Leading hospitality business the Nourish Group has become Foley Hospitality, a move its owner says signals a new era for the company following a multimillion-dollar re-investment in the first year and the appointment of a national Executive Chef.
Auckland based Nourish Group – which owns sites including SOUL Bar & Bistro, Andiamo, Jervois Steak House, The Brit, Shed 5 and Pravda – was acquired by Foley Holdings NZ Ltd last year and announced the official name change last week along with news that Gavin Doyle will head up kitchen culinary direction across its 10 restaurant and bars.
Doyle, executive chef at Auckland’s popular SOUL Bar & Bistro, assumes a broader role within the business and brings with him a wealth of experience having worked at restaurants across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
He steps into the position following the departure of Gareth Stewart who left the group in December to pursue new opportunities as a consultant chef.
Foley Holdings NZ Ltd Director Mark Turnbull says it’s an exciting chapter for the group, which has been working closely with venue managers on the focus areas for each establishment.
“Since Foley Holdings NZ Ltd acquired the Nourish Group in July 2022, we’ve worked closely with the team on improvement initiatives across each venue,” he says.
Turnbull says Foley Hospitality’s vision is to create and maintain iconic institutions to ensure relevance in the competitive hospitality environment.
“In the first year we have prioritised re-investing directly back into the venues. These investments include a range of improvements such as new bathroom facilities in January at Pravda, a $1 million-dollar kitchen renovation at SOUL Bar & Bistro this April, and this winter Jervois Steak House in Auckland will receive a refreshed interior.
“Whether it’s small improvements, or massive renovations, we’ll be continuing to invest in our venues to safeguard their longevity, while ensuring the team and customer experience is always notching up. Next year we will put a focus into Shed 5 in Wellington and The Chamberlain in Auckland.
“Moving forward, we’re looking at ourselves as one team per venue. Therefore, the formerly known ‘front of house’ will become the ‘guest experience team’, and the ‘back of house’ will be known as the ‘culinary team’ of which Gavin will be at the helm. We feel that this new terminology better reflects what we are actually offering our guests,” says Turnbull.
Renowned for his award-winning dishes and exceptional presentation, Doyle has been at SOUL Bar & Bistro since 2016 and says he’s thrilled to take on the new challenge.
“I’m passionate about quality food and service, and delivering both consistently day in, day out,” Doyle says. “We’ve got an incredibly talented crew across our 10 venues and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the step change.
“It’s clear to me we have an amazing team who are deeply passionate about what they do. We’re excited to showcase all our restaurants have to offer.”
