Antonin Bonnet to leave the Greenhouse and open restaurant in Paris

Antonin Bonnet, executive chef at the Michelin-starred Greenhouse in London, is to leave the Mayfair restaurant to relocate to Paris.

The French chef, who has been at the helm of the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation (MARC)-owned restaurant for six years, has teamed up with a "major international designer" to open a new restaurant in the centre of the French capital.

"It will be a small, 28-seat restaurant that will be informal. It will hopefully open in the spring and include a bar. It will be a lot of fun and not have a lot of ego," Bonnet told Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

Meanwhile MARC has appointed Arnaud Bignon to succeed to Bonnet at the Greenhouse. Bignon, who will start in March, joins from the two-Michelin-starred Spondi in Athens. He previously worked as sous chef under Eric Fréchon at the three-Michelin-starred Bristol in Paris.

Commenting on the appointment, MARC chairman Marlon Abela said Bignon was a phenomenal and very talented chef. "His arrival will be a welcome addition to the London fine-dining scene. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to develop the Greenhouse's already outstanding reputation and take it to the next level," he said.

The Greenhouse was first opened by David Levin in 1977, with Brian Turner heading up the kitchen. It has seen chefs including Gary Rhodes, Paul Merrett and Bjorn van der Horst at its helm. Rhodes gained its first Michelin star in 1996 but left the following year, with Merrett replacing him.

In 2003, MARC took over the Greenhouse and the restaurant has now held its Michelin star for 10 consecutive guides.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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