Marlon Abela

Marlon Abela
Born	1975 Lebanon
Occupation(s)	Restaurateur, entrepreneur, columnist
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Founder and chairman of Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation; ownership of Michelin-starred restaurants Umu and The Greenhouse

Marlon Abela (born 1975) is a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and columnist of Lebanese-British heritage. He established and currently leads the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation (MARC), a privately held global hospitality firm headquartered in Mayfair, London. Abela has been involved in the ownership and management of multiple Michelin-starred dining establishments located in both London and New York City.

Early life

Abela was born in Lebanon in 1975 to Albert Abela, who serves as chairman of the Abela Group specializing in catering and luxury hotels, and his mother Barbel, who is of German descent. His upbringing took place in Grasse, France, as well as Monaco.

Career

At age seventeen, Abela started his career within his father's business, advancing to executive vice president by 2001. That same year, he launched MARC in Mayfair, where he remains chairman. Under MARC’s umbrella, he owns London-based restaurants Umu and The Greenhouse, each recognized with two Michelin stars.

In March 2016, Abela purchased The Square from chefs Phil Howard and Nigel Platts-Martin for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition also included Morton's Club, an exclusive private members’ club situated on Berkeley Square. In New York City, he was the proprietor of the now-defunct restaurant A Voce.

Together with François Payard, Abela co-established François Payard Bakeries in New York; this bakery chain operated until 2018. In 2014, he took ownership of the historic wine merchant OW Loeb. Early in 2018, reports emerged concerning delayed payments to OW Loeb’s suppliers; MARC responded by affirming its financial commitments and relocated OW Loeb’s operations to its Mayfair office under new management with plans for strategic restructuring.

Abela also writes wine-related columns for Spear's Magazine.

In October 2019, a bankruptcy petition was filed against Abela. By 2020, The Square had closed during lunch service while under administration; Umu entered administration but continues operations under new ownership; Morton's Club ceased its activities as well.

Personal life

In 2011, Marlon Abela wed Nadya Abela, originally from Russia. The couple has two children together. Additionally, Marlon has two children from a previous marriage. As of March 2021, Nadya publicly announced their separation via Instagram.