Claude's Chui Lee Luk joins artisan baker-cafe Luxe

Chui Lee Luk, chef-owner of past tense fine diner Claude's, has joined rapidly growing Sydney artisan baker-cafe outfit Luxe as creative director.

She'll spearhead Luxe's international expansion as well as a local expansion into the evening dinner trade. Lee Luk has flown out to Singapore where Luxe will open this week.

"It's a bar as well as an eating house, so it's a little more deluxe. The plan is to do things like freshly shucked oysters with vodka and caviar chasers," the chef says.

Lee Luk's short pop-up stint in the kitchen at Berta this year taught her to be "more bespoke" and less strict about following French or Chinese cuisine.

"I'll be back in Sydney in six weeks and get to work at Luxe in Woollahra. The plan [with owner Jonathan Harvey] is to build the bar and restaurant trade in the evenings. We'll start out doing events and functions, by summer it'll hopefully be open for dinner."