Point Leo Estate Restaurant recruits Sydney chef Phil Wood
The Point Leo Estate restaurant on the Mornington Peninsula has scored a major recruiting coup picking up ex-Rockpool chef Phil Wood.
Point Leo is all part of a $50 million Gandel family-owned estate which includes a restaurant, cellar door and sculpture park. It’s a venue with impressive water views and it is due to open in Spring.
"We are delighted that Phil Wood will be joining us as culinary director. It's not every day one of the world's great three-hat chefs becomes available on the market and we are honoured he has chosen us," a Point Leo Estate spokeswoman told Good Food.
Wood’s official title will be Point Leo’s first culinary director.
Wood is regarded in the industry as one of Australia’s best talents.
He spent eight years at the Rockpool Group.
That included seven years as executive chef of Rockpool before he moved on to Eleven Bridge which shut down last month.
For the past six years, he was received gongs including three chef’s hats by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide.
He also picked up the Josephine Pignolet Award for Best Young Chef at the 2007 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards when he was Junior Sous Chef at Tetsuya's.
It goes without saying that he’s had many offers since departing from the Rockpool group.
Many hotels and upcoming venues have been keen to secure his services.
His departure from Sydney comes after Neil Perry's fine-diner in the Sydney CBD, Eleven Bridge served its last meal on May 13.
Eleven Bridge is being transformed into a high-end Chinese restaurant, all part of the newly formed Rockpool Dining Group.
Eleven Bridge was open for less than 12 months.
It had been positioned as part of a retooling of the original Rockpool flagship after Perry relocated the restaurant to Bridge Street in 2013 from its original site at The Rocks.
by Leon Gettler, June 19th 2017
