Nick Nairn partners with Hilton Worldwide for Aberdeen hotel restaurant
Celebrity chef Nick Nairn is teaming up with Hilton Worldwide for the second time to open a restaurant in Aberdeen.
Native by Nick Nairn will launch at the 100-bedroom Hilton Garden Inn Aberdeen City Centre in October. It follows on from Nairn's partnership with the global hotel company at the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, where Kailyard By Nick Nairn opened in 2010.
Nairn alredy has a presence in Aberdeen having opened a second branch of his renowned cookery school there last year. He founded the original Nick Nairn Cook School in the Port of Menteith in 2000.
Head chef of the restaurant, which will focus on local produce with a strong emphasis on seafood and steaks, will be Gary Leishman, who was previously at Carberry Tower and Ackergill Tower
Nairn, who became the youngest Scottish chef to win a Michelin star at his former restaurant Braeval in 1991, said: "Since launching the Nick Nairn Cook School in Aberdeen last year, we've had incredible support from local people and that got me thinking about opening a restaurant in the north east.
"The area is home to some amazing produce and lots of people who love great food. Native by Nick Nairn will deliver that with great service in a sophisticated and elegant refurbished setting within Hilton Garden Inn Aberdeen City Centre".
Stewart Lorimer, area general manager for Hilton Worldwide in Scotland, said that the company is delighted to be working with Nairn again.
"Having worked closely with Nick and his team over the past few years, we're excited to see what his influence will bring to Hilton Garden Inn and our guests and visitors to Aberdeen."
Nairn, who has a string of TV appearances to his name, will next be back on the small screen on STV and UTV next month with his friend and fellow chef Paul Rankin for a second series of Paul & Nick's Big Food Trip.
Hilton Garden Inn, described by Hilton Worldwide as its "upscale, yet affordable hotel brand", has 520 hotels globally with a further 140 in the pipeline.
The Hilton Garden Inn Aberdeen City Centre was named as a rising star in the large hotel of the year category at the 2011 Scottish Hotel Awards.
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