The veteran teams behind two of London’s most influential restaurant groups from the past 30 years – upmarket Indian group MW Eat and Smithfield-based St John – this week announced moves that herald their retirement from leadership roles.
MW, comprising Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy, Amaya and four Masala Zones, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by Canadian investment outfit Fairfax, under terms which apparently allow the family founders (Ranjit Mithrani and sisters Camellia and Namita Panjabi, Ranjit’s wife) to play as active a role as they wish. All three are in their 80s, but remain minutely involved in the everyday running of the business they founded in 1990.
Fairfax is owned by Indian-born self-made billionaire Pam Watsa, who arrived in Ontario with $8 to his name and has been described at “the Canadian Warren Buffett”. His vast list of investments includes property, insurance and Canada’s largest multi-brand restaurant group, Recipe.
Camellia said she and her fellow directors were attracted by the new owner’s financial strength, longstanding commitment to India and ambition for MW. “We look forward to supporting Fairfax to take our unique brands global.“
Meanwhile, St Johns founders Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver announced they were stepping down from day-to-day running of the group after 31 years, handing the task to new CEO Barry Milton-Cook, who has learned the ropes in three years as MD. Trevor takes up the role of chair, while Fergus has left the board but remains an employee.
Fergus has always resisted the idea that he has created a “brand” or “philosophy”, despite having pioneered what are now widely accepted ideas such as ‘Nose-to-Tail eating’. His approach to management was to give each head chef a copy of Patrick O’Brian’s nautical novel ‘Master and Commander”: “I saw similarities between running a kitchen and being a captain of a ship.”
The group has three restaurants and four cafe/bakeries.
