Terre, one of only five restaurants in Ireland with two Michelin stars, has appointed a replacement for executive chef Vincent Crepel following his surprise announcement two weeks ago to depart the fine dining restaurant at the luxury Castlemartyr Resort in east Co Cork.
Crepel had served as executive chef since the restaurant’s opening in September 2022 and pursued ambitious plans to quickly achieve two Michelin stars. In March 2023, six months after opening, the restaurant achieved its first Michelin star, with the second one awarded in January of last year.
Lewis Barker, originally from Leeds in the UK, will join Terre from Singapore, where at 28, he was the youngest chef in Singapore to earn a Michelin star. It was achieved within eight months of Barker opening Sommer in 2021, the restaurant closed in October of last year.
Crepel has said he will remain on in his position at Terre until the end of September with Barker expected to take over on October 1st.
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Castlemartyr Resort was bought in 2021 for €20 million by Dr Stanley Quek and Peng Loh whose international hospitality portfolio includes hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants in Australia, Singapore, China, the UK and Ireland. They spent €8 million upgrading the hotel, which included adding a second restaurant in a 17th century manor on the estate, Terre.
In his statement last month Crepel said: “Building Terre has been one of the most beautiful and meaningful journeys of my career. We created more than a restaurant, we shaped a space with soul, purpose, and intention.”
Following Sommer restaurant’s closure in Singapore it was signalled Barker would remain within its ownership group, Ebb & Flow, led by chief executive Lim Kian Chun. His decision to now move to Co Cork may raise eyebrows in the Singaporean food world as Quek and Loh are big competitors of Lim Kian Chun in the fine dining scene there.
Barker describes his cooking as classically rooted in the French technique, modernised through local surroundings and flavours experienced from his time in Asia. His culinary profile is a good fit for Terre which serves contemporary cuisine with Asian flavours.
“I am excited at the challenge of leading Terre into the future and being situated in such a beautiful part of the world,” Barker said in a statement.
“My aim is to continue to preserve the ethos of Terre, and I look forward to building on that foundation alongside the talented team with a cuisine that celebrates Ireland’s incredible produce and culinary heritage‘.
