A former army cook and Chinook helicopter pilot has been named as head chef at a business which an Attleborough family are opening in memory of their beloved late son and brother.

Eastern Daily Press: The Taylor family from Attleborough who have bought The Bear pub in the town in memory of their son Ryan. Tha family are pictured with their pastry chef Alex Arruda.The Taylor family from Attleborough who have bought The Bear pub in the town in memory of their son Ryan. Tha family are pictured with their pastry chef Alex Arruda. (Image: Archant norfolk)

Brad Day will lead the kitchen operation at Ry's Bar and Grill, which is due to open to the public on May 2.

The Taylor family are opening the venue at the site of the old Bear public house in memory of 21-year-old Ryan Hunt, who took his own life last year after suffering from depression.

Before his death, he had suggested his family - who already own the London Tavern pub in Queens Square - take over the Bear site and make it a success.

Mr Day's cooking experience began when he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) aged 17, where he simultaneously trained as a chef and a pilot on Chinook helicopters.

However flying soon took a back seat to cooking and he left the RAF having achieved his aim of becoming a fully-qualified chef.

Mr Day moved on to the exclusive Austrian ski resort of Soll, where he was the executive chef for a group of exclusive ski chalets, catering for ultra high net worth clients.

It was there that he met his partner, Kelsey Border, who will be in charge of front of house operations at Ry's.

The couple later moved to the French Alps, where they ran one of the most prestigious ski chalets in Morzine, arguably the most exclusive resort in the Alps.

On return to the UK, Mr Day was chef at the renowned Lockeeper in Bristol.

He is currently working on a menu of quality but reasonably-priced dishes for Ry's, which aims to become well-known for its high-quality steaks and burgers.

There will also be vegetarian options and Ry's will cater for allergy sufferers.

The Taylor family bought the site of the old Bear pub in what Ryan's mother Samantha Taylor described as an 'emotional moment of madness'.

'We had been asked by the previous landlord of The Bear to go into business with them a few years ago and Ryan always said we should have done it,' said Mrs Taylor. 'He liked The Bear and thought it had potential. When it came up for auction, my mum, in an emotional, off-the-cuff comment, said about buying it for those reasons and things went from there.'

She described Ryan as someone who had a 'loving heart'.

Are you celebrating a business success? Email ben.woods@archant.co.uk