Scott Dineen appointed head chef of Rocksalt in Folkestone

Former BaxterStorey executive chef Scott Dineen has been appointed head chef of Rocksalt restaurant in Folkestone, Kent.

Dineen worked for the catering company for more than 10 years, having joined as a junior sous. He worked his way up to executive head chef to oversee the company’s high-end contracts within London, including client fine dining, events and banqueting. He was shortlisted for the 2019 Foodservice Cateys Chef of the Year and is a five-time Roux Scholarship finalist.

Rocksalt is currently closed for maintenance and is reopening on 11 February

Rocksalt, which opened in 2011, was Mark Sargeant's first solo venture after working for Gordon Ramsay in London in a number of roles, including as head chef of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's. Sargeant oversaw the restaurant when it won Michelin star in 2002.

Sargeant announced he was stepping away from the restaurant and the wider Rocksalt Group due to "unresolvable differences of opinion" between him and business partner Josh De Haan last year. Sargeant is understood to be planning the launch of a new restaurant in Folkestone this April.

He once held a stake in the Kent-based group and until recently continued to work with it on a consultancy basis. Josh De Haan is the son of Roger De Haan, who ran the Folkestone-based Saga group alongside his brother Peter until he sold it in 2004 to a management buyout for £1.35b.

The Rocksalt Group's portfolio includes Rocksalt, the Pilot, Little Rock and the Smokehouse in Folkestone; the Duke William at Ickham; the Wife of Bath in Wye; the Five Bells at Brabourne; the Radnor Arms in Folkestone; and the Woolpack Inn at Warehorne.

Last year, accusations emerged of Sargeant sexually assaulting an American Airlines employee. The chef denied sexual assault but apologised for behaviour he said showed a "lack of respect".