Newly-refurbished the Ivy to feature in new TV documentary
by Harriette Stagg
Iconic London restaurant the Ivy is to be the subject of a new television documentary.
Spearheaded by the site's director Fernando Peire, the documentary will focus on the restaurant's famous history and recent refurbishment, and ask diners and bar drinkers to comment on their experiences of the place.
The exact release date of the TV film is yet to be revealed but it is thought it may be timed to coincide with the Caprice Holdings site's centenary in 2017, according to a report in the London Evening Standard.
It will follow in the footsteps of TV shows on other famous London sites, including Claridges, the Savoy and the private member's club Annabel's.
Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Peire admitted that he had previously barred film crews from the Ivy as it would have "taken away from the mystique of the place", but had later been persuaded that following the refurb, a documentary would act as a "living document of a much-loved institution".
The Ivy is already no stranger to publicity, having long been synonymous with a celebrity clientele, including the actors and musicians Tom Cruise, Madonna, Mick Jagger, and Uma Thurman.
It closed for five months pending refurbishment, and re-opened its doors in May this year.
First opened in 1917, the Ivy is now part of the Caprice Holdings portfolio, directed by Richard Caring. Peire first joined the company in 1990 as senior maitre d', before leaving to work as a restaurant consultant, and re-joining in 2007. In 2010, he played a key role in organising a 30 minute play from Oscar-winning screenwriter Sir Ronald Harwood, which was performed in the middle of the restaurant itself.
The most recent renovation renewed the restaurant's artwork, cutlery, glassware and linen, with older features sold, and a new interior brought in by the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio.
