An internationally renowned chef has announced his intention to open a restaurant and a guesthouse on a site just outside of Abbeyleix.
Cúán Greene, a 31-year-old from Dublin, is set to bring the exciting development to Millbrook House, a late-Victorian house on 4.2 acres.
In February of last year, Millbrook House was purchased by Comhlacht na Feirme Ltd – a company backed by billionaire brothers Patrick and John Collison from Tipperary – for €400,000.
They are the founders of international tech company Stripe and John is connected to the town as he previously bought the Abbey Leix Estate for €20 million in 2021.
The Irish Times is reporting that Greene has teamed up with John Collison and several other investors to bring Ómós to Abbeyleix.
Daire Hickey, co-founder and managing partner at 150 Bond, a communications consultancy based in New York; Samuel Dennigan, founder and chief executive of plant-based foods brand Strong Roots; and Jean Comer, a US-based family friend of Greene’s are also set to invest in the project.
Planning permission has been lodged and outlines a range of works that will take place.
In the end, this will result in ‘a total of 16 guest bedrooms across Millbrook House (with extension) (899 sq m), coach house (145 sq m) and proposed 1.5 storey structure (139 sq m)’.
The development will also consist of a restaurant ‘comprising two single storey buildings and external terraces arranged within gardens and courtyards’ which is intended to sit 32 people.
If everything goes to plan, it is intended that the new restaurant will be open by the summer of 2025.
Greene is an internationally renowned chef who spent several years working in Noma in Copenhagen and was previously head chef at Bastible in Dublin 8, which now has a Michelin star.
He also has an online collaborative food newsletter, Ómós Digest, which he established during Covid in 2021.
And it was here that Greene shared the news of the exciting new venture.
He said: “I am very excited (and a little nervous) to announce that I am opening a restaurant, guesthouse, and 4-acre farm in Ireland.
“It’s a dream I’ve had for over 17 years, ever since I took my first step into a kitchen.
“Rather than a new beginning, we see Ómós Restaurant and Guesthouse to be an extension of the stories we’ve been committed to over the past couple of years.
“We’re so lucky to have found a beautiful property, surrounded by ancient beech trees and rolling hills, not to mention an idyllic old mill pond.
“On the land sits Millbrook house, a (currently) dilapidated Victorian house, which we are renovating to accommodate 16 bedrooms.
“Honestly, I’ve spent the best part of a year studying every inch of this old house, and I’m completely obsessed. The fact we get to keep it from falling apart is humbling.
“Our plans for the house are inspired by various auberges and boutique hotels around the world, connected by a focus on informal hospitality and thoughtful cooking.
“For us, it’s really about creating an authentic atmosphere that feels of the place, more like a modern Irish home with great food, productive gardens, and a beautifully comfortable space rather than a sterile luxury hotel or restaurant.
“We want guests to experience Ómós, wander the land, breathe in the country air, discover all the nooks and crannies of the guesthouse, enjoy a glass by the fire, feel inspired by the art, folklore, and design, and savour a departing breakfast comprised of produce. Each guest will hopefully experience a unique part of Ómós.
“To be honest, I thought the prospect of building my own restaurant from the ground up was inconceivable, a young chef’s pipedream– but we’re now doing it!
“The single-story restaurant building will be designed as a contemporary interpretation of a typical Irish vernacular farm, backing onto a market garden, allowing the new buildings to fit quietly into the rural landscape, while tying in traditional forms and materials.”
Greene signalled that they intend to work with local producers and tradespeople to bring Ómós to life.
He said: “Another defining aspect of moving to Co. Laois is that Ómós will be situated in the middle of Ireland’s breadbasket, at the heart of a thriving community that includes a host of incredible producers and wonderfully skilled craft and tradespeople.
“I am thrilled that we can look forward to supporting each other and extending the growth of this region.
“To learn from and draw on local talent; find a workforce from the locality; and celebrate the excellent ingredients and materials from all around our Island.
“If Mother Nature permits us, we hope to harvest a lot of our own regeneratively grown produce and will look to raise livestock over time.
“We are doing everything in our power to track down the best local producers and educate ourselves about the region’s wild species.
“However, we will embrace an emerging Ireland and with that, a developing palate. Immigration and travel over the last couple of decades have changed how we eat.
“Therefore, rather than be puritans of locality, we wish to cast our net further afield in search of bold flavours, focusing on ethical growing methods, supply chains, and delicious produce that makes sense seasonally.”
Abbeyleix is already home to Bramley which is owned by Michelin Star Sam Moody.
So the addition of Ómós will certainly allow the town to further lay claim to the title of food capital of Laois – if not the Midlands.
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