Clare Smyth

Clare Smyth is a famous chef. She grew up in Belfast. She worked in a restaurant as a teen. This job made her want to cook.

She went to school to learn about food. She worked in many big kitchens. She even worked in Australia.

Clare has many top prizes. She has three stars for her food. Her restaurant is called Core.

She also has a shop in Sydney. It is called Oncore. She loves to make great meals.

Clare is a very skilled cook. She makes people happy with food.

Clare Smyth is a famous chef. She was born in Northern Ireland. Her father was a farmer. Her mother was a waitress. At age fifteen, Clare worked in a restaurant. This job made her want to cook.

Clare went to college to study catering. She worked in many places. She worked in London and Australia. She even worked for Gordon Ramsay. In 2007, she became a head chef. This was a big deal. She was the first woman in the UK to lead a three-star restaurant.

In 2017, Clare opened her own restaurant. It is called Core. It is in London. In 2021, Core won three Michelin stars. This was a great honor. She also opened Oncore in Sydney, Australia.

Clare has won many awards. She was named the World's Best Female Chef in 2018. She also has a new bistro called Corenucopia. It won a star very quickly. Clare shows us that hard work can lead to great things in the kitchen.

Clare Smyth is a very famous chef. She makes amazing food for people to eat. She is known for her skill in the kitchen. Her work has earned many high honors. One big honor is the Michelin star. These stars are given to the best restaurants.

Clare learned how to cook by working hard. She started a job at age fifteen. This job made her want to be a chef. She went to Highbury College in Portsmouth to study. Then she worked at many different places. She worked in London and also in Australia. She even worked at the St Enodoc Hotel in Cornwall.

Her career has many big milestones. In 2007, she became a head chef. She worked at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. She was the first woman in the UK to lead a three-star restaurant. In 2013, she was named National Chef of the Year. She also became a Member of the Order of the British Empire. This is called an MBE.

Clare has opened several special restaurants. Her first solo restaurant is called Core. It opened in London in July 2017. Core won three Michelin stars in 2021. This made her the first British woman to reach that goal. In 2021, she also opened Oncore in Sydney. Oncore is on the 26th floor of a building.

Today, Clare continues to create new things. She opened a luxury bistro called Corenucopia. It is in Chelsea and serves British food. This restaurant won a Michelin star in 2026. It only had to be open for two months to win. She also worked with a brand called Dom Pérignon. Her journey shows how much a chef can achieve.

Clare Smyth is a highly accomplished Northern Irish chef. She is a leader in the world of fine dining. Smyth is known for her skill and her ability to earn top honors. One of the highest honors is the Michelin star. These stars are awarded to restaurants that show exceptional cooking. Smyth has achieved the highest level of this recognition multiple times. Her career shows how dedication can lead to global success in the culinary arts.

Smyth's journey began with a simple job during her teenage years. She grew up in Belfast as the youngest of three children. Her father, William, was a farmer. Her mother, Doreen, worked as a waitress. At age fifteen, Smyth worked at a local restaurant during a holiday. This experience inspired her to pursue a professional cooking career. She left school at sixteen to study catering at Highbury College in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Her professional training involved many different roles and locations. After college, she completed an apprenticeship at Grayshott Hall in Surrey. She then worked full-time at Terence Conran's restaurant in London. Smyth also spent six months working for a catering company in Australia. Upon returning to the UK, she participated in a practice known as a "stage." A stage is a short period where a chef works in a professional kitchen to learn new skills. She staged at The Waterside Inn and Gidleigh Park. She also worked at the St Enodoc Hotel in Cornwall. There, she served as a sous chef and later as a head chef. This role earned her the title of Young Cornish Fish Chef of the Year.

Smyth reached a major milestone in 2002 when Gordon Ramsay offered her a position. In 2007, she became the head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. This made her the first female chef in the United Kingdom to lead a three-star Michelin restaurant. At that time, only seven of the 121 British Michelin-starred restaurants had female head chefs. She later worked at Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV restaurant in Monaco. She eventually returned to the UK to run the Chelsea-based restaurant again. During her career, she received many prestigious titles. In 2013, she was named the Good Food Guide's National Chef of the Year. She was also appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE.

In 2016, Smyth decided to open her own solo restaurant. She opened Core in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London in July 2017. Core received two Michelin stars in the 2019 Michelin Guide. By 2021, Core was awarded three Michelin stars. This achievement made her the first British woman to have a three-star restaurant. In 2018, the World's 50 Best Restaurants named her the World's Best Female Chef. Her success in London led to international expansion. In 2021, she opened Oncore in Sydney, Australia. Oncore is located on the 26th floor of the Crown Sydney in Barangaroo. In 2022, Oncore earned the Three Hats honor. This made Smyth the first female chef to be both a three-star Michelin chef and a Three-Hatted Chef.

Smyth continues to expand her culinary influence through new projects. In May 2025, she collaborated with the champagne brand Dom Pérignon. This campaign was titled "Creation is an Eternal Journey." In September 2025, she opened a luxury bistro named Corenucopia in Chelsea. This restaurant offers her specific interpretation of British cuisine. Corenucopia achieved success very quickly. In the 2026 Michelin Awards, the restaurant was granted its first One Michelin Star. It had only been open for two months when it received this honor.

Despite her many successes, Smyth's career has faced scrutiny. In a 2008 interview with the Telegraph, she admitted to being harsh with other chefs. She described grabbing a chef and screaming in their face if they made a mistake. In March 2026, anonymous allegations emerged regarding her behavior. These reports claimed she had punched a chef in the face and locked another in a walk-in fridge in 2018. These claims appeared alongside similar allegations against another chef, René Redzepi. These moments show the complex nature of working in high-pressure professional kitchens.