Ve-gone! Claridge’s sack star chef at £150-a-head restaurant after he suggests turning the menu fully plant-based, declaring ‘this is not the path we wish to follow’
- Daniel Humm, 45, will leave his post at Davies and Brook at the end of December
- The vegan chef wanted to create a fully plant-based menu at the restaurant
- Bosses said it was ‘not the path we wish to follow’ in a statement posted online
- The hotel and Mr Humm ‘mutually’ decided to part ways, it was revealed today
Claridge’s star chef has been sacked from his £150-a-head restaurant because bosses refuse to allow him to turn the restaurant fully vegan.
Daniel Humm, 45, will leave his post at Davies and Brook at the end of December following tense talks with the five-star hotel’s management.
The vegan chef wanted to create a fully plant-based kitchen at the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant.
But bosses said ‘this is not the path we wish to follow here at Claridge’s at the moment’ in a statement posted to Twitter.
The hotel and Mr Humm have ‘mutually’ decided to part ways as the US-born chef aims to bring a ‘bold new vision’ of fully plant-based eating to London.
The statement added: ‘We wish to thank Daniel Humm and his extraordinary team at Davies and Brook for what they have created here at Claridge’s since they opened in 2019, gaining accolades along the way under challenging circumstances.
Daniel Humm (pictured), 45, will leave his post at Davies and Brook at the end of December following tense talks with the five-star hotel’s management
‘We completely respect and understand the culinary direction of a fully plant-based menu that Daniel has decided to embrace and champion and now wants to introduce to London.
‘However, this is not the path we wish to follow here at Claridge’s at the moment, and therefore, regretfully, we have mutually decided to go our separate ways.
‘Daniel has been a long standing friend of the hotel for many years and we wish him nothing but continued success as he spearheads this bold new vision.
‘Davies and Brook will continue to operate under his direction until the end of December 2021, and we will update on future plans at Claridge’s in due course.’
Yesterday one hotel insider told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden ‘it’s a nightmare’. They added: ‘Bosses are terrified that Humm will leave if his demands are not met, which would mean they would be without him during the Christmas season, their busiest time of year.
The hotel and Mr Humm have ‘mutually’ decided to part ways as the US-born chef aims to bring a ‘bold new vision’ of fully plant-based eating to London
Yesterday one hotel insider told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden ‘it’s a nightmare’. They added: ‘Bosses are terrified that Humm will leave if his demands are not met.’ Pictured, Claridge’s
‘But if they turn the restaurant vegan, they will upset thousands of regular guests.’
It comes after Mr Humm turned the £250-a-head menu at his three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, plant-based.
Items on the menu now include cucumber with melon and smoked daikon; fried pepper with Swiss chard; and courgette with lemongrass and tofu.
Meanwhile, a four-course menu at the Claridge’s menu Davies And Brook, costs £125 a head and includes caviar; roasted venison with beetroot; and foie gras with black truffle.
A Claridge’s spokesman yesterday said the hotel was in talks with Mr Humm. ‘We are constantly reviewing the offerings at Davies And Brook, including the possible introduction of a fully plant-based menu,’ they said.
Mr Humm recently attended the Cop26 eco summit in Glasgow, where he said his mission in life was ‘to make plant-based food delicious, magical and luxurious’.
He added: ‘It’s better for our planet and our health.’
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