MasterChef: The Professionals 2016 finalist Matt Healy opens new Leeds restaurant, Forde
MasterChef: The Professionals 2016 finalist Matt Healy is opening a new restaurant in Leeds today, Forde.
The restaurant, which will be open from 8am to 4pm daily, promises to bring "Michelin-star service" - and, as described on its website, "Just F*#king Good Food!" to Horsforth in Leeds, offering brunch, local charcuterie, and cheese, small plates and fine wines.
The chef opened a restaurant at the Saw Mill Yard, The Foundry, in 2018, but was forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic despite earning a Michelin Plate and a spot in The Good Food Guide. That same year, he stepped back from The Beehive gastropub in Thorner, where he had taken over as part of a new management team in the summer of 2019.
He has two other Scandinavian café businesses, Grön (green, in Swedish) in Leeds and York, which offer plant-focused food and drinks menus, including Danish-inspired brunches, artisan coffee, teas and juices. The Leeds site opened last year following a £50,000 refurbishment.
At the time of filming MasterChef: The Professionals in 2016 - which was won by Scottish chef Gary Maclean - Matt was a regional development chef at Rational. He has also worked at Manchester Tapas restaurant, El Gato Negro, and Terroirs in London.
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