A CELEBRATED chef and Michelin recognised restaurant manager has joined a Painswick-based retirement and care specialist.

Arnaud Peccoux, 43, who trained under international chef and restauranteur Alain Ducasse, will join Aura Care Living as its first ever hospitality director.

He has put his skills to the test in the South of France and Monte Carlo, where he ran Rampoldi as well as set up Cipriani in Monaco, one of the most revered Italian restaurants in the area.

Alongside these achievements, he found time to look after an extremely well-known American actor, as his personal chef, as well as run pop-up restaurants at the International Cannes Film Festival.

A chance meeting with Aura CEO Linda Lloyd last year has brought his talent to the UK and specifically to the retirement and care industry, a sign of the intention of Aura Care to transform the sector.

The Painswick-based company is not even two years old and has already been awarded second place in the estate agent’s, Knight Frank’s, prestigious Luxury Care Home Awards for this year.

Aura Care Living currently operates two sites - one Care Home, Kings Lodge, in Camberley (Surrey), which has been open since the summer of 2017 and Stratton Court in Cirencester, which is both a retirement village and nursing home.

Stratton Court has an onsite restaurant, The Kensington Café Bar, which will also be open to the public as well as residents.

“We want to bring a five-star service to this industry,” said the French hospitality expert, Arnaud.

“I want to introduce modern service, providing an all-day menu for our residents using fresh ingredients; we even have plans to grow the produce with the help of the residents on our sites.

“The ever-changing menu will offer dishes like puttanesca linguini, slow- cooked pork belly with cavolo nero, a warm Oriental duck salad, fresh lemon tart with berries, a crème brulee and so much more - I am extremely excited to get going!

“This is a challenge I could not resist once I had spoken to Linda (Lloyd). I share her vision for revolutionising care. If you are used to high standards in your life, why should this change later in life?”