The Michelin star in danger of ending up a casualty of divorce
Husband who earned accolade hands destination restaurant to his wife and co-owner in settlement
IT IS a restaurant that has been garnished with accolades for its innovative and accomplished British food, served amid the understated setting of a converted Georgian house and garden.
Chef Steve Drake was awarded a Michelin star for what the guide described as “cuisine of great finesse” that “pushes the boundaries”.
He shared the honour with his wife of 16 years, Serina, who co-founded Drake’s in the Surrey village of Ripley.
But the restaurant’s Michelin star status is now in question – not because of a sudden decline of its cuisine, but, sadly, for more personal reasons.
The couple are divorcing and, as a result of a complex settlement, she will retain ownership of Drake’s while he moves on.
Mr Drake, 43, will take full control of the couple’s other business, The Anchor gastropub, also in Ripley.
But the deal means that the restaurant he leaves behind in less than three weeks will no longer enjoy the prestige of being run by a Michelin star winner.
Technically, the star is awarded to the “food on the plate”, but Drake’s will now have to undergo inspection and hope it is retained in the next Michelin guide, which is due out in October. “It’s been quite an ordeal,” Mr Drake told
The Telegraph. “My heart and soul are here, it’s where I won my first star and it’s been very difficult to give it up.
“But while we both wanted to hold on to the restaurant, I came to realise that the best way to move forward was for Serina to keep the business as an asset.”
Mr Drake, who started cooking in a transport café while at school and went on to train under Marco Pierre White, the enfant terrible of new British cooking, added: “Michelin are aware of the situation. I’ll have to earn my star again, as everyone has to every year.”
The couple, who have a nine-yearold daughter, opened Drake’s in 2004.
Mr Drake will not discuss the reasons behind the divorce, save to say that the marriage “wasn’t really working out” and “the work-life balance thing was really difficult”.
Friends say the divorce, which came after a three-year separation, was “difficult”, with long arguments as to how the businesses should be divided. The fate of Drake’s, one of the 100 best restaurants in the country, has caused concern in the village, where the crowd-pulling properties of its Michelin star have helped other businesses.
Mrs Drake said: “We don’t know whether we’ll be awarded the star again or whether we’ll have it taken away, but the chef who is taking over from Steve has worked for us for over three years and is very well equipped to take over the reins.”
Mindy McLean, who runs the Broadway Barn B&B – which also rates a mention in the Michelin guide – said: “It’s very sad, both for Steve and Serina, of course, and for the village as whole.
“The star makes Ripley a destination point. It’s amazing how many people come here because of it.”
News of the couple’s divorce and Mr Drake’s departure has had one unintended consequence. The restaurant is fully booked for the next two weeks.
“Now they know I’m going, I guess everyone wants to eat here, before I leave,” he said.