i. Biography
# Adam Degg At FIFTY TWO in Harrogate, the work sits at the point where kitchen leadership meets service. Adam Degg’s career runs from London’s high-pressure dining rooms through Marlow and on to Yorkshire, with each stop adding repetition, pace, and control rather than drama. The result is a chef whose style reads as composed, grounded, and shaped by lived service. As he put it: "When we opened, the goal was to create something genuine, fun and rooted in the incredible produce we grow in our kitchen garden."
The Climb
Formative training in service came through chef work at Hotel in Birmingham, before the sequence of kitchens continued at Wild Honey in London, Chiltern Firehouse in London, Hand and Flowers, and The Coach in Marlow. That line of restaurants maps a career built on disciplined repetition, close attention to timing, and the sort of practical knowledge only gained from long service on busy floors. Each post adds weight to the same skill set: consistency under pressure. The Yorkshire period began with Head Chef at Horto at Rudding Park in Yorkshire (2022–2024). That role bridged the earlier London-and-Marlow experience with the work now associated with FIFTY TWO, carrying forward the same technical grounding while moving into a different setting. By the time he arrived in Harrogate, the accumulated effect of those kitchens had already shaped a chef comfortable with the demands of service and the expectations of a top-end house.
Today
Since 2024, Degg has held the role of Head Chef and Host at FIFTY TWO in Harrogate, United Kingdom. The title matters: it places responsibility not only on the food, but on the room around it, with hosting built into the job rather than treated as an afterthought. That combination gives the restaurant’s work its particular edge, joining kitchen control with the outward discipline of service. His own description of the project is plain and specific: "I’m also deeply grateful to the Mackaness family for trusting me with this project and giving me the freedom to create my dream restaurant." The emphasis here is on trust, scope, and autonomy. Paired with his earlier line about produce from the kitchen garden, it points to a restaurant built around grounded intent rather than display for its own sake.
In Their Words “I’m also deeply grateful to the Mackaness family for trusting me with this project and giving me the freedom to create my dream restaurant.” “When we opened, the goal was to create something genuine, fun and rooted in the incredible produce we grow in our kitchen garden.”
Recognition
Michelin Green recognition places Degg’s work in a wider frame of responsibility as well as cooking. Set against a career shaped by respected kitchens and now a role that includes both hospitality and stewardship, the recognition sits in line with the values he has already stated. It speaks to a way of working that keeps origin, produce, and the kitchen garden central to the restaurant he is shaping at FIFTY TWO.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Adam
What is Adam Degg's current role?
As of 2026, Adam Degg is Head Chef and Host.
Where did Adam Degg work before?
Adam Degg's earlier career included Hotel in Birmingham, Wild Honey, and Chiltern Firehouse.
What recognition has Adam Degg received?
Michelin Green recognition.
