Shaun Quade has announced he will leave Lûmé as executive chef to focus on the expansion of the Melbourne-based restaurant group.
John Rivera will make his return to Lûmé and take on Quade’s role after spending time at Restaurant Amaru.
“It’s taken me a very long time to find the right person who I think has it in them to carry the torch for Lûmé,” says Quade. “For me, John was that person.”
Rivera has gone from strength to strength as a chef, and was named Pacific region winner of S.Pellegrino’s Young Chef of the Year 2018 along with Gauilt & Millau’s Young Chef of the Year 2018.
The chef will overhaul Lûmé’s identity and offer a shorter menu inspired by the chef’s philosophy of balancing sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter.
“I don’t want someone who’s simply recreating my old dishes,” says Quade. “John has always had his own vision.”
Quade and his partner Veronica Fil recently revealed plans to open a restaurant in Los Angeles which will focus on local ingredients.
The pair will also open a wine bar in Melbourne with Lume head chef Eileen Horsnell and launch a catering company, pre-bottled cocktail range and a plant-based speciality food line.
Lûmé’s new menu will debut on 15 January 2019, so get in quick to experience Quade’s signature dishes, including the iconic Pearl on the Ocean Floor.