- Tom Sellers is set to oversee five new F&B concepts at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the the country club. The estate, located close to Slough and Windsor, was acquired by Reliance Industries Limited, the Indian conglomerate controlled by the Ambani family and led by chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani, in 2021. The new F&B offer is due to launch next month under Sellers’ HiStory Hospitality group, whose portfolio also includes Story Cellar in Covent Garden and MOR at Carbis Bay Estate in St Ives. Sellers will work alongside long-time lieutenant chef Tom Phillips and chef Dom Robinson. The Penn, named after former Stoke Park owner John Penn, will serve as the estate’s new flagship restaurant.
- Bread Ahead founder Matthew Jones is calling for public support to keep the bakery’s original site at Borough Market, where he launched the business in 2013, after claiming its international expansion has led to its lease not being reviewed. Jones has launched the #SaveBreadAhead campaign, urging customers and supporters to share his message and tag Borough Market, which he describes as the home of the business. He says he was told Bread Ahead had become “too successful” for the market. Borough Market said it values its relationships with traders and their contribution, but declined to comment on the specifics of Bread Ahead’s tenancy, citing confidentiality. It added that it remains in contact with the Bread Ahead team about its future at the market.
- Live-fire restaurant Kāio appears to have closed just over a month after opening at The Whiteley in Bayswater. The restaurant is no longer taking reservations, while a September residency with former Hide chef Ollie Dabbous has also been cancelled. Restaurant understands the business has entered administration, although no appointment has yet been recorded. Kāio officially launched on 5 August, replacing Amsterdam-born concept Nela, which closed after around 10 months. The new restaurant continued Nela’s focus on live-fire cooking, with much of the original kitchen understood to have been retained.
- The company operating Belgravia’s 19 Motcomb Street has gone into creditors’ voluntary liquidation, putting the future of the hospitality complex in doubt. Pantechnicon (London) Limited owes more than £9m, according to its creditor schedule, after the site’s restaurants and bars closed in July for what was described at the time as refurbishment. The development includes Sachi, Amélie and late-night lounge Luum. Companies House records show Opus Restructuring’s Jack Callow and Anthony Davidson have been appointed as joint liquidators. The creditor list includes a range of hospitality suppliers, Westminster City Council, HMRC, SevenRooms and several companies linked to Sunset Hospitality, along with around 40 employees.
- Francesco Dibenedetto, formerly executive chef at Brooklands by Claude Bosi, has returned to Bosi’s restaurant group as culinary director. Dibenedetto previously served as chef de cuisine at Bosi’s flagship Bibendum before going on to launch Brooklands at The Peninsula London, which earned two Michelin stars less than four months after opening in 2023. He left Brooklands last year to become head chef for Clare Smyth’s planned seafood restaurant at Admiralty Arch, which is now expected to open next year.