TFE Hotels has revealed two key food & beverage team members in Executive Chef Kitak Lee and F&B Manager Katrina Ford to head up dining at Brisbane’s forthcoming 175-room property, The Calile Hotel.
Holding an extensive professional pedigree across both Sydney and London, native Queenslander Ford returns home as the front-of-house face for the new hotel’s dining establishments. Ford brings experience at Merivale’s Coogee Pavilion and InterContinental Double Bay in Sydney and SoHo House Group’s Shoreditch House in the English capital.
At Calile, Ford will mould the light-filled space of The Lobby Bar to suit a crowd seeking refined simplicity, with a Queensland-tuned menu featuring locally sourced produce, wines, house-made sodas and a distinctly local cocktail list. The Lobby Bar will be an all-day dining venue.
In the kitchen, Executive Chef Kitak Lee comes to the hotel following a successful stint heading up Melbourne’s The Table at Kuro Kisumé. Raised in South Korea and trained in Europe, Lee also brings history in senior roles at many Sydney restaurants including Momofuku Seiobo, Cho Cho San and Bilson’s to his new role at The Lobby Bar.
As the hotel puts on the finishing touches ahead of its September opening, further details as to its guest offerings have been unveiled including flagship restaurant Hellenika – a Greek establishment which will offer poolside cabanas to allow guests to dine al fresco. An adjoining laneway loaded with street eateries and hole-in-the-wall bars will also open later this year.
The Calile Hotel will be marketed and managed under the TFE Hotels Collection brand.