The Gantry's Thomas Gorringe to replace Joel Bickford as head chef at Aria

With Aria head chef Joel Bickford on the move to the group behind soon-to-open mega-venue Shell House, the big question down at the Circular Quay fine diner is who'll fill his kitchen clogs at Aria? The answer is Thomas Gorringe.

Gorringe is the talented and hatted chef at Pier One's The Gantry restaurant, the same restaurant where Bickford worked before heading to Aria.

"Matt [Moran] has been planting seeds at The Gantry and harvesting them," Gorringe jokes about his appointment to the Moran-led restaurant.

The affable chef is hoping for a seamless transition at Aria. "The food Joel and I cook is quite similar, and Matt and I share the same food philosophy," Gorringe says.

"It'll be about championing great Australian produce ... continuing the legacy of the place [Aria]."

Moran told Good Food, "I really think he [Gorringe] is going to be one of the very top young chefs going around, if he isn't already. I've never seen someone so excited to get going, it's a big job, the restaurant and wine bar, and it's great we have the team and next generation in place to drive it."

The chef shuffle has left The Gantry – which clearly punches above its weight in talent spotting – in search of a replacement for Gorringe.

"Thom has given four wonderful years of service to The Gantry, and while we are sorry to see Thom go, it has given us an opportunity to relook at our dining direction," says Pier One Sydney general manager Kim Mahaffy.

"We plan to kick off the biggest outdoor party on Sydney Harbour with outdoor barbecues and an epic drink and entertainment concept to celebrate the end of the lockdown. We then will be launching a fresh concept for The Gantry in early 2022."