Appointed Chef Patron at The Lanesborough Eric Frechon, a leading figure at Le Bristol since 1999, is bringing his protégé Florian Favario to The Lanesborough in London.
Under the leadership of Frechon, who has three Michelin stars, Le Bristol is home to three Michelin-starred Epicure and one Michelin-starred 114 Faubourg. In 2014, Epicure won numerous awards, including ‘Best Restaurant in the World’ at the World Luxury Hotel Awards; ‘Best Hotel Restaurant in the World’ by the famous gastronomic website The Daily Meal and ‘Best Hotel Restaurant’ by magazine Saveur for the Saveur Culinary Travel Awards.
As Executive Chef at The Lanesborough, Favario will bring with him his experience from the Oetker Collection, where he joined Le Bristol as Frechon’s Chef in 2010, following a half decade training with Marc Veyrat and Thierry Marx.
The move follows a series of big developments at the Lanesborough. Most recently, The Oetker Collection announced it would take over management of the historic hotel. The property will re-open as a "masterpiece hotel" in spring 2015.
Last summer, we had a chance to catch up with Managing Director Geoffrey Gelardi on a major renovation at the hotel, which includes the guestrooms, all public areas, back-of-the-house, elevators and air conditioning systems. The technology systems at the hotel have also been completely replaced and updated.
As executive chef, Favario intends to introduce a fundamentally French cuisine with a modern, imaginative feel and international influences, The Lanesborough said in a release announcing his appointment.