“Sienna Restaurant - The last Hoorah, end of a lease, end of an era” There’s no easy way to say this, but we’ll be running our last service at the restaurant on Saturday 25th April 2015, twelve years to the day after we opened. Our lease comes to the end in May 2015 and, after much careful consideration, Eléna and I have decided that it is time to look for a new opportunity and therefore won’t be renewing. We’ve had a fantastic run at Sienna over the years and, for me in particular, it’s been an amazing journey. I’ve learnt a huge amount, shed some tears, made some true friends and above all I’ve been able to pursue a dream. It hasn’t always been an easy ride but the last five years have seen the business really flourish. Getting a Michelin star in 2010 was a huge turning point and I know it may seem odd that we are making this announcement, however I genuinely feel we have come as far as we can with Sienna in its current guise. A break in our lease is the right time to move on. Both Eléna and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years; friends, family, staff, suppliers, our customers and everyone else who’ve been involved with us here at Sienna. We hope that our remaining time will be as busy as ever and that we see as many of you as possible before April 25th. If you haven’t made it to us yet, it would be good to meet you! I have a new website launching, creativeaboutcuisine, which will encompass a new blog, my consultancy service, teaching, writing, product development, and more. This will not only draw on my experience as a Michelin-starred chef and restaurant owner, but on the many areas of the industry that I have been involved in outside of the restaurant. Equally, I am open to offers of employment, backing for a new business, or a specific project. Please do visit the website or contact me at russell@creativeaboutcuisine.” We’ve done some fundraising for Hospitality Action, the industry’s main benevolent charity, over the years and wanted to do something more before our last service at Sienna, so we will be donating £5 from every bill in April to the charity (hospitalityaction.org.uk) A new lease will be available on the premises (subject to negotiation with the landlord) and as such Sienna will be offered for sale through BSK Services. For enquiries about the sale of Sienna, please contact brian@bskservices I will still be Tweeting away from @SiennaDorset and also from a new account @CreativeAboutCu so do keep reading to see what is happening. Watch this space, as they say!
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:04:29 +0000