been more than a friend to me, he was my rock – but even stronger than that, he was more like a mountain of titanium. I was always so proud to see him enjoy the success he deserved and I will miss him forever.
“My thoughts are with Simona and the girls and with everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. May we honour his memory by cooking with the same passion, humility, and love that he brought to every single day. Rest peacefully, my friend.”
Chris Wheeler (left) with Jean-Christophe Novelli. Courtesy Jean-Christophe Novelli
Restaurateur Sam Harrison, who is behind Sam’s Riverside in London’s Hammersmith, said: “I only got to know Chris fairly recently, through the Hurlingham Club., but I greatly enjoyed getting to know him, talking plans for the club, restaurants in general and enjoying his food. I thought he was an exceptional chef and also a very kind and generous person. He always wanted to know how my business was and talk about our most popular dishes and what and wasn’t working for us. I was shocked and saddened to read this news and know he will be hugely missed. My thoughts go out to his family and also everyone at the Hurlingham Club.”
Chris Prow, formerly executive chef at the Capital hotel Knightsbridge, said in a post on Instagram: “Still trying to get head around the news about chef Chris Wheeler — the Ginger Chef. We crossed paths in London kitchens and again at Boodles Week, and those memories feel even more precious today. I can’t find a single photo from back in the day, but I’ll always treasure the book he sent me… a small reminder of the kindness and generosity he carried with him.
“My thoughts are with his wife and his two daughters at this heartbreaking time. Rest easy, chef. Your spirit, your laugh, and your love for the craft will be remembered by so many.”
Please send your tributes to Chris Wheeler to [email protected]
