Head chef Stephane Delourme has announced that he is leaving Rick Stein Group after 25 years to undertake a new “gastronomic adventure”.
This summer we say a fond farewell to a man that’s been at the heart of our business for 25 years, @StephDelourme – both as Head Chef of The Seafood Restaurant and Group Chef. We’re very grateful for everything he’s brought to our team over the years and wish him the best. pic.twitter.com/2HWqtyPWYn
— Rick Stein Restaurants (@RickSteinRest) August 25, 2023
A statement on celebrity chef, cookbook writer and restaurateur Rick Stein’s website announced that after a quarter of a century, Brittany-born Delourme would be “hanging up his Stein apron before he travels the world doing pop ups, private dining and much more”.
Stein commented on Delourme’s departure: “Quite apart from Stephane being a brilliant head chef at The Seafood Restaurant, I’ve had some tremendously rewarding experiences with him doing private dinner parties, pop ups, food festivals, sporting events and charity events. The reality has been I’ve never had to worry about any detail at any of these, Steph has always had them covered, whether it be ordering ingredients, organising staff and cooking the dishes exactly as I wanted them. He’s always been a totally safe pair of hands.”
Stein went on to praise Delourme’s ability to get on with “everyone”, and remarked: “Stephane is just as at home in Downing Street as he is in the kitchen of The Seafood Restaurant, but above all I’ve always been somewhat in awe of him because of his impeccable training as a chef in France. I still regard the way they cook in France as the best.”
Reflecting on his career with Rick Stein Group, Delourme said: “Food is life. It’s about making memories with people we love and I know that beautiful food makes people smile so I want to create memories which will stay with people forever.”
“There is so much more for me to explore and I look forward to going to new places, revisiting old favourites while bringing my cooking closer to people, using world class ingredients, produced by the most wonderful people,” Delourme concluded.
WLC recently interviewed Rick Stein Group director Charlie Stein.
This article was originally published by the drinks business and has been shared with permission.
