It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Richard Vines, formerly Bloomberg’s restaurant critic, one of the most prominent figures in London’s restaurant scene and a dear friend of ours during many years at Hot Dinners.
Vines spent twenty-five years as Bloomberg’s chief food critic – perhaps an unexpected final job for a man who had worked for British Rail before switching to journalism. He was offered the job as food critic for the news organisation in 2004. “I applied for the position and offered to say that I had covered food and dining at the South China Morning Post,” he once recalled. “I hadn’t done that, but I ended up getting the job and I’ve always been grateful.” He described the job as a dream job and one that he excelled in over the years with his talent and knowledge. He also served as chairman of the UK and Ireland judging panel for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for a long time.
Even after retirement, he continued to make regular appearances at new London restaurant openings. He had no desire to stay home, and he founded a food review website with his friend, chef Pierre Kofman.
Almost as famous for his amazing dress sense — those shoes! That suit! — Richard was a fixture on the London restaurant party scene, befriending many chefs and restaurateurs. He was always so kind and helpful to us budding chefs and restaurateurs, and we never forgot that. Even when we were trying to be the first to break the news, we maintained professional respect for each other. The last time we crossed paths with him, like the first, was at a party. This time it was at Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in London, and Richard showed up dressed to the nines. It was a great way to remember him, because he will be sorely missed.
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