Neil Ferguson, born and raised in Hampshire, England, decided to become a chef at age 12. Missing a school trip because he was ill, he went on vacation to Scotland with his parents instead. As luck would have it, they took him to a restaurant run by British Chef Brian MacPhee. Neil was in awe and his fate was sealed. He spent three years at Highbury College of Technology for professional cookery and then ventured into London’s rising food scene.  Neil spent time at the best restaurants in London, Le Gavroche, Claridges, Pied A Terre, La Tante Claire, The Square and Aubergine, taking from each a different skill set and style.

Deciding it was time to venture away from London, Neil moved to France. He spent a year in the heart of Burgundy at Marc Meneau‘s three-Michelin star L’Espérance and a year in Paris with Alain Passard at the three-Michelin star L’Arpége. Neil credits Passard with having the most influence. He returned to London when offered the Sous Chef position at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and then assumed the position of Head Chef at the Connaught Hotel working with Angela Hartnett, before moving to the United States in 2006 to open Gordon Ramsay at The London in New York.

Neil was hired to open Allen & Delancey in the Lower East Side, which took Manhattan by storm. The restaurant earned 2 stars from both Frank Bruni of the New York Times and Adam Platt of New York Magazine, was named Restaurant of the year by Time Out magazine and received a 1 Michelin star review from the Michelin Guide.  He left Allen and Delancey in 2008 and became Executive Chef at the private club, SoHo House in NYC until 2010, when he decided to move to Nantucket. Neil was hired by Galley Beach in summer of 2011 and was made Executive Chef in 2013.

In 2015 Neil teamed up with his friend Sundip Murthy and purchased American Seasons, continuing the tradition of great cooking and service at this neighborhood favorite.