London is open: The Michelin-starred chef celebrates surviving a tough year – entertainment

Written by Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) – Celebrity chef Claire Smith booked three months of reservations in 20 minutes when her restaurant Core said it would emerge from closure, underlining her belief that London is ready to come back to life in style on May 17.

Smith became the first British chef to win a three-star Michelin star when all restaurants were closed due to strict lockdowns in January, protecting the team after months of questioning whether her life would return to normal.

Smith, one of only seven three-star owners in the UK, said that during the first shutdown last year, she had to consider whether restaurants would continue in their current form and how they could retain their 42 employees.

“It’s the work of my life, it’s my business, it’s everything, and I used to wake up in the morning, look at myself in the mirror and ask myself if everything will change?” She told Reuters in the light dining room. . From the heart of West London. “I am grateful that we are still here.”

During the pandemic, the team trained online several hours a day, cooked food for 600 people a week through charities and created a tasting menu to deliver to London customers – which helped keep all employees and keep suppliers running.

Now it is preparing to reopen, starting May 17, restaurants in England will be able to serve customers at home for the first time since January in the hope that this will end more than a year of ever-changing restrictions.