Brahimi keen to stay at Opera House on his terms
Guillaume at Bennelong's chef-owner Guillaume Brahimi remains open to the idea of staying at the Sydney Opera House but resigned to pulling up stumps at the end of the year.
His reaction follows news of fiery scenes at a board meeting over the handling of the tender for the Bennelong restaurant site. The preference for a bistro-style operation was behind Brahimi's decision not to retender for the site.
Chef Guillaume Brahimi at his three-hatter Guillaume at Bennelong.
"If it was commercially good then I would consider [staying] but this is all if, if, if," the chef said today. "There is a tender in place and we are leaving on December 31. It's like saying would you look at any [good site], we'd be open to a lot of things," Brahimi said.
A ground swell of industry and public support has seen Brahimi cook to packed houses following his decision not to retender. Critics of the decision to focus the Bennelong space on a bistro-style outlet point to the numerous affordable eating options in the Opera House complex.
Earlier this month, Guillaume at Bennelong was elevated to three hats in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2014 edition.
Reports suggest the Opera House has not formally asked Brahimi to stay beyond the expiry of his lease at the end of the year, but the request is expected shortly.
Can't stand the heat; Opera House row intensifies
Tempers boiled over during a meeting of the Opera House Trustees.
Outgoing Sydney Opera House chairman Kim Williams stormed out of his final board meeting in disgust at chief executive Louise Herron's management of the restaurant tender that forced Guillaume Brahimi from the building.
The tender process was on the agenda at a meeting of the Opera House Trustees on September 17.
Ms Herron gave an impassioned defence of her actions, and those of her management team, during which an irate Mr Williams rose and told her "I'm over you", before walking out of the room. He tendered his resignation to Arts Minister George Souris shortly afterwards.
Food fight: Kim Williams with Louise Herron.
Following Mr Williams' departure, the trustees implored Ms Herron to re-engage with Brahimi in the hope he could be persuaded to keep his restaurant, Guillaume at Bennelong, in its current form. The pair met secretly on Friday.
The Opera House has not formally asked Brahimi to stay beyond the expiry of his lease on December 31, but the request is expected to be made shortly.
After a publicised global search, only two tenders were received by Ms Herron - one from breakfast cook Bill Granger in association with John and Leon Fink's hospitality empire, and the other from the operators of the Stokehouse in Melbourne's St Kilda.
At the AFL grand final on Saturday, Leon Fink defended his bid, saying that Granger "isn't just scrambled eggs. He's got the support of [Quay chef] Peter Gilmore".
Ms Herron also attracted criticism from the board after engaging consultants from global junk and pet food conglomerate Mars Group. Last year she appointed Opera House commercial director David Watson, who was previously a senior lawyer at Mars' dog food business in Hong Kong.
One trustee bemoaned the tender process being run by accountants who "wouldn't know a pork chop from a chow mein". Another argued that Ms Herron had reasonably wanted to cut the generous margins Brahimi had built into his monopoly in-house catering.
On top of Mr Williams' departure, the Opera House management is in flux with three other trustees' terms expiring this year - Robert Leece and arts figures Leo Schofield and Renata Kaldor. Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond was appointed chairman on Friday.
Source: Good Food, 30 September 2013
