A NEW professional consultancy service is being launched by one of the owners of Dorset's only Michelin starred restaurant, which is due to serve its final meal at the end of the month.

Dorchester-based Sienna Restaurant, owned by Russell and Eléna Brown, is set to close on Saturday April 25, exactly 12 years to the day they opened on High West Street.

However the closure of the restaurant will see the launch of Russell’s new venture, Creative about Cuisine.

The new business will offer a bespoke consultancy service for restaurants, hotels, cafés and food producers as well as one to one chef coaching, menu and recipe development.

Russell will also be teaching and doing various guest chef dinners around the country.

The company’s new website is a showcase for Russell’s photography, his blog and will also host a series of guest blogs.

In its 12 years, Sienna has served over 30,000 customers and has received extensive critical acclaim culminating in the award of a Michelin star in 2010, an award that, along with three rosettes from the AA, has been retained until the couple finish at Sienna.

Russell and Eléna are now delighted that a sale has been agreed on the business and that, after a short break, Sienna will re-open under new management.

Russell said: "We have had an amazing run at Sienna and are both immensely proud of our achievements during the last twelve years, so there is a degree of sadness in closing but I relish the new challenges ahead and I am looking forward to building Creative about Cuisine into a significant business within the hospitality sector.

"I am incredibly passionate about this industry and food in general so the opportunity to continue working within the sector, albeit in a different vein, is hugely exciting."

Russell has spent a considerable amount of time working on other projects over the last four or five years, including some teaching, consultancy, recipe development and writing.

He has also been responsible for the restaurant’s PR, social media and all its food and event photography for the last two years.

In the upcoming months Russell has various projects in place including a consultancy contract for Kingston Maurward College and monthly columns in the Caterer magazine and new Dorset food magazine, Menu.

James Parsons, hospitality operations manager at Kingston Maurward College said: "We are so excited about being able to work with Russell, his passion for local seasonal produce will help us develop an amazing food offer at the college for function guests, students and staff alike.

"It is also a great opportunity with Russell's assistance to showcase the work of our food producing students and develop closer links with regional suppliers which should create opportunities for work experience and ultimately jobs."