Opened in July 2025 by Nathan and his wife Hollie Davies, Vraic won the accolade just seven months after launch, becoming the island’s only Michelin-starred restaurant and the first on Guernsey to hold a Michelin star in more than a decade.
Set on Chouet Bay in Vale, Vraic is a 24-cover restaurant named after the Guernésiais word for seaweed.
That name is central to the restaurant’s identity. Michelin describes it as a true destination restaurant, praised for making full use of Guernsey’s coastal setting and island produce, with seaweed, shellfish and fire-led cooking all playing an important role in the menu.
Early career and background
Nathan was born in Wolverhampton and moved to Wales at the age of six, where much of his culinary identity was formed.
Before opening his own restaurants, he built experience in a range of professional kitchens, including time working in London, at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and at The Hardwick under Stephen Terry. He later joined Ynyshir, where he spent four years working alongside Gareth Ward and rose to become head chef.
That period helped shape the style Nathan is now known for: bold, elemental cooking with a strong emphasis on fire, intense flavour and ingredients gathered from land and coast.
His food has long drawn on foraging, seasonality and a direct connection to place, something that runs through both his Welsh work and what he is doing now in Guernsey.
SY23 and Michelin success in Wales
Nathan first came to wider prominence as the chef behind SY23 in Aberystwyth, which he opened in late 2019 with business owner Mark Phillips.
The restaurant quickly earned major recognition, winning a Michelin star and also being named Michelin Opening of the Year 2022. That success established Nathan as one of the most exciting chefs in Welsh hospitality and confirmed that his fire-led, produce-driven style could thrive at Michelin level.
His profile rose further through television, with Nathan appearing on Great British Menu and winning the starter course for the series 17 banquet.
That appearance introduced his cooking to a wider audience and reinforced the creative confidence already visible in his restaurant work.
Leaving SY23 and starting again
In 2023, Nathan announced that he would be leaving SY23 after a run that had brought the restaurant national acclaim.
It marked the end of one important chapter, but also the beginning of another. Rather than repeat himself, Nathan chose to take his cooking to a completely different setting, relocating with Hollie and their family to Guernsey to build something new from the ground up.
That move led to the launch of Vraic, a restaurant built around Guernsey’s raw beauty and exceptional produce.
Several senior colleagues from SY23 joined the project, helping Nathan carry forward the standards and kitchen culture he had already established while adapting the food to a new island environment.
Vraic in Guernsey
At Vraic, Nathan’s cooking is shaped by the island’s larder. The restaurant champions local fish, shellfish and seaweed, alongside produce sourced from Guernsey and nearby regions. Michelin has highlighted the way Vraic combines sublime natural flavours with precise cooking and thoughtful combinations, while also noting the pride and confidence of the team working in the open kitchen.
The room itself reflects the same sense of purpose. With its coastal position, floor-to-ceiling windows and stripped-back aesthetic, Vraic is designed to connect diners directly to both the landscape and the food. Fire is more than a technique here; it is part of the restaurant’s entire philosophy, giving structure and depth to dishes that are otherwise led by clarity and restraint.
