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Executive Head Chef Douglas Balish is incredibly close to his brigade, who are the beating heart of the kitchen. Together with the rest of the Grove family, they work hard to deliver the highest quality food and service.

Kitchen

Gerwyn John Jones Head Chef

Gerwyn John Jones, fondly known as ‘Gez,’ joined Executive Chef Douglas Balish in the kitchen in 2018 as Sous Chef, and was promoted to Head Chef in 2021. Gez has worked in many first-class establishments across the land and has gained a wealth of experience in senior positions for some of the most exciting chefs in the industry, most notably with the extraordinary Gareth Ward at Michelin starred Ynyshir, near Machynlleth.

Gez’s passion for the provenance of food and local ingredients is the perfect match for Dougie, bringing the Fernery ethos to life. When he’s not in the kitchen, Gez will be out in his kayak, exploring the fabulous Welsh coastline around Pembrokeshire and the Gower Peninsular.

Wine

Alexios Stasinopoulos Director of Wine

Alexios joined the Grove of Narberth team in 2021, by way of Surrey, Lancashire and his native Greece. His almost encyclopedic knowledge of all things wine has been built working in senior sommelier roles, including time spent at Michelin restaurants, Northcote with the legendary chef Lisa Allen, and Sorrel restaurant with Steve Drake.

He loves seeing how the Welsh and English wine offering has developed over the past few years and is proud to include a number of UK-based wines on his list. As a brandy connoisseur, he’s delighted that Fernery lists the amazing 20-year-old Baron de Sigognac Bas-Armagnac.

In his previous life Alexios used to be a football referee in the Fourth Greek National Division.

Wine

Cathryn Bell Head Sommelier

Originally from Ammanford, Cathryn joined the team at Grove has Head Sommelier after 16 years away from Wales.

Cathryn gained a wealth of experience working in some of Ireland’s best hotels and restaurants, including Ashford Castle, Michelin Star restaurant Chapter One with chef Ross Lewis, and 2 Michelin Star restaurant Aimsir with chef Jordan Bailey. As Head Sommelier of Aimsir, Cathryn was part of the team that led Aimsir to the fastest debut of 2 stars in the history of the Michelin guide in Great Britain and Ireland, winning several industry awards along the way.

Cathryn hasn’t always worked in hospitality. She previously worked in international development in East Africa, having gained a degree in Swahili. But it was Cathryn’s love for making people happy that led her into the world of wine. She has a true dedication to enhancing a guests experience, by matching food and wine. When she’s not out exploring the Pembrokeshire coastline with her two dogs, she’ll be experimenting with food pairings.

Restaurant

Mourad Ben Tekfa Director of Restaurants

Hailing from sunny Cannes in the Côte D’Azur, Mourad got his first taste for hospitality at the tender age of 12, earning pocket money by helping his dad in a family-owned coastal restaurant during his school summer holidays. He then became a part-time chef working every weekend and in school holidays for more than 10 years.

While studying for a Masters in Applied Foreign Languages at Nice University, he worked in front of house roles for the Luxury Hotels of Monaco during events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix. His first full-time role was as a commis waiter, working for the prestigious Société des Bains de Mer hotel group in Monaco. He then moved to the UK, spending several years at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, before expanding his experience at other iconic British venues such as l’Ortolan and Hambleton Hall. He then returned to Le Manoir as Restaurant Manager, going on to spend the next 18 years helping Raymond Blanc perfect his astonishing vision for the hotel and restaurant, latterly in the role of Restaurant Director. During his time at Le Manoir, Mourad became a Master of Culinary Arts in 2013.

Mourad then joined the Seren team as Director of Restaurants in 2020, trading the Oxfordshire countryside for the beautiful coast of Pembrokeshire, to take on this exciting new role across our family of restaurants. Mourad is a proud family man and when not at work, he enjoys gardening, keeping fit, cooking for the family, and exploring this beautiful part of the world.

Latest vacancies

Join our team

We’re always keen to talk with anyone interested in joining our Fernery and Grove of Narberth teams. If you’re interested in working with us, please take a look at our latest vacancies and get in touch to find out more.