Chef Lee Bye joins board of directors at expanding Agellus hospitality group

Chef Lee Bye has joined the board of directors at East Anglian hospitality group Agellus as it prepares to open two new properties.

Bye, a 2017 Acorn Award winner, has led the kitchen at Agellus' Tuddenham Mill restaurant and hotel in Suffolk since 2014 and was appointed chef patron in 2017.

Under his tenure, the Upstairs at the Mill restaurant has won four-AA-rosettes, while the on-site accommodation holds four-AA-silver stars.

He joins the board ahead of the launch of the Quay House restaurant with rooms in Ely and Millers House, a property adjacent to Tuddenham Mill which will add seven extra bedrooms. The opening dates of both sites are still unconfirmed.

Bye, who will retain his role as chef patron alongside his directorship, said: "I feel I have a lot to offer at this level, and I am looking forward to driving the business forward in the years to come, and growing our team of brilliant people.

"There is no other industry that champions talent and rewards energy and hard work like the hospitality industry does. The opportunities are there and the career progressions is exciting and fast for the right people."

Agellus also runs coastal pubs the Lifeboat Inn and the two-AA-rosette Chequers Inn, both in Thornham.

Agellus director Rachel Harrod described Bye as an "inspirational leader and passionate, with loads of energy for the business."

Chairman Malcolm Walton said: "We have seen an incredibly change in the hotel business over the past three years, and Lee has led the team through theses changes and business growth.

"We thank him and the wider team, and look forward to working together to deliver our ambitions and continue to build a better business for the future."