Renowned French chef Joël Antunes is returning to the United States after a long stint abroad to helm the kitchen of Little Rock, Ark.’s Capital Hotel, including Ashley’s restaurant and the Capital Bar & Grill. The James Beard Award-winning chef arrives in Little Rock this week from London, where he has been consulting chef at Kitchen Joël Antunes at the Embassy Mayfair and Brasserie Joël in the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.
In 2005, Antunes was awarded the James Beard Best Chef of the Southeast for his eponymous Joël restaurant in Atlanta. He also served as executive chef at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, earning the restaurant Atlanta’s only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating during his tenure.
Antunes, who grew up in a small French farming town, says he’s glad to be returning to the U.S. — the South in particular — and is excited to be part of the Little Rock community to learn more about the local ingredients at his disposal. Diners at Ashley’s and the Capital Bar & Grill can expect Antunes’ signature dishes to reflect his classical French training, as well as Little Rock’s regional, Southern ingredients.
Photos Courtesy of Capital Hotel and Amy Murrell
