Our Executive Chef Jauca Catalin

Jauca Catalin was appointed Executive Head Chef at The Bath Priory in spring 2020.

Joining the hotel from his previous position as Executive Head Chef at Andrew Brownsword Hotels’ sister hotel, ABode Canterbury, Jauca has returned to The Bath Priory’s kitchens where he started his career with the company, over 10 years earlier.

Born in Bucharest, Jauca took his first steps on his restaurant career following a ten-year footballing career during which he played for a successful Romanian team, before injury stopped him playing.  Taking his father’s advice to enrol into a cookery school, he found a passion for cooking and on graduating, took up his first position at a 4-star hotel in Bucharest.

Moving to the UK and taking up a role as a Demi Chef de Partie at The Bath Priory, where he trained under the supervision of the Two-Michelin star chef Michael Caines, Jauca later left the Priory from a Junior Sous Chef position to become Sous Chef for the opening launch team at ABode Chester, before taking up his first Executive Head Chef role at ABode Canterbury in 2014.  In September 2018, Jauca’s talents were rewarded when he was awarded 3AA Rosettes, becoming the first Executive Head Chef to achieve this at an ABode restaurant.  

Known for his exceptional discipline and drive, he is passionate about expressing his creativity through inventive and seasonal dishes, a love for Asian cuisine also delivers inventive twists.  Delicious and popular plates from Jauca include signature dishes such as ‘Fresh white crab meat, lime confit, mooli and peanut chilli caramel’.