“It feels very natural to me”: Graeme Cheevers on returning to Cameron House Hotel to open his second restaurant. Cate Devine reports for Bite

Chef Graeme Cheevers

Hot on the heels of news that he’d retained a Michelin Star for his Glasgow restaurant Unalome for a third year running, chef-patron Graeme Cheevers quietly let it be known that he was about to open a second fine-dining restaurant: this time at Cameron House, the 5-star luxury resort hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond.

This is great news and not only because it defies the gloom currently haunting parts of the hospitality industry; it’s also hugely significant because Cameron House is where, as head chef of the restaurant Martin Wishart within the hotel, Chef Graeme had retained a Michelin Star for seven consecutive years before the devastating fire in 2017. Graeme feared his stellar career was at an end.

A few weeks after the fire, I met with Chef Graeme and he told me:

“I was in shock. I had put my heart and soul into Cameron House and everything was reduced to ashes. I thought my career was over. To go from working up to 16-hour days to zero had a bad effect on my health,” he added. “I couldn’t sleep or eat. I was very upset and depressed. At my lowest point, I thought I was done."

When he was appointed executive chef at the Isle of Eriska near Oban, Argyll, a Relais et Chateaux hotel managed by ICMI, chef Graeme told me:

 “I’m not afraid to say I want that Michelin Star back and will go all out to get it.”

 Which, of course, he did for Isle of Eriska in 2020.

Loma will open in the 5-star resort in April 2025

He went on to gain a Michelin Star in 2022 for his first restaurant, Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, in Glasgow’s west end, just eight months after opening in 2021. Now, the imminent launch of Loma - which means ‘peak of a hill’ in Spanish - signals a confident new chapter of his career.

When it opens in April, Loma will offer diners clear views of the mighty Ben Lomond, which chef Graeme describes as “the best view in the whole of Scotland”. Its design concept will feature natural materials like wood, stone and glass to create a clean, organic aesthetic to offer:

 “an unforgettable dining experience; one that combines precision, creativity and warm Scottish hospitality”. 

The arrival lobby will have layered glass/perspex panels backlit with soft-moving lights to mimic the mist over Loch Lomond.

In a statement, Loma states that it will offer a:

“refined, immersive dining experience that showcases the very best of Scotland’s natural larder, heritage, and culinary innovation”, delivering an experience that reflects both its stunning Loch Lomond surroundings and Cheevers’ distinctive culinary artistry”.

He told Bite: 

“I’m very, very excited to be going back to Cameron House because I loved working there and I gave it so much of my life. I’m looking forward to offering something different, to taking my food to another level. It will be more refined and luxurious, with white linen, fewer covers and more spaced-out tables than at Unalome. “It just feels like a very natural development for me.”

He will continue to cook at both restaurants, with Loma open for dinner only Wednesday to Sunday and lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Will Oakley, Managing Director, of Cameron House said:

“We are delighted to welcome back Graeme Cheevers and collaborate with him on this exciting new venture. Graeme began his Cameron House journey in 2009 as Head Chef, and his passion for exceptional cuisine, commitment to excellence, and a deep understanding of the resort makes him the perfect partner.”

* Loma will open at Cameron House in April 2025 for dinner only on Wednesday to Sunday, and lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.