There's an almost fairy-tale quality to this week's story. Think of it as Local Hero with a side order of duck-fat chips. The cast: a philanthropic millionaire with a dream, and a brilliant young chef, escaping from the palace kitchens to start a new, simple life at the seaside.
The millionaire is Roger de Haan, who made his fortune by building up and then selling the Saga financial and travel group, founded by his father in Folkestone, where the company is still based. In the true spirit of Saga, de Haan didn't slump into passive retirement. Deploring the doldrums into which his home town had sunk, he invested millions in regenerating Folkestone's run-down Old Town, rebranding it as a cultural quarter with its own triennial arts festival and filling derelict shops with galleries and interesting small businesses.
In what he has described as a "moment of madness", de Haan also bought Folkestone harbour, a neglected afterthought to the town since the cross-channel ferry stopped running. The first part of his planned redevelopment, a destination restaurant, has just opened. Which is where our chef enters the story – Mark Sargeant, the Michelin-starred boy wonder of Claridges, and Gordon Ramsay's bright-eyed TV lieutenant, often seen chopping and cooking in the background while his boss shouted at people.
Read more at http://www.independent.co.uk/
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