Samphire and Great British Menu star Lee Smith will be leaving later this year for the UK, it has been announced.
Tommy Radiguet will take over as Head Chef of the Don Street restaurant at the end of September when Lee leaves Jersey to be closer to his family.
Lee was a finalist in the BBC show ‘Great British Menu’ where he did the island proud in his attempt to get to cook one course at a banquet it the iconic Abbey Road studios in London.
Lee’s successor Tommy studied at Highlands College before starting his cooking career as an apprentice at Ormer (under the guidance of Shaun Rankin) before training under Lee as the restaurant underwent its rebrand to become Samphire.
Samphire Chief Executive Chula Whelan said: “We are delighted to promote Tommy Radiguet to the position of Head Chef. One of our core values is to identify the best people for all areas of our business, from kitchen staff to front of house, to champion ambition and reward hard work and commitment to achieving the quality standards we set for ourselves.
“Tom has shown not only that he is an excellent chef, but he has the right aptitude and character to lead a team in a pressured environment. Lee Smith leaves us with our very best wishes, and we must thank him for his contribution to our success.”
