Andreas Antona spent the early years of his career working in prestigious kitchens in Germany and Switzerland. Andreas moved back to the UK in 1980 to take up the position of chef tournant at The Dorchester with Anton Mosimann OBE at the helm. After gaining valuable experience from Mosimann, Andreas was offered the role of sous chef at The Ritz under the highly regarded Michael Quinn MBE.

A few years later, Andreas made the decision to move to the Midlands, stepping into the role of head chef at the Plough and Harrow in Birmingham, where he began receiving international acclaim.

In 1993, Andreas opened his first restaurant, Simpsons, one of the first restaurants in the area to be awarded a Michelin star which it still retains today. In 2013, Andreas decided to take a step back from the kitchen to focus on life as a restaurateur and take over The Cross in Kenilworth. The Cross received a Michelin star just over a year after re-opening, which it has held ever since.

Andreas is a great supporter of education and is a longstanding governor of University College Birmingham. He also founded the Bocuse d’Or UK Academy, which he chairs and was integral to Adam Bennett achieving the best result yet for Team UK in the Bocuse d’Or 2013 World final.

Pawel Skrzypinski, our General Manager, has built up a wealth of hospitality experience gained since he secured a Foundation Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Business Management at University College Birmingham.

He then spent two years working at Café Rouge during which time he and his team won the Best Customer Service award within the entire Tragus Group, which had more than 250 restaurants at the time.

From there Pawel took on the role of assistant manager at the Loch Fyne Restaurant in Knowle before moving to Hogarth’s Hotel in Dorridge. There he met the former two Michelin-starred chef Martin Blunos who invited Pawel to join him in his next venture at the 5* Seaham Hall Hotel in County Durham.

Pawel returned to the Midlands to spend almost five years working at Opus in Birmingham, progressing from restaurant manager to a director of the business.

He moved onto the role of area sales manager for Eurowines before setting up his own hospitality consultancy business in 2019.

Pawel’s other achievements include winning the Business Hospitality and Tourism category in the Future Faces of Birmingham Awards, reaching the finals of both the Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Award of Excellence and the Gold Service Scholarship, and securing Level 2 and Level 3 Wine & Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) qualifications.

He is excited to join the Cross at Kenilworth, stating that the opportunity to work in an award-winning, Michelin-starred restaurant alongside Andreas Antona and Adam Bennett was too good to miss.

Our dedication to using seasonal produce has helped us develop close relationships with like-minded local growers, farmers and producers. One of our most important suppliers is Mill Piece Gardens, located only a few miles away from The Cross near Bubbenhall.

The owners, Luciole and Jan, farm the land at Mill Piece Gardens. Together, they built all the beds from scratch, initially starting with one garden, which they then expanded to the current three. All the produce is grown using the no-dig method, which helps preserve helpful microorganisms and reduce the amount of carbon released when turning the soil. Additionally, Jan and Luciole never use pesticides which means we can use their wonderful produce without worrying about harmful chemicals.

Their passion, commitment and expertise help to produce herbs, vegetables and fruits of exceptional quality, which we love using.