Jeff Kipp, the chef owner of Saltwood on the Green restaurant near Hythe, has made the three-man shortlist for Chef of the Year in this year's Kent Life and Kent on Sunday Food & Drink Awards. Saltwood on the Green, Jeff's first restaurant, opened in the picturesque village of Saltwood's former general store in 2014. The American-born chef has worked in some of the world's top kitchens, including Gordon Ramsay, Charlie Trotter's, Duck & Waffle and Sushi Samba.
Determined by public voting, the other two Chef of the Year finalists are Michael Fowler of Wallett's Court and The Ambrette's Dev Biswal.
The competition now moves on the judging stage, where finalists will be visited, interviewed and assessed for the quality of their cooking, provenance of local produce, ambience and service.
The prestigious awards, which launched in 2013, are designed to champion, highlight and offer a showcase to the good and the great from the region's food and drink industry, including local producers and suppliers, small farming businesses, chefs, restaurants, pubs and hoteliers. All the finalists are people who care about the countryside and the future of our local environment.
The winners will be announced at an awards dinner at Ashford International Hotel on 15th October 2015.
“In Kent, we have some incredibly talented chefs working in some of the best restaurants in the UK, so it's a great honour to be on the shortlist,” said chef Jeff.
The restaurant has started receiving national recognition having been featured in The Observer, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun and The Week in recent months, which Kipp says is having a positive effect on the local economy.
“It's great to be recognised in our local media and be nominated for this prestigious award by our loyal local customers, but the national coverage has attracted scores of gastro tourists from much further afield, who are staying in local hotels, using B & Bs and spending money in the area's shops,” said Kipp.
