Jeremy Lee and Tristan Welch to leave D&D London
Two of D&D London's most celebrated chefs are to leave their restaurants within the company, with Blueprint Café's Jeremy Lee and Launceston Place's Tristan Welch both moving on.
Lee, who has been head chef at Blueprint Café for 16 years, is to leave the restaurant on the Shad Thames to join Sam and Eddie Hart's Quo Vadis in Soho.
Quo Vadis, which was taken over by the Hart brothers in 2008, will close for a refurbishment on 24 December and will reopen with a new menu in the second week of January.
"Jeremy Lee has been head chef at Blueprint Café for the past 16 years and an integral part of its success. We wish him the very best of luck with his new venture when he leaves us at the end of the year," said David Loewi and Des Gunewardena of D&D London in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Welch, head chef at Launceston Place, is to move to a consultancy role for the restaurant.
A former Caterer Acorn Award winner, Welch, who has been at the helm of the Kensington restaurant since 2007, is taking time out to be with his family in Sweden as his wife is expecting another baby. He will continue to be involved at Launceston Place on a consultancy basis, moving away from the day-to-day running of the restaurant.
Commenting on the move, Welch said: "I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved at Launceston Place and I look forward to being part of its continued success.
"However, with a new arrival on the way, I've decided to take some time out to be with my family. I continue to be involved with, and provide support to, the restaurant while I work on some new ideas."
Jeremy Lee: My Life in Hospitality >>
Acorn winner Tristan Welch joins D&D London >>
By Kerstin Kühn
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