Food writer Simon is made university professor
RESTAURATEUR, broadcaster and food writer Simon Wright has been made professor by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Mr Wright, who owns Wright’s Emporium restaurant in the Towy Valley village of Llanarthne, between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, is appointed to the role of Professor of Practice.
The university said Professor Wright’s expertise will be pivotal in assisting it to develop initiatives which aim to deliver economic, social and cultural growth linked to local food and hospitality.
Professor Wright is a renowned champion of Welsh food and drink produce, sustainable agriculture and the hospitality industry.
He has managed restaurants in Carmarthenshire for more than 30 years and has developed a career as a broadcaster participating in a range of TV and radio programmes, including for the BBC and Channel 4.
He was the restaurant consultant for Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares in the UK and Europe for 10 years, as well as a restaurant inspector for the AA’S Restaurant Guide.
In 2010 he was named the Local Food Ambassador for Wales and was awarded the Wales True Taste Champion Award in the Welsh Government’s annual awards for his dedication and devotion to Welsh food and drink.
He recently co-founded the Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective as a response to the challenges facing the sector from Covid-19.
The collective now has more than 300 supporting businesses across Wales and is actively engaged with Welsh Government on strategies for the survival and recovery of the sector.
Professor Wright said: “I’m pleased to have this opportunity to play a role in supporting the university’s ambitions for sustainable regeneration in West Wales based around the rural economy and particularly the food and hospitality industries.
“There has never been a more crucial and acute time for these issues to be addressed.
“My passion is local food and all that comes with it and I’m delighted to have this opportunity and to be able to play a part in shaping the future of food and farming in west Wales and further afield.”
Professor Wright will be part of the team delivering Canolfan Tir Glas, a major development for the university’s Lampeter campus.
Its aim is to promote the local food industry, local sustainability, resilience, and enterprise within a rural context.
In addition, he will support research and enterprise, as well as curriculum development at all levels across the UWTSD Group, which includes Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion as constituent colleges.