OUR TEAM
CAL BYERLEY & IAN WALLER - The Chefs
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Cal comes from a local farming family who have farmed in Northumberland since 1805. Together with his friend Ian Waller, whom he met and worked with at Grasmeres Michelin Starred Forest Side, have co created the food offerings at Pine.
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Working together with ingredients grown in Pines onsite kitchen garden as well as foraging in the Northumberland landscape, the menus are designed to showcase the best of what Northumberland has to offer changing with the seasons. Pines food offering is based around their common principals of using the best local ingredients sourced from independent suppliers, head to tail butchery as well as extensive preservation techniques to minimise waste and work sustainably as possible.
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SIÂN BYERLEY - Operations Manager
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Born and bred in Newcastle, Siân has worked in the hospitality industry for over 16 years. Siân's passion for fine dining began at the age of 21 when she travelled the world with the highly accredited, six star Seabourn fleet. Siân's adventures saw her work with talented chefs from across the globe; including the award winning Thomas Keller. Pining for her hometown and the warm nature of Northumberland, Siân found her place at Kenny Atkinson's Michelin starred 'House of Tides'. Here she experienced the joy of growing the skills of others. She later went on to become a hospitality teacher, helping to sculpt the North-East's bright, young future in hospitality.
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Now Siân hopes to shape her own future, leading Restaurant Pine's talented front of house team.
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In 2022, Sian was honoured to be included in CODE Hospitality's top 100 most influential women in Hospitality list and shortly after achieved a finalist spot for the Institute of Hospitality's Restaurant Manager of the Year competition.
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VANESSA STOLTZ - Restaurant Manager & Head Sommelier
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Vanessa was raised in the historical region of Alsace in France. Bordering Germany and Switzerland, it was within this melting pot of culture that she discovered her true love for wine. From a young age her father shared his amazing knowledge with Vanessa. Keen to learn, she often explored the scents of her father's vast wine cellar and was occasionally allowed to sip from his glass. She developed this family passion into a fledgling career during a season in the vineyards of Sancerre. In the abundant Loire valley she was exposed to some of the most spectacular wines in the world before moving England to become a professional Sommelier.
Her adventures in England started at Hipping Hall then later Forest Side where she absorbed the knowledge of English Sommelier Charles C. Brown. Since then her talent for wine and food pairing has flourished. In 2018 Vanessa won the Champagne Gosset Matchmakers competition with her husband Ian Waller.
Vanessa's passion knows no limits. She looks forward to welcoming you to Pine to share her joy of flavour.
LUKE RILEY - Head Bartender
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Luke has built his career as a cocktail bartender in the North East. Early in his career, he travelled around the country each month, spending time with some of the UK’s best bartenders, asking questions, learning techniques and building relationships that shaped the way he works today.
He found his passion for cocktails through competitive bartending and the North East bartending community, winning his first national title with Doorly’s Rum in 2015. He later played a key role in building the Mother Mercy group of cocktail bars in the North East, before reaching the UK Top 10 in Diageo World Class for two consecutive years.
At Pine, Luke brings that experience into the drinks programme, with a focus on balance, texture and flavour. The kitchen garden and local ingredients are central to the approach, using what is available seasonally and sustainably. Traditional cocktail ingredients that cannot be grown or sourced responsibly, such as citrus, are avoided, with acidity, freshness and balance instead coming from the garden, local produce and technique.
SOPHIE FOSTER - Assistant Sommelier
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Sophie grew up in Corbridge, just a few miles from the restaurant, and began her career in hospitality working in boutique hotels. She later moved to Restaurant Pine, where she quickly fell in love with the guest experience and the genuine interactions that make each visit memorable.
Her passion for hospitality soon grew into a love of wine, leading her to complete her WSET Level 3 earlier this year. Sophie is passionate about continuing to learn and develop her knowledge, with the aim of using it to create and enhance memorable experiences for every guest.