Kevin Viner leaves Bournemouth restaurant Neo less than a month after opening

The Staff Canteen

Former National Chef of the Year, Kevin Viner, has left the 200 cover restaurant due to creative differences and feeling he had done all he could for the restaurant which overlooks Bournemouth pier.

Neo restaurant
Neo Restaurant

Kevin told The Staff Canteen: “I feel I have done all I can at Neo and it’s time for me to move on. I wasn’t really doing the type of food I wanted.”

He added: “I have some other things in the pipeline so I’m just going to see where they take me.”

Kevin was Cornwall’s first chef to earn a Michelin star and has won many awards and accolades throughout his career.

Beginning at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Kevin was dishing up meals as a teenager for private dinner parties hosted by Princess Anne.

By the age of 23 Kevin became the Army School of Catering’s youngest ever lecturer. Kevin also represented Great Britain in the ‘Culinary Olympics’ winning numerous gold medals.

His restaurant Pennypots situated in Blackwater, Cornwall held a Michelin star for seven years before losing it in 2000.

He also ran Viners in Cornwall until 2010 and more recently has been consulting and cooking for the Prince and Princess of Monaco.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 26th May 2016

Kevin Viner leaves Bournemouth restaurant Neo less than a month after opening