William Drabble is to join St James Hotel and Club next month as executive chef of its newly named Seven Park Place restaurant, almost three months after leaving his position at Aubergine to ‘pursue a new challenge’.
After spending over ten years at Aubergine, where he maintained the restaurant’s Michelin star since 1999, Drabble will move onto St James on 1 September where the modern-French menu will utilise British ingredients from suppliers such as Cornvale Foods, Cove Shellfish, and Channel Fisheries.
Joining Drabble in the kitchen will be current head chef Philipp Vogel, and food and beverage manager Christophe Thuilot, former restaurant manager at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge.
Drabble said the launch of Seven Park Place would be the ‘fantastic new challenge’ he sought after his departure from Aubergine in June.
“I am thrilled to be joining St James’s Hotel and Club,” he said. “It’s a beautiful hotel and I feel my menu concept will fit perfectly with the hotel’s very ‘British’ style. I envisage an intimate dining experience, which without the Michelin starred prices, will be accessible for all. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
The 26-cover Seven Park Place will open under Drabble’s guidance on 9 September and undergo a minor refurbishment in October, while a more informal dining space, William’s Bar and Bistro, is scheduled to launch in the new year.