Quay chef takes on Bennelong Peter Gilmore of Quay restaurant will soon run Bennelong restaurant. WORLD-class chef Peter Gilmore, of Quay fame, has been signed to take over the iconic Bennelong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. "It is the most iconic building in the country and it deserves to have a great restaurant housed within the Opera House," Gilmore said yesterday. The 10-year agreement, with Leon Fink and son John's The Fink Group, was announced Friday morning. Peter Gilmore of The Fink Group's Quay Restaurant is to take over at Bennelong. I'm very excited. It's great news. I can't wait," said Gilmore who will be able to look "across the golden pond" from Bennelong to Quay which has been ranked among the World's 50 Best restaurants since 2009 but last year dropped to no. What I really envisage is a produce driven restaurant. It's about exploring all of the great products that we produce in this country and all those great farmers and producers. Gilmore said he would design and install a new kitchen from scratch and the restaurant space would be fully refurbished. Dining will be broken up into three sections - lower, mid and upper - and combine the restaurant proper, a more casual dining space and a bar. "We can't touch the structure but we will be doing a complete refit of the furniture and (interior) design," said Gilmore. I'm really excited about this opportunity, and that I'll be able to walk between the two restaurants. I've been hoping to do something else for a few years now apart from Quay and this represent a unique and special opportunity. Bennelong was controversially vacated by Guillaume Brahimi late last year and a new operator, Melbourne's Stokehouse group named as the new operator, but Stokehouse withdrew after a fire destroyed its main restaurant in St Kilda. Head chef Robert Cockerill, a senior sous chef at Quay for the past six years, will manage about 30 chefs at Bennelong under Gilmore's direction. Veteran Quay staffer Kylie Ball will become GM of the luxury and lifestyle division of the Fink Group, which includes Bennelong. All three are currently representing NSW at Tourism Australia's Restaurant Australia Invite the World to Dinner Gala Dinner being held today in Hobart. The Fink Group also runs Otto Ristorante at Woolloomooloo. It is also a joint partner in the The Bridge Room, in the CBD. Originally published as Quay chef takes on Bennelong