Ivan Tisdall-Downes resigns as executive chef at Native

Ivan Tisdall-Downes has resigned as executive chef at Native, less than a year after the restaurant opened its latest site in Worcestershire.

The chef said he had stepped down from the restaurant “under its current guardians Hestia Ltd”, the investment firm which backed the business last year.

Tisdall-Downes co-founded Native with Imogen Wells in London in 2016 and it became known for its focus on sustainable ingredients, making headlines for dishes including pigeon kebab and squirrel lasagne.

The nomadic restaurant started in Covent Garden before moving to Borough Market, Osea Island in Essex during the pandemic, and later to Brown’s boutique store in Mayfair.

Native’s latest iteration opened in the former Pensons site at the Netherwood Estate in Tenbury Wells last May and won a Michelin green star for its sustainable practices last month.

In a statement on social media, Tisdall-Downes said: “From Covent Garden to Borough Market, Osea Island and Mayfair, and finally the abundant Netherwood Estate. A humble street food stall started in 2012, Native has grown into a Michelin awarded brand that’s allowed me to travel the world and cook with some of my heroes.

“It is therefore with a heavy heart that I have resigned from my position as executive chef of Native under its current guardians Hestia Ltd.

“I wish Hestia all the best, and can’t wait to follow their next adventures.”

Hospitality investment fund Hestia is led by Andrew Fishwick, previously of the Truscott Arms gastropub and the restaurant investor and partnership firm Pepper Collective.

It launched last year with the backing of investors including Justin King, the former chief executive of Sainsbury’s.

Hestia’s other initial investments included Budgie Montoya’s Filipino restaurant brand Sarap, although this year Montoya said he was taking a break from the industry to prioritise his health.