Sydney, Australia (May 2022) – Celebrated chef and Park Hyatt Sydney's new culinary director James Viles is starting to stamp his trademark approach to sustainable, modern Australian dining at one of Sydney's most coveted addresses.

James is set to reposition the harbourside residence as a destination that offers quintessentially Australian dining experiences that are thoughtful, tactile and immersive. Inspired by local and regional ingredients, he is looking forward to bringing guests on a journey through parts of Australia where some of our country's best ingredients are found in their natural habitat with new experiences and a cooking style that is focused, relaxed and approachable.

Early projects already in progress include installing a bee hive (Flow Hive) on the hotel's rooftop with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour and introducing native iced bush teas using seasonal plants such as strawberry gum and banksia. Together with native Australian ingredients, honey harvested from the bees will be used across all culinary areas including the restaurant, cocktails and guest amenities.

For a first taste of James' vision for Park Hyatt Sydney, guests can experience a new breakfast offering that is reminiscent of Sydney's popular breakfast scene and order from new menus in The Living Room, The Bar and in-room dining; each with a strong focus around sustainability and regenerative agricultural practices on local dairy and livestock farms, pasture fed meats and a selection of the very best Australian seafood.

Passionate about crafting delicious, simple and quintessential Australian dishes with a sense of place and purpose and a true connection to where ingredients are from, he is excited to connect guests to the vast beauty that is Australia with many more experiences in the coming months.

Follow @diningbyjamesviles on Instagram to keep up to date on the hotel's dining news and experiences.

For media enquiries, please contact Maryam Awang Maryam.awang@hyatt.com.

About James Viles

Celebrated for his imaginative modern food and commitment to sustainability, James is known for his two hatted restaurant Biota Dining in Bowral, NSW, which closed its doors in 2020 due to the combined impact of the bushfires and Covid pandemic after almost a decade.

Having received the accolade of being one of the youngest chefs ever to be awarded a Sydney Morning Herald Chef's Hat at 23 years old, James has worked in high profile luxury hotels in Sydney and overseas, before opening the award-winning Biota Dining. There, James supported both local farmers and growers and alongside the restaurant's on-site farm produce, incorporated native Australian ingredients and locally sourced produce into his modern Australian menu.

Most recently, James held consulting roles with Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley and Canberra-based Harvac group.

James was also a co-presenter on Channel Nine's cooking show Fresh and has appeared as Guest Chef and Judge on MASTERCHEF Australia.

About Park Hyatt Sydney
Seated majestically on one of the world's most beautiful harbours, Park Hyatt Sydney perfectly personifies contemporary luxury with its coveted location between the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Reminiscent of an exclusive harbourside residence, the hotel offers intimate surrounds with architecture, art and design that reflect the Australian landscape. For more information, please visit www.parkhyattsydney.com

Follow @ParkHyattSydney on Facebook and Instagram, and tag photos with #LuxuryIsPersonal

About Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, global travelers with a refined home-away-from-home. Guests of Park Hyatt hotels receive quietly confident and personalized service in an enriching environment. Located in several of the world's premier destinations, each Park Hyatt hotel is custom designed to combine sophistication with understated luxury. Park Hyatt hotels feature well-appointed guestrooms, world-renowned artwork and design, rare and immersive culinary experiences, and signature restaurants featuring award-winning chefs. There are currently 45 Park Hyatt hotels in the following locations: Abu Dhabi, Auckland, Bangkok, Beaver Creek, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Busan, Canberra, Changbaishan, Carlsbad, Chennai, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Hangzhou, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kyoto, Maldives, Melbourne, Mendoza, Milan, Moscow, New York, Ningbo, Niseko, Paris, Saigon, Sanya, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Siem Reap, St. Kitts, Suzhou, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Washington, D.C., Zanzibar, and Zurich. For more information, please visit parkhyatt.com. Follow @ParkHyatt on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and tag photos with #LuxuryIsPersonal.