The Savoy has announced that Chelsie Bailey, currently general manager of London venue Happiness Forgets, will become head bartender at its iconic American Bar, the oldest surviving cocktail bar in Britain.
Chelsie Bailey has won several bartending competitions in recent years, including the Bacardi Legacy Competition in 2019 in the UK. She began her career in Bristol.
On July 19, she will join Andrea di Chiara, acting Bar Manager at the American Bar to form what Franck Arnold, Managing Director of The Savoy, described as a “formidable duo”, commenting:
“We’re delighted to be welcoming Chelsie to The Savoy and know that she and Andrea will make a formidable duo leading the bar. They share a genuine passion for hospitality, a creative spirit and superb attention to detail. But more than this, they are talented, inclusive leaders who will inspire and motivate their American Bar team. We look forward with them to an exciting new period in the bar’s history.”
Chelsie Bailey said, “I’m thrilled to be joining The Savoy team and working with such a group of talented and dynamic people, together writing the next chapter of the American Bar’s history. The Savoy has always had a reputation for innovation and quality; so the role carries with it a sense of responsibility and challenge, but that is what’s so exciting about this iconic position within the bar industry.”
