Meet the Team
Sam Harrison
Owner
My passion for the restaurant industry started at the age of 16 when I started waitering for friends catering firms. After I finished school I decided to further my interest in hospitality and completed a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at Oxford Brookes University.
After working at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Cornwall for four years, I moved to Australia and worked with some internationally renowned chefs as well as work on some fantastic new openings. I then returned to London and with the help of Rick and my fellow directors I opened Sam's in 2005.
Since opening Sam’s I have seen the restaurant scene in Chiswick grow into a real landmark location for diners, not only locally but throughout London. I am very proud of what we have achieved over the years - winning the 2006 Time Out Award for Best Local Restaurant and the 2008 Evening Standard Award for Best Value Restaurant in London - being just two of many career highlights!
My staff are an integral part of the business, without them Sam’s wouldn’t be what it is today.
Dorota Przybik
Restaurant Manager
I am so thrilled to have Dorota back at Sam’s as Restaurant Manager. I think it is hard to imagine anyone with a warmer, friendlier welcome than Dorota and I am so pleased to have her leading from the front and setting our standards in terms of the hospitality and the service we are famous for.
Ian Leckie
Head Chef
Our Head Chef Ian joined us as Sous Chef when we first opened. Ian was then promoted to Head Chef in September 2007 and has now very much made the kitchen and menu his own. Like my fellow owners and I, Ian believes in simple food cooked well. I am very proud of the award we won in 2008 for Evening Standard Best Value Restaurant and a lot of this was due to Ian’s ability to source great ingredients and then produce fantastic and affordable food - especially important with our set menus.
Fiona Wong
Office/Reservations Manager
Fiona joined the team in 2006 to assist me in the office. Since then Fiona had developed to become our Office and Reservations Manager and is integral to the smooth running of Sam’s and Harrison’s! Fiona is also responsible for our website and newsletters, both of which we get fantastic feedback on and have been nominated for awards within the industry.
Antonio Salvatore
Assistant Manager
Antonio has been with us for over 2 years. Having started as a waiter and then progressing to Head Waiter, I am thrilled that we have been able to promote him to Assistant Manager. Antonio is a very natural hospitality person and has that ability to have eyes everywhere - a very useful skill in a big restaurant like Sam’s!
Pawel Zajac
Assistant Manager
Pawel is the newest member of the Sam's management team but has already worked at the restaurant for over 3 years. I am delighted that Pawel has developed with us and will now be taking on a new management role. Working with him is always a pleasure as he helps to make Sam's great.
Mariusz Czapla
Bar Manager
I am really pleased that Mariusz has returned to Sam’s as Bar Manager. Mariusz has a wealth of fantastic cocktail experience and is working on some fantastic ideas for the re-opening of the bar. I always wanted Sam’s to be the best place for cocktails in West London and with Mariusz’s help, we’re going to have a really good go at achieving that.
Rangi Hamlin
Head Barman
Rangi joined us in 2007 and has bought his New Zealand flair to the team ever since. Rangi is a completely natural front of house person and brings a real attention to detail that is so important in restaurants. Like many Kiwis he also makes fantastic coffee!