food and beverage director, the Abbey
Chef Chris Staines has been appointed head chef and food and beverage director at the Abbey, the Bath hotel bought by Ian and Christa Taylor earlier this month.
Staines, who held a Michelin star for seven years in his role as head chef at Foliage at London's Mandarin Oriental hotel, will oversee all food and beverage operations at the 60-bedroom hotel which is due to be transformed into a mid-market boutique hotel by its new owners.
The chef will also work closely with hotel owner Ian Taylor to devise plans for a standalone restaurant serving informal, bistro-style food with a key focus on simple cooking using high quality ingredients to appeal to both hotel guests and locals when he starts the new role in March.
Taylor said: “When I took over the Abbey, my plan was to make some changes to the hotel to make it more attractive to local people as much as to the tourist market.
"The restaurant is an ideal starting point. With Chris’s involvement, I’m confident the bar and restaurant at the Abbey have the potential to become an affordable 'go-to' destination for people living in Bath whether they are looking for after work drinks and nibbles or something more substantial.”