Shock closure: Celeb chef Peter Kuruvita’s Noosa restaurant shuts its doors

An acclaimed Noosa restaurant, cooking school, cafe and function venue has suddenly closed, with staff only given a day’s notice of the venue’s shutdown.

Investors have pulled the pin on celebrity chef Peter Kuruvita’s Noosa restaurant and culinary precinct after only two years, giving the TV cook just 24 hours notice to wind up the operation.

Alba by Kuruvita was a shining light on the Noosa food scene, winning chefs hats, a place in Queensland’s top 100 restaurants and critical acclaim, but on Friday the shock decision was made to close the venture and its affiliate enterprises just a day later.

Alba by Kuruvita owner and restaurateur Peter Kuruvita. Photo: supplied.

Directors and shareholders of Alba, led by Altum Property Group’s Rod McCready, were behind the unexpected shutdown, having commissioned Mr Kuruvita for a two-year collaboration at the Noosa Heads site.

“I found out on Friday, and then we closed after Saturday night’s service,” said Mr Kuruvita.

“They engaged me, we created this beautiful place and the collaboration has come to an end. The decision to close was not mine, it was theirs and I feel like we were successful in what we set out to do.”

Alba Noosa has closed. Picture: Alyne Media

The site features a restaurant, cafe, pizzeria, cooking school, shop and function venue, but it’s believed that the numbers weren’t there financially to keep it going.

The shareholder group will turn the out-of-the-way facility into a full-time functions business, hosting weddings, parties and events and honouring existing function bookings before reassessing the precinct’s future.

“Forever increasing regulatory burdens and inflationary pressures have made it a challenge,” Mr McCready said.

“We’ve really enjoyed our time working there with staff and customers and made a lot of lifelong friends and Alba is looking forward to its new redesigned future.”

Mr Kuruvita said he had spent the days since the shock announcement trying to find new employment for his staff at nearby Noosa restaurants, while all workers and suppliers would be paid their full entitlements. Those with gift certificates to the restaurant and cooking school would also be refunded.

As for the celebrity chef’s future, he said he had a range of pop-up events scheduled in Melbourne and would also be involved in May’s Tasting Australia food festival in South Australia; while he was currently working on releasing a range of his signature curries for the public to buy.

The now-closed cooking school at Alba, Noosa. Picture: Alyne Media

He would also be continuing his ambassadorship duties with tea company Dilmah, plus running food trips to Sri Lanka, with the first to go on sale next month for travel in October.

However, he said he would not be starting up his own restaurant.

“I’m not leaving town – I’m definitely hanging around, but you probably won’t see me in another restaurant again,” the 60-year-old said.

“This year is 45 years in the kitchen and I’m just looking forward to being in and around Noosa and working with the Sunshine Coast Tourism and maybe an ambassador role.”