Cape Town chef earns himself a Michelin star at new UK restaurant

He left the Mother City to open a new fine-dining restaurant in the UK, 10 months later it's been awarded a coveted Michelin star.

South Africa can now add another Michelin star chef to its list of top international exports.

Cape Town chef Jean Delport left the Mother City last year and founded his fine-dining restaurant in the UK.

The restaurant, named Interlude, won its first Michelin star at the awards for the UK and Ireland 2020 Michelin Guide in London this week.

View this post on Instagram

in·ter·lude \ ˈin-tər-ˌlüd A contemporary restaurant located in Horsham and set within the historic woodland gardens of Leonardslee Estate.

A post shared by Restaurant Interlude (@interludesussex) on Jul 19, 2019 at 1:52am PDT

Delport was previously the chef at Benguela on Main in Somerset West.

He's the second SA-born chef to receive a Michelin Star for his restaurant.

The first was chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, who opened his own fine-dining restaurant in Nice, France called Restaurant JAN.

Interlude is located in Sussex in the south-eastern UK at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens. It's inspired by the huge botanical gardens on the property.

We do 21 courses from the long menu and it's all inspired by the garden. Every single course has an element that we have either foraged, grown, or farmed on the estate.

Jean Delport, Chef

Delport says he and his team, which includes other South Africans, have been overwhelmed with support from all over the world.

It's been a crazy last month. We haven't slept in the last three days.

Jean Delport, Chef

I was lucky enough to bring a handful of guys with me from South Africa to do what we do, something that's different.

Jean Delport, Chef

Listen to him elaborate on the inspiration behind his food on Lunch with Pippa Hudson:

Thumbnail image: Interlude restaurant on Instagram.

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