Chef of Michelin-starred Scottish island restaurant joins hotel chain in 'major culinary appointment'
A celebrated chef from a long-running Michelin Star restaurant on a Scottish island is set for a new role, as his business closes.
Chef Michael Smith of the Michelin Starred Loch Bay on Skye is set to join Perle Hotels as culinary director and brand ambassador, taking responsibility for developing food and drink across the independent Scottish hotel group.
Mr Smith, who has been chef proprietor of Michelin-starred Loch Bay on the Isle of Skye for the past ten years, will take up the newly created role on 10 November following the restaurant's final service on 31 October.
He will work across Perle Hotels’ properties in Skye, Oban and Glencoe, as well as its new Edinburgh hotel opening in 2027, working with the teams to develop individual restaurant concepts around provenance, local sourcing and a strong sense of place.
Perle Hotels is owned by Beth Rehman and is an independent Scottish hotel group with a collection of hotels across the Isle of Skye, Oban and Glencoe, and a new townhouse hotel on Castle Street in Edinburgh planned to open in 2027.
Mr Smith said of his new role: “Loch Bay has been the realisation of a lifelong dream. It was a huge personal challenge for my family and me, and I've learned so much.
“I feel like I've achieved everything that I'd ever hoped to, expressing a version of what we believed to be a magical little restaurant. So now I'm ready for a new challenge.
“The opportunity that Beth has created for me was unexpected, but having given it serious consideration with my family, I know this will be an incredible opportunity for me, going into the next stage of my career and doing something I've never done before, at a new level. That is a privilege.
“This new role allows me to call upon almost 40 years of experience, and I find that extremely exciting. It is also an opportunity to pass on what I've learned to the next generations coming up through Scottish hospitality.”
Mr Smith already has a long-standing connection with Perle Hotels. More than a decade ago, he was involved in developing Dulse & Brose at The Bosville in Portree, a restaurant built around provenance and seasonal produce from Skye, the Highlands and Scotland’s west coast.
His first priority will be to spend time in each of the hotels, getting to know the restaurants and the people behind them before working with the teams on how each can evolve, from menus and sourcing to developing a stronger sense of place and individual identity.
He said: “Hotels and restaurants are living entities - they have their own energy. There will be existing narratives in each location, and it takes time to uncover all these things.
“I'd like to take time to experience each venue, feel the different energy of each one, and look for opportunities to tap into new markets or new visitor experiences.
“Good food is really simple to achieve. You use the best ingredients that you can get hold of. You apply a little bit of skill, and you don't overthink it.
“We have such a rich natural larder, and it should be celebrated, supported and enhanced. Perle Hotels has been doing that quietly and admirably for the last 10 years, and that's something that I'm very happy to be a part of and continue to support.”
Beth Rehman, owner of Perle Hotels, said: “Michael's appointment is a significant investment for us, not just in our restaurants but in our people and in what we want food and drink to become within Perle.
“We've known Michael for many years and what has always stood out is his understanding of what makes a restaurant work - the food, of course, but also the people, the place and the experience around it.
“Our hotels are all very different and we want their restaurants to be different too. We don't want to impose one concept across Perle. We want to give each restaurant a much clearer identity and make them places that local people and visitors want to come to whether they're staying with us or not.
“Michael brings an enormous amount of experience, but also real enthusiasm for working with our teams and developing what is already there. We're delighted he's joining us and very excited about what we can achieve together.”
Michael opened Loch Bay with his wife Laurence in the village of Stein on Skye's Waternish peninsula in 2016. The restaurant went on to gain a Michelin star and establish an international reputation for its seafood-led cooking using produce from Skye and the surrounding area.
The restaurant will hold its final service on 31 October, following Michael and Laurence's announcement in August that they had decided to bring Loch Bay's ten-year story to a close.
Michael will begin his new role with Perle Hotels on 10 November. This is the latest role in a lifelong career that started in 1987 when Mr Smith was a pot-washer in Inverness.
His early career took him from the Highlands to London, where his experience included a placement at Le Gavroche, working at Le Pont de la Tour and four years as senior sous chef with Jeremy Lee at Blueprint Café. He later returned to Scotland, working at Blue Bar and Restaurant and Arta in Glasgow.
In 2004, he moved to the Isle of Skye to join The Three Chimneys as head chef. He spent 11 years at the restaurant, progressing to chef director, and was leading the kitchen when The Three Chimneys was awarded a Michelin star in 2014.
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