Chef Hylton Espey.
Chef Hylton Espey.
Image: Supplied

A South African chef has received a Michelin Green Star for his nature-driven eatery in the town of Falmouth in Cornwall, England. Hylton Espey, who grew up in the seaside village of St James in the Western Cape, has always had an affinity for being in nature — whether it be surfing, exploring, hiking, or climbing. This is a passion he’s carried with him throughout his culinary career and that now firmly stands as the cornerstone of his restaurant, Culture.

An intimate, 24-seater restaurant, it is situated in a converted old warehouse, complete with original stone walls and wooden floors and ceilings. The establishment’s solitary window offers a glimpse of the historical Custom House Quay. The space with its open kitchen — designed by Espey during lockdown on his iPad — has been created to offer guests an immersive experience, one where the kitchen, manned single-handedly by the chef, forms part of the culinary journey.

The offering here is inspired by nature and tells a story over multiple courses, paying homage to local ingredients, provenance, and experiences — be it the walk to work, a trip to a farm, a sail in the bay or a seaside forage. Each course is dictated by the locally sourced produce available on the day, and changes accordingly.

“The menu must take you on a journey, whether that be nostalgic, geographic or somewhere new and exciting,” says the chef. As such, the menu reads like an ode to these experiences and the places where the produce has been gathered, poetically hinting at rather that fully divulging what can be expected during each course. Not only does this add a layer of intrigue to the dinner but it also allows the chef to remain faithful to local, seasonal, sustainable cooking.

Plenty is foraged, much of it daily, along the 20-minute or so walk the chef takes to work, with nearby woods offering up 22 different ingredients. At the moment, he speaks of three-cornered leeks and their flowers, wild garlic, nasturtium, and alexander stalks. The living menu is constantly in flux, featuring the likes of “Flurry”, a host of kitchen snacks with a clever twist on churros, the savoury iteration dressed with Stithians cheese from Lynher Dairies and green-onion powder from Patrick’s Farm; “Tregullas Farm”, a dish of slow-smoked lamb shoulder, braaied lamb ribeye, roast shallot, black garlic, and nasturtium; and “Autumn”, an ode to the season in the form of Chocolarder white chocolate, Rob’s pumpkin, and burnt meringue.

Image: Supplied

It’s cooking magnificent in its simplicity, with the chef proving that the simple things we eat every day are good enough to be in a fine-dining restaurant. His less-is-more approach to creating dishes ensures that nothing is on a plate that doesn’t need to be there and everything that does make its way to the final dish is as delicious as can be. “Otherwise, what’s the point?” he asks.

In this sustainable restaurant, every detail has been considered, be it the menus printed on recycled British paper, aprons made from organic British cotton or his no-waste ethos in the kitchen. He also takes bookings in advance, which allows him to prepare the exact number of portions needed per service. All of this has garnered Espey recognition from the famed Michelin Guide.

Image: Supplied

In February this year, not even a year after opening, Culture was awarded a Michelin Green Star. This honour recognises restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to sustainable practices, those that hold themselves accountable to both ethical and environmental standards and work with sustainable producers and suppliers. According to the guide, these restaurants offer dining experiences that combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments.

Culture.
Culture.
Image: Supplied

I chat to the chef the morning of his first dinner service since winning the award. It’s instantly clear why he is the perfect candidate for the accolade. He speaks passionately of the regional produce he sources — at one point holding up a gargantuan oyster with the same excitement as when he showed me the coveted award — of his morning forages, and of his equally passionate suppliers, all united in this common vision. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that he does it all (for the most part) by himself, sending out 20 covers of his multi-course menu, while his right-hand man Bobby Metcalfe (a sous chef at a previous restaurant) runs front of house.

At Culture, he has created a magnificently measured and refined culinary experience — one where produce is the star of the show and each dish is an exciting chapter in a beautifully composed culinary tale of landscapes, fauna, and flora.

Custom House Quay,

38B Arwenack Street,

Falmouth

culturerestaurant.co.uk

 From the May edition of Wanted, 2023.

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