Chef Allan Pickett takes step back from Piquet
Chef Allan Pickett has taken a "leave of absence" from the London restaurant named after him, Piquet.
Pickett has been fronting the Newman Street restaurant since it launched in September last year.
The two-storey, 98-cover Fitzrovia venue, which the chef opened with the support of restaurateur Andre Blais, the French-Canadian founder of barbecue meat group Bodean's, continues to trade as normal.
The news comes at a time when Piquet had been picking up some positive publicity, having received a largely enthusiastic review from The Times' restaurant critic Giles Coren last weekend.
That was followed swiftly by the revelation earlier this week that Piquet had placed seventh and claimed the title of highest new entry in the Top 100 UK Restaurants 2016 listing.
However, it emerged this week that Pickett, who along with his wife is a minority shareholder in the restaurant, was no longer working in the business.
Majority shareholder Blais confirmed to The Caterer that Pickett had taken a step back. "He's taking a leave of absence for an undefined period of time," said Blais. "In the meantime, his loyal team keeps on delivering great food and service."
Pickett, whose career has included roles at D&D London's Plateau in Canary Wharf, Aviator, Orrery in Marylebone, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe on Baker Street, and Marco Pierre White's L'Escargot in Soho, was not available for comment.
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