Irish chef Conrad Gallagher has resurfaced in South Africa, where he has taken on the role of group executive chef for the Sun International chain.
Although his brief is still being hammered out, he will be working as a consultant on a selection of restaurants across the group's 17 properties in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Kalahari.
A spokeswoman for Sun International said Gallagher would be reviewing the operations - which include a mix of South African, Thai and Indian cuisines - and putting forward recommendations.
He will spend a month at each of the hotels involved, starting with the flagship five-star Table Bay hotel in Cape Town.
"The standards are really high. It's just a matter of working out what we have and trying to make it a little bit better," said Gallagher.
He will work with top Cape Town designer Gavin Rajah to theme some of the restaurants.
Gallagher has come through a stormy couple of years. In July, he was cleared of charges of stealing paintings from his Michelin-starred Peacock Alley restaurant in Dublin's Fitzwilliam hotel.
Peacock Alley was closed in March 2002, just a month after his contract was terminated at his eponymous restaurant in Shaftesbury Avenue in London. He has also closed the Traffic Bar and Lounge that he had been setting up in New York before the trial.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 16 - 22 October 2003