Chef Joel Antunes, of Les Saveurs fame is to return to London next year as executive chef at London’s biggest new build hotel, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
Antunes, who was executive chef and partner at the Michelin-starred Les Saveurs in London from 1991 to 1996, will oversee all dining at the 1,021-bedroom hotel, including its 200-cover signature restaurant, 30-cover sushi restaurant and all conference and event banqueting, when it opens early 2010.
Since departing the capital in 1996, Antunes has launched Joel Restaurant in America, as well as holding executive chef positions with the Ritz Carlton Dining Room in Atlanta and the Oak Room at The Plaza in New York.
He said: “The restaurant scene has changed dramatically in the decade since I last worked here – people are so much better educated about food and wine and London is now one of the most exciting food capitals of the world.”
Park Plaza Westminster Bridge’s general manager Andrew Swindells said: “Joel is hugely respected within the industry and his many years of experience heading up the kitchens of some of the world’s finest hotels means he is the perfect chef to propel Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London into a class of its own when it comes to dining in the capital.”
Antunes will focus on devising menus and recruiting chefs to work within the hotel’s restaurants before its opening close to London’s South Bank next year.