Danny Parker to leave Jesmond Dene House to pursue career as yacht chef

Danny Parker, executive chef at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle, has revealed that he will leave his role in April with the aim of finding a role cooking on a yacht.

Parker joined Jesmond Dene House in June 2018 and told The Caterer that it has been an “outstanding” experience.

Prior to that, he was a kitchen porter at the Talbot in Bishopton; sous chef and chef de partie at Wynyard Hall near Durham; and head chef of the House of Tides in Newcastle.

The former Great British Menu and MasterChef: The Professionals contestant said: “It’s been a really big rollercoaster. We’ve had the lows of Covid and we’ve had all of the highs – we’ve rebranded the restaurant, reimagined it, changed the space, and redecorated it.

“We’ve got a fantastic team there and I’m happy that I’ll be leaving it in a much better situation, which is absolutely brilliant.”

Parker was inspired to pursue his next chapter – cooking on a yacht – by his “long-time” friend and former colleague, Alan O’Kane, who was head chef of Wynyard Hall.

He said: “Alan’s on the yacht at the moment and it just sounds like so much fun talking to him about it. It’s entirely new to me, so I’ve [also] started speaking to people mainly through social media to try and learn some more about it and get a helping hand in the industry.

“The main thing that I hear is there is a lot of variety and it’s very demanding. It can be very hard work, but at the same time, there can be some lovely perks, like cooking in fantastic places. You could be on the beach cooking a barbecue one day, you could be sailing across the Atlantic – maybe it’s burgers one day, a six course tasting menu the next.”