Claudio De Carlo from Weston-super-Mare has recently been appointed as the Executive Chef for The Imperial Brasserie due to open in the seaside town before Easter.

Claudio De Carlo from Weston-super-Mare has recently been appointed as the Executive Chef for The Imperial Brasserie due to open in the seaside town before Easter

In his new role, Claudio is designing and sourcing a new commercial kitchen for the brasserie on South Parade, creating a menu, sourcing nearby suppliers and training the front and back of house staff.

Claudio explained: “Once The Imperial opens I will also be hosting cooking classes and hope to be running the busiest restaurant kitchen in town.”

The 42-year-old, who is half German and half Italian and was raised in Germany, previously worked for Celebrity Cruise Lines as an Executive Chef.

Claudio continued: “It is a five star international cruise line with 10 ships in its fleet, up to 3,500 passengers and 1,500 crew. I’m looking forward to having some time on dry land.”

The father-of-one enjoys spending his free time with his family including his fianc�e Lucy, who is expecting the couple’s second child in August.

Claudio added: “My two-year-old son, Luca-Loui keeps me active and young. I do love to play golf too and try to go out on the course as much as my time allows me.

“My passion for food is my biggest hobby. I love trying out new dishes or combining and mixing new flavours of dishes from all around the world.”

Claudio has also worked at The Hilton Hotel in Bristol as Executive Chef and at the Glassboat Restaurant Company in Bristol as Head Chef.

The Imperial, which started out as a Regency coach house before becoming an inn and then a hotel, will officially re-open in time for the Easter break under the ownership of Mike and Chris Sanders.

Joint Managing Director of the family-run business, Chris, said: “On behalf of the team at The Imperial I would like to welcome Claudio on board. He has a wealth of experience in the hospitality and catering industry and we’re looking forward to working with him.

“My brother Mike and I bought The Imperial last autumn and have been refurbishing the site ever since. Claudio’s input is an integral part of the project.

“The Imperial’s makeover has cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds and the building has really been brought into the 21st century with regards new d�cor, furnishings, kitchen and toilets.

“We plan to launch during April and host an official unveiling event before the Easter break.”

Chris and Mike, who used to own the Queens Arms in Bleadon, began work on the building’s revamp almost immediately after buying the property in September, 2010.

They had planned to open The Imperial, which measures 650 square metres in size, will seat 150 people and provide work for more than 25 staff, sooner but wanted to make sure that everything was ‘just right’.

Chris continued: “It would have been tempting to open the doors so we could benefit from the early spring trade but it was important to us to get it just right before we invited the general public in.

“Going forward, we want to make sure people know that The Imperial is no longer a pub and that it is changing.

“The Imperial’s future is all about excellent food at excellent prices, good old-fashioned, friendly customer service and an ambience you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the area.”

To find out more about The Imperial Brasserie, please call 01934 621815, email mailto:%20info@imperialbrasserie.co.uk or visit http://www.imperialbrasserie.co.uk/.