Aberystwyth’s Nathan Davies has scooped a Michelin Star in the first six months of his new venture.

The Welsh chef who made a name for himself with Aberystwyth’s Michelin-starred SY23 closed up in December 2023 for a new start.

The next two years took him to the Isle of Guernsey, where his new restaurant, Vraic, this week won its first star.

Nathan said to the Cambrian News about his success: “It’s been a good one - it feels very different from the first time with a new restaurant and a new space.

“We feel like we’re back where we belong and where we want to be with the stars.”

Asked whether he put his success down to his Welsh beginnings, he said it’s down to the team he took with him from west Wales - five of whom relocated permanently to the Channel Island for the challenge: “The staff that we’ve brought with us is what makes us special.

“The whole kitchen team and most of the front of house team came with us.”

Davies works with his wife, Hollie, who runs operations at the seaside restaurant, and supported by senior sous chef Kuba, who also relocated to the island.

On Monday, 9 February, Vraic (Guernésiais for seaweed) won its first star, described as “the very definition of a destination restaurant”.

Opening in August 2025, the Michelin Guide describes the food as “sublime natural flavours, enhanced by expert cooking and well-conceived combinations, such as lamb belly with cherry and charcoal”.

The restaurant uses its namesake across the menu, including a deep broth made using eight different varieties.

Despite the abundance of local produce Davies uses in his menu, he said the location makes for logistical challenges: “The journey has been challenging as it's a new environment, a new client base, a whole new setup here.

“The challenges are just very different to Wales... which were making pay and work in the current economic state of the hospitality industry.”

Though the 35-year-old said he “left a little bit of me there” in leaving Wales, SY23 regulars have already made the trip across the pond to visit his new space.

Keeping his connection to Wales is important to him for his two boys, speaking Welsh at home and keeping a house on the west coast to visit: “I didn’t want to leave, if I’m honest.

“But the project [in Guernsey] was too good to turn away.

“It’s important for me that my two boys have a base there and know they’re Welsh and still come back.

“But for the time being, for our careers, this was an opportunity of a lifetime.”

The Llangrannog-born chef said his achievement on Monday “shows our intentions” for the new venture, aiming to continue to grow and improve, possibly in line for a second star in a few years.

No new stars came for Welsh establishments this year, but Machynlleth’s Ynyshir restaurant maintained its two-star status - becoming the first restaurant in Wales to boast two stars in 2022.