Q & A with Head Chef Jean Delport
Jean Delport and his team of seven kitchen staff received their first Michelin Star in October 2019 for Restaurant Interlude.
It is a rare achievement for a chef, particularly after just one year of trading, and having created a kitchen from scratch within Grade II Listed Leonardslee House.
So we wanted to find out more about Jean, a South African, who so impressed restaurant owner Penny Streeter that she decided to bring him 6,000 miles to create this new dining experience within the Sussex estate, to a theme of woodland foraging and locally sourced produce.
When did you realise you wanted to work as a chef?
When I was still in school, really at around 15. I was very intrigued with the science behind cooking and the transformation that food goes through to get on the plate.
Where and how did you get your start?
After chef school and training, the real work only starts. I got my start in the local winelands of Durbanville not far from where I grew up. Chef Dan Evans quickly threw me into the kitchen and got me working through my paces.
How would you define the restaurant experience you have created – what can diners expect?
I think we have created a dining experience that offers something completely different. We take you on a surprise multi-course tasting menu where we bring the gardens to life at the table. I like to think of it as more than a meal, but an experience that you remember, taking the essence of our gardens with you.
Sum up your current work-life balance in one sentence or two?
There isn’t much of a balance; it’s intensely work orientated at this point. We can never take our foot off of the gas at the restaurant, especially for the goals I have for us as a team.
What is your favourite dish - to prepare or eat?
I do enjoy a good homemade meal, probably a traditional bobotie or a well-made curry.
Who has been influential in your career and why?
Besides my headmaster from chef school, I have worked with two chefs that changed the way I see and think about food.
Dan Evans, the old school 90’s English rockstar chef, taught me what food was about, flavours and passion. Further down the line, I wanted to get into more fine dining, and I worked for John Shuttleworth. Again completely changing the way I see and experience the food, showing me what it ultimately takes for the fine intricacies and details of where I wanted to be and the discipline needed.
What’s next for you?
I really want to keep this momentum going; we have lots more to offer from the estate to create our ultimate dining experience, something that the team works very hard at.
What’s your one piece of advice to someone starting out?
Work hard and put in the hours, especially when it doesn’t suit you sometimes. Hard work always gets you there in the end. Cook food that interests you don’t work somewhere just because it’s easy.
Where did you last have a great meal?
Recently when I was back in South Africa, we ate at FYN. Peter Tempelhoff’s new restaurant that skilfully combines Japanese cooking and tradition with South African influences. A great lunch, something different.
Where is the most exciting city for hospitality (after London)?
I think the Irish food scene is bubbling right now, making massive leaps forward there are so many restaurants I want to go and eat at, in and around Dublin. Tokyo, Japan, is still top of the bucket list.
Who would you identify as a rising star?
There are always so many. Chef Tom Brown is a shining example – some excellent food in his Hackney restaurant. I know Simon Martin in Manchester is doing some amazing things too.
To book visit: https://www.restaurant-interlude.co.uk/reserve-your-table
