New Luxury Liner Queen Mary 2 To Feature Todd English Restaurant

Cunard Line has signed on celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality Todd English to create a featured restaurant on board its new $800 million flagship Queen Mary 2, which will debut in January 2004.

The new restaurant - simply called Todd English - will be the chef's first venture at sea and will highlight his interpretive Mediterranean cuisine. The 216-seat venue will have both indoor and poolside seating and English has worked very closely with the London-based designteam to create a visually stunning atmosphere. Passengers must make advance reservations, but there will be no additional gratuity or surcharge levied.

English and his restaurants have received numerous accolades. His restaurant, Olives, in Charlestown, MA, opened in May of 1989, and has drawn national and international acclaim ever since. It has been voted one of the "Top 10 Restaurants" by Esquire, received the "Best Food" and "Top Table" awards by Gourmet, was named the "Best New Restaurant" by Boston magazine and is consistently named Boston's #1 favourite restaurant by Zagat.

However, it was in 2001 that English's face became as renowned as his cooking when he was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People." The same year Bon Appetit recognised him as "Restaurateur of the Year."

In making the announcement, Deborah L. Natansohn, Cunard Line's senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, said: "What could be better than cruising on the grandest vessel in the world while enjoying the cuisine of one of the world's greatest chefs. Cunard has long provided world-renowned food and service so we are delighted to give our passengers the option of dining at Todd English's first restaurant at sea."

According to English, "Being involved with Queen Mary 2 is very exciting for me. While it will be a challenge, it is also a great honor for me to operate the signature restaurant on board the greatest luxury liner in the orld."
English started cooking at age 15 and five years later began his studies at the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1982 with honours. He apprenticed with Jean Jacques Rachou at New York's La Cote Basque and then relocated to Italy where he honed his craft at the well-known Dal Pescatore in Canto Sull O'lio and Paraccuchi in Locando D'Angello. It was in Italy that English developed his unique cooking style, which is inspired by his Italian heritage.

At age 25 English returned to the United States and was asked to be the executive chef of the award-winning Northern Italian restaurant Michela's in Cambridge, MA. He served there as executive chef for three years garnering high praise from both the press and the public.

English is currently the chef and owner of Olives in Charlestown, MA, which opened as a 50-seat storefront. The restaurant now occupies a larger space down the street from its original location also in Charlestown. In recent years English has opened other Olives locations through-out the U.S.: Olives New York in the W Hotel in Union Square, Olives Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel, Olives DC in the heart of Washington, DC and Olives Aspen at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, CO.

Additionally, English has opened Miramar at The Inn at National Hall in Westport, CT; Greg Norman's Australian Grille in Myrtle Beach, SC, with golf great Greg Norman; and his seafood concept KingFish Hall, in Boston's Historic Faneuil Hall. English also has four Figs restaurants in the greater Boston area and two locations at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Figs serves traditional and not-so-traditional pizzas and handmade pastas. English opened a second location in Faneuil Hall for his casual concept Ru