Busby quits blanc for Kingston cash
By Linda Fox
John Scott, proprietor of Frère Jacques restaurant in Kingston, Surrey, has recruited Stuart Busby of Le Petit Blanc as his executive chef.
Mr Scott caused a stir in the industry last year when he offered to pay £40,000, double the normal salary, to recruit a high-calibre head chef.
Mr Busby, currently head chef at Le Petit Blanc in Oxford, will receive a salary understood to be more than £50,000.
Mr Scott is currently looking at sites in Richmond and Wimbledon to expand his Frère Jacques brasserie concept. The existing 175-seat restaurant serves 3,000 covers weekly with a turnover of £40,000.
Mr Scott and Mr Busby met earlier this year at the Chef Conference. "It has been a gradual thing. I wasn't poaching and he wasn't looking," said Mr Scott.
Prior to joining Le Petit Blanc a year ago, Mr Busby, 30, was head chef at the People's Palace in London.
Although his starting date has not been confirmed, Mr Busby is currently working three months' notice at Le Petit Blanc, and has agreed to return to complete a handover period if necessary. Le Petit Blanc is recruiting a new head chef.
Mr Busby who lives in Teddington, south-west London, said: "I won't be driving 120 miles a day or working for 15 hours anymore. It's a big challenge - it's not just the money."
