Gina McAdam

Gina McAdam

Editor of Profile Leader and author

https://www.pmsr.com/leader-ezine
Gina McAdam has spent over twenty years’ in the thick of the UK hospitality and catering industry. For the past seven years, she has spearheaded brand development, marketing and communications for one of the UK’s most enduring restaurant businesses, the Michelin BIB Gourmand Café Spice Namaste, and the iconic Chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE, winner of the 2014 BBC Food Personality of the Year. The business has since developed into a collection of successful establishments, each with its own individual style and identity, from casual fine dining to fast casual. In January 2015, she helped to launch the company’s first outpost in Goa, India, with coverage in Conde Nast Traveller, and across the UK trade press. A highly respected communicator and writer, Gina is also the Editor of ‘Profile Leader’, an e-zine covering the movers and shakers of the global luxury hospitality industry. She has written several books, including the histories of The Lanesborough hotel, the Craft Guild of Chefs, and the life and times of school meals in the UK. Gina has a Bachelor of Arts degree from De La Salle University in Manila and an MA in in English & American Literature from Newcastle University in the UK. She began her career as an account manager for Ace-Compton/Saatchi & Saatchi and J Walter Thompson in Manila and has lived and worked in Madrid and New York. She is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, a member of the Institute of Directors and a Dame d’Escoffier. She is also an adjunct professor of ESH Hotel School in London and Paris. She was the first recipient of the ‘Outstanding Mentor’ Shine Award, recognising the achievements of women in the UK hospitality, travel and tourism industry

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Gina's favorite cookbooks

The Joy of Cooking

The Joy of Cooking

Marion Rombauer Becker and Irma Rombauer

This spiral bound version was a wedding present from a childhood friend who knew that until I left for abroad to study for my Masters degree, I had never ever stepped into the kitchen. It was a lifeline during my first years of marriage — when Britain was still not yet the food nirvana it is today and eating out still quite the luxury — especially the recipe for spaghetti bolognese.

The Classic Mediterranean Cookbook

The Classic Mediterranean Cookbook

This was the gift of a great friend, and it is on this list for the sole recipe it has given me, Paella Valenciana, and the joy this dish has given countless friends and family. Even if I lived in Madrid for almost four years, this is still the recipe that has left its mark.

Regional Italian Cooking

Regional Italian Cooking

Valentina Harris

I found this in an antiquarian booksellers in Broadstairs. I have never stopped using it for its clarity and simplicity. Hail to the President of the Les Dames d' Escoffier London Chapter!

The Frugal Gourmet

The Frugal Gourmet

This was the 21st paperback reprint of Smith's 1987 classic. It saw me through my leaner than lean years in New York and till now I swear by his Lamb & Artichoke Stew and Broiled Salmon Steaks.

Capital Spice

Capital Spice

Chrissie Walker

A sentimental attachment, but brilliant in its own right -- I first met the author whilst she was preparing this tome, and she has been a great friend since.

Kusina to Cuisine: The Theresian Cookbook

Kusina to Cuisine: The Theresian Cookbook

A project of the 'old girls' of my convent school in Manila, a compilation of 'heritage' and 'family' recipes which includes the delightful Binagoongan Baboy (pork belly in shrimp paste) dish that inspired Chef Cyrus Todiwala to create a Filipino/Indian fusion offering and serve it at his landmark Cafe Spice Namaste as well as The Savoy.

The Asian Cook

The Asian Cook

Terry Tan

The original version of this classic 'compendium' of Asian cookery, featuring not only recipes but information on the tools of the Asian cook's trade. This was my first and perhaps only review on Amazon.

The Dinner Lady: Change the Way Your Children Eat Forever

The Dinner Lady: Change the Way Your Children Eat Forever

Jeanette Orrey

I discovered this bestseller from a decade ago whilst I was writing a history of school meals, published by H2O Publishing this July 2015 in time for the conference of the Lead Association for Catering in Education. It was a treat, especially since it was Orrey who inspired Jamie Oliver's campaign that revolutionised school food for the better, forever.