By Phil Jarratt
A little over two years since he opened it with considerable fanfare, Noosa-based celebrity chef Peter Kuruvita and his staff have been unceremoniously shown the door at Alba by Kuruvita, his benchmark culinary centre, restaurant and cooking school in Noosa Heads.
Financial backers, led by Rod McCready’s Altum Property Group, gave Mr Kuruvita just 24 hours’ notice that they would not be renewing his two-year contract.
“I found out on Friday, and then we closed after Saturday night’s service,” Mr Kuruvita told News Ltd. “They engaged me, we created this beautiful place and the collaboration has come to an end. The decision to close was not mine, it was theirs and I feel like we were successful in what we set out to do.”
Many would agree. Nestled in a quiet residential precinct above Lake Weyba and a chip shot from Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort, Alba serviced a mix of residents and tourists, for quiet lunches, group dinners, functions and, of course, cooking lessons from the one-time TV chef and master of Sri Lankan and other exotic Asian cuisines. Many longtime Noosa residents, this one included, felt it offered a timely, friendly and almost homely alternative to the hustle, bustle and noise levels of many Hastings Street offerings.
But, according to industry insiders, the directors were concerned about the year-round revenue performance and prospects, and the shareholder group now plans to turn the facility into a full-time functions business, hosting weddings, parties and events.
In a statement on behalf of Altum Property Group, Mr McCready said: “Forever increasing regulatory burdens and inflationary pressures have made it a challenge. We’ve really enjoyed our time working there with staff and customers and made a lot of lifelong friends and Alba is looking forward to its new redesigned future.”
It seems unlikely that Peter Kuruvita will be one of those “lifelong friends”.
Kuruvita’s CV reads like a who’s who of the great and the good of the kitchen across several continents. The names of the restaurants in which he has worked and the chefs and restaurateurs who have nurtured and inspired him are synonymous with the restaurant histories of London and Sydney and many points in between. In Europe think the Roux brothers, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White. In Australia add Neil Perry, Greg and Peter Doyle and Michael McMahon. Now stir.
And yet the man who has made the cuisine of Sri Lanka his own humbly gives the greatest credit to his grandmother Achie, and her soot-blackened kitchen in Colombo, where his passion for cooking took root as a small child.
A Noosa resident since 2013, along with wife Karen and two teenaged boys, Kuravita in 2021 ended an eight-year partnership with the Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort, where his signature restaurant, Noosa Beach House by Peter Kuruvita, had become world famous for its fusion of Australian and Sri Lankan cuisine. After a storied career of 40 years you might have then expected him to be enjoying a bit of downtime, but that’s not Kuruvita’s style. Within months he was helping design the expansive interiors of Alba.
While Peter and wife Karen were taking time out from media questions last week, Karen thanked Noosa Today and other Sunshine Coast media for supporting the bold endeavour that was Alba by Kuruvita. What’s next for the 60-year-old super chef? He is expected to continue his food ambassadorships and appearances at food festivals around the country, while continuing to love life in Noosa.
No new restaurants are planned.
