Pierre Koffmann pops up at Selfridges for London Restaurant Festival.
17 July 09
Legendary chef Pierre Koffmann has announced his return to the kitchen at this year’s inaugural London Restaurant Festival.
From 8 – 13 October 2009, Koffmann, celebrated for his notoriously exacting standards at his three-Michelin star restaurant La Tante Claire (1997-2002), will be back behind the stove in a ‘pop-up’ restaurant on the roof of the city’s iconic department store, Selfridges.
Koffmann will be joined in the kitchen by members of his original brigade; Tom Kitchin, Eric Chavot, Tom Aikens, Raphael Duntoye, Helena Puolakka and William Curley, now all highly reputed head chefs in their own right, will be among those to join their former mentor in recreating some of his most celebrated dishes.
Selfridges Food and Restaurants director Ewan Venters says, “Only at Selfridges will Londoners be able to experience again the wondrous talents of Pierre Koffmann. The pop-up La Tante Claire is a destination for anyone serious about food and a once in a lifetime opportunity for people to eat on the roof of Selfridges, where customers are not usually allowed to go.”
Tables at the 80-cover pop-up ‘La Tante Claire at Selfridges’ restaurant are expected to be among the most sought-after during the Festival period. Reservation details will be announced on 9th September 2009 via the London Restaurant Festival website – www.londonrestaurantfestival.com
Notes to Editors
For further information, images or comment contact Penny Smith:
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Editors Notes:
The London Restaurant Festival has been created by Fay Maschler and Simon Davis, her business partner in the consultancy A Private View, and is supported by Visit London and Mayor Boris Johnson. It will be a highly publicised, citywide celebration of eating out which will raise the profile of establishments involved and acknowledge the pleasure and sustenance given to all by London’s extraordinarily diverse range of restaurants. In these hard times for restaurants, one of the main aims will be to entice and drive more customers into restaurants.
Founders of the London Restaurant Festival are A Private View, Visit London and Tim Etchells of Single Market Events. Founding Partners are Toptable.com and Taste of London. Festival Partners include Vanity Fair, Mumm Champagne, Covent Garden London, Eureka Executive Search and London Evening Standard.
About Selfridges
Selfridges is 100 years old in 2009.
• The business was founded by American entrepreneur Gordon Selfridge in 1909 and run by him until he retired in 1940 and took on the role of President. Gordon Selfridge died in 1947. Four years later the business was sold to Lewis’ of Liverpool for £3.4 million.
• In 1965 Charles Clore’s British Shoe Corporation won control of Selfridges in take-over for £63 million. New developments included the opening of Miss Selfridge.
• In 1998 the company was de-merged from the Sears Group and floated on the London Stock Exchange.
• In 2003 Galen Weston purchased Selfridges. He and his wife Hilary are closely involved with the development and growth of the company and their daughter Alannah is Creative Director.
• In the year ended 31 January 2008, Selfridges’ sales rose by 10 per cent to £655 million and profit grew by 30 per cent to £84.1 million.
• Galen Weston is Chairman of Selfridges and, in January 2004, Allan Leighton was appointed Deputy Chairman.
• Paul Kelly became Chief Executive of Selfridges in February 2004. Before that, Paul was Managing Director of Brown Thomas in Dublin for ten years. He has worked with the Weston family for over 20 years.
• Galen Weston is Chairman of the premier luxury goods company which, as well as Selfridges, includes Holt Renfrew in Canada and Brown Thomas in Ireland.
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