The chef Patrick Powell has announced he is to leave both the Midland Grand Dining Room and Allegra, ending a seven-year partnership with hotelier and developer Harry Handelsman.
Powell, who made his name at the Chiltern Firehouse, is to leave the group to “focus on opportunities more aligned to his long-term culinary vision”, a note sent to the Standard read.
The chef has already completed his final service at the Midland Grand in King’s Cross, which opened at Handelsman’s St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in 2022 and is now under the stewardship of head chef Charlie Crote.
Powell will leave Allegra on July 14. The restaurant, in Handelsman’s Stratford Hotel, was his first solo venture, and earned strong reviews from critics.
“To have had the opportunity to open restaurants in not one, but two of London's most iconic buildings has been a privilege and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, none of which would have been possible without the hard work of my brilliant front and back of house teams, both past and present,” Powell said in a statement.
“Thank you to all of them, as well as all of the guests over the years, many of whom have not only become regulars, but friends too. However, the time has come for me to move on and I am hugely excited for the future and my next chapter.”
Handelsman, meanwhile, thanked Powell for his “hard work, talent and passion” and said: “It's been a pleasure working with him for the best part of a decade and I wish him all the best for what's coming next.”
The future of Allegra is as yet unknown.
Powell’s departure follows that of general manager Emma Underwood, who left last year to join celebrity hotspot Julie’s in Notting Hill.
