From Hampshire, 55 year old Steve Welch started his career as a chef in the Army Catering Corps and worked as far a field as Hong Kong, Canada and Brunei.
After roles in various top North East hotels, restaurants and sporting venues, including Falcons Rugby Club, he has taken up the role of Business Development and Executive Head Chef at Sunderland AFC.
Welch has accrued experience ranging from Executive Chef at the Wynyard Hall Hotel to the highly praised Black Horse restaurant at Beamish, and according to Sunderland AFC, he is perfectly situated to drive the matchday and non-match day hospitality forward.
His experience working in outside catering and large events – including working on the catering operation for the Tall Ships Race when it was in Hartlepool in 2010, will help expand 1879 Event Management, SAFC’s external catering arm.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for me” said Welch.
“SAFC and 1879 Event Management already have an excellent reputation operating in a very competitive industry and part of my role will be to ensure we’re ahead of the game.
“I’ll be looking at menu development and will be ensuring that we are innovative and looking at what’s on trend, so we are always ahead of the competition.”
Welch will be collaborating with Senior Development Chef, Patrick Lesca, and the existing team at the stadium, as well as developing the on-going relationship with Sunderland College to support the next generation of young chefs.
Commercial Director at SAFC, Gary Hutchinson, commented: “We are delighted to have Steve as part of our team. His experience in a number of areas and his passion and his knowledge will be a huge asset to the club as we move forward and expand this area of business.”