In a statement provided to Restaurant by the central London hotel’s owner Hilton, it has been confirmed that the site will continue to trade as The Pem for the time being.
Abé leads The Pem project as a consultant and is also responsible for the Blue Boar Pub, The Hedgerow and The Orchard Room.
It is understood that a new chef is being sought for The Pem space and that the appointment is likely to result in a rebrand in the near future.
“We’re hugely grateful to Sally for her culinary leadership over the last four years, taking the hotel’s dining venues from strength to strength, building a strong culture of inclusion and empowering many up and coming women to forge a fulfilling career in our industry,” the statement reads.
“We wish her all the best in her next endeavours. The Pem will continue to offer guests an exceptional dining experience following Sally’s departure, and we look forward to sharing more detail about plans for the restaurant soon.”
Named after suffragette Emily Wilding ‘Pem’ Davison, The Pem launched in 2021 by an all-female senior team.
The restaurant offers a high-end a la carte menu that includes Orkney scallop with cauliflower mushroom, aged white balsamic, crispy chicken skin; roast Sirloin of Jersey Beef with Red onion tartlet, pickled pear and walnut; and buttermilk panna cotta with blood orange granita and orange blossom.
A tasting menu is also on offer priced at £110 for six courses.
Abé has a top flight cooking CV that includes Notting Hill’s The Ledbury and Fulham’s The Harwood Arms.
While overseen by Abé as head chef, the latter retained its Michelin star and was named as the best gastropub in the country at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards.
Abé is one of the UK’s most prominent female chefs. Her recent memoir - A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen - describes the reality of working in a top-flight kitchen as young woman and explores what needs to be done to make the restaurant industry more inclusive.
