Reid to head kitchen at Mayfair club
Furlong Hotels has appointed Robert Reid as head chef of Home House, the private members club in London's Mayfair it bought for £15m on Wednesday (1 December).
The South African's last London foray was as head chef at Marco Pierre White's three-Michelin-starred restaurant the Oak Room, which closed in February 2002.
Furlong's managing director Haydn Fentum said the chef had been brought on board "to take the food to the next level" with a modern European menu. Reid will be joined by general manager Caroline King, who has spent eight years at hotel group Red Carnation.
Fentum said he aimed to grow the single-site operation into a global business, starting by building associations with international clubs.
Furlong, which owns three hotels and manages five more under the Bespoke name, is also in advanced negotiations to double the size of Home House by buying the building next door, occupied by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Fentum added that the company had no plans to radically alter the look and feel of Home House, although the "laddish" Bison Bar will become more female-friendly.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 2 December 2004