Ottolenghi group appoints Elaine Goad as Nopi head chef

Elaine Goad has been named head chef of Nopi, an Ottolenghi group restaurant in London’s Soho, after eight years at the company.

She joins from Ottolenghi Chelsea, which she launched in 2021 as head chef.

She first became part of the now nine-strong restaurant group in 2015 as a kitchen porter, having wanted to “start from the bottom, as that way if I ever wanted to run a business, I’d know how a KP or a commis chef would feel”.

Goad will showcase her Filipino heritage through a new menu celebrating flavours from across Southeast Asia, with dishes such as roasted rump cap with gochujang and coffee butter, runner beans with coconut brittle and back tea chocolate ganache with whisky caramel.

Yotam Ottolenghi said: "Elaine has undergone a meteoric rise at Ottolenghi, from kitchen porter to commis chef, salad chef to head chef.

"It’s fair to assume that all of her years of work have given her an incredible drive that, combined with great talent, has made her the extraordinary chef she is today. We’re so excited to see what she does at Nopi – I’m confident that the menu will thrive under her guidance."

At Nopi's menu launch evening held earlier this week, Ottolenghi confessed it "took a bit of convincing" to bring Goad on board due to her naturally shy character. He added: "I'm really proud and really happy Elaine is the next person to be running it".

Nopi opened in 2011 as Yotam Ottolenghi’s first ‘grown-up’ restaurant serving sharing plates inspired by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine.