Orient Express

Silvena Rowe is the Chef Patron of The May Fair Hotel, where, following a multimillion-pound refurbishment, her new flagship restaurant Quince has opened its doors in spring 2011. She is also an established and distinctive TV presence, making regular appearances on the hugely popular BBC programme Saturday Kitchen and ITV's This Morning. In addition, she was a judge on BBC Young Chef of the Year 2010. With a love of cooking instilled in her by her Turkish father and by her upbringing in the ancient city of Plovdiv, just 500 km from the ancient Ottoman capital of Constantinople, Silvena is uniquely placed to enthuse the widest possible audience of food lovers and travellers with her passion for the best of the eastern Mediterranean kitchen. Silvena was formerly the executive chef at the Baltic Group restaurants, including London's Baltic, Chez Kristoff and Wodka restaurants, and her diverse experience in the food world ranges from working in conjunction with major brands such as Waitrose's Delicatezze, to writing for the Guardian, and to working on David Cronenberg's film Eastern Promises. Silvena's first book, Feasts, won a prestigious Glenfiddich Food and Drink award, and in 2010 Purple Citrus & Sweet Perfume won the Gourmand award for the best book on Mediterranean cuisine.