Christopher Naylor (chef)
Christopher Naylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28, 1970 United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Executive chef |
| Known for | Heading the kitchen at Michelin-starred Restaurant Vermeer in Amsterdam |
Christopher Naylor (born 28 November 1970) is a British executive chef currently heading the kitchen at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Vermeer in Amsterdam, Netherlands. During his tenure, Vermeer was awarded one Michelin star for the periods 2005–2007 and again from 2011 to 2022.
Naylor took over the helm at Restaurant Vermeer in 2004, succeeding two-star chef Pascal Jalhaij. Michelin inspectors noted that maintaining both stars would be extremely challenging, with even preserving a single star proving difficult. Despite this, Naylor initially succeeded in keeping one star. Although the restaurant lost its star in 2007, it managed to regain it in 2011, underscoring Naylor’s consistent culinary standards.
In 2016, while Vermeer underwent a major renovation as part of the five-star Barbizon Palace hotel owned by the NH Hotel Group, Naylor introduced a temporary dining concept called Roomservice at Olof's. This pop-up was set up in a nearby church and featured furnishings from the hotel’s previous inventory. Apart from his role at Vermeer, Naylor also manages the restaurant within Amsterdam’s NH Collection Doelen hotel.
Naylor’s formal culinary education took place in Cheshire, UK, where he attended Weaverham High School and Mid Cheshire College of Further Education. His career in the Netherlands began as sous-chef at "Hotel Grand" under the guidance of Albert Roux. He then served as junior sous-chef under Robert Kranenborg at La Rive. His collaboration with Kranenborg continued with positions as sous-chef at Vossius and later as head chef at La Cirque.