Fred Sirieix is a Frenchmaître d'hôtel best known for appearing on Channel 4's First Dates, and BBC Two's Million Pound Menu. Sirieix grew up in Limoges, France and trained to work in front of house in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before working at La Tante Claire in London. Until 2019 he was the general manager of Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton. Sirieix is the founder of National Waiters Day, the training tool the Art of Service, and the Galvin Cup and Galvin's Chance charities. He helped to launch the Right Course, which teaches prisoners about the service industry, and has also released a book called First Dates: The Art of Love and a music track, "La Vie Continue". He has been featured in an ITV show, with Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo, entitled Gino, Gordon and Fred: Road Trip, and Remarkable Places to Eat on BBC Two.
Early life
Sirieix was brought up in Limoges, France. His parents both worked in healthcare and he says they inspired him to work in the service industry: "The conversation around the dinner table was all about patient care. It was about making sure people had a good experience.”
Career
Sirieix began his career in the food industry at catering college, receiving some training as a chef, before quickly deciding to focus on front of house. He trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, before moving to London restaurant La Tante Claire where he worked as Chef de Rang. Following this, he worked at Le Gavroche, Sartoria and Brasserie Roux. He was for 14 years the general manager at restaurant Galvin at Windows , a Michelin-starred restaurant on the 28th floor of the London Hilton hotel on Park Lane. On Christmas Day 2012, Sirieix launched National Waiters Day to celebrate the work of front of house staff and attract people into the profession. In 2011, he launched The Art of Service - a board game for teaching customer service in hotels and restaurants. Sirieix is also involved in charity work, creating a cocktail competition called the Galvin Cup, which awards young bartenders. He also created the charity Galvin's Chance, which supports underprivileged young front of house staff in London and Scotland's best hotels, restaurants and bars. In 2017, Sirieix, along with Novus, launched the Right Course, which remodels prison staff restaurants to operate as high street restaurants to teach prisoners cooking and about other aspects of service industry.
Television
Sirieix is the Maître d' on Channel 4's First Dates, deciding to be part of the show because "it sounded fun and you have to consider any opportunity. I looked carefully at it and became sure it was a good programme at heart." He was also Maître d' on the First Dates spin-off show, First Dates Abroad. In addition to First Dates, Sirieix, along with celebrity chef Michel Roux Jr, co-hosted BBC Two's Michel Roux's Service. In 2012, he appeared on BBC One's The Apprentice whilst the programme filmed at Galvin at Windows. In 2017, he appeared in Channel 4's Tried and Tasted: The Ultimate Shopping List. In 2018, he presented Million Pound Menu, a new show for BBC Two. In December 2017, he appeared in ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred's Great Christmas Roast, alongside Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo. In 2019, he presented a series on BBC Two entitled Remarkable Places to Eat, in which he was taken by chefs to their favourite restaurants in different cities.
Other ventures
In 2016, Sirieix released a book called First Dates: The Art of Love. In 2015, Sirieix released a music track with Mark King from the bandLevel 42 and rapper XO MAN called "La Vie Continue". Sirieix describes it as "a song about love, loss and everything in between".
Awards
In 2010, Sirieix was nominated for the Cateys manager of the year award, winning it three years later in 2013. In October 2011, he won the National Restaurant Awards' Personality of the Year for his charity work and promoting the hospitality profession. He was voted Educator of the Year in 2012 at the Imbibe awards and in March 2014, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of West London.
