Chef Jude Kereama on running Kota restaurant in Porthleven

He hasn’t let TV fame go to his head though, recalling how one of the locals spotted him on the street and yelled ‘Oy Jude! I didn’t recognise you without a camera crew!’

He laughs at the memory as he sits bathed in sunshine at his restaurant Kota, on the harbourside of this busy Cornish village, chatting to Cornwall Life about life in the kitchen and running his two restaurants. 

Porthleven is the place he calls home, having arrived nearly two decades ago with his late wife Jane, who had family in the Westcountry.

Jude came from New Zealand, via London, and is half Maori, half Chinese Malay. His roots provided the perfect inspiration for his cooking, blending flavours familiar to him with fresh fish and local produce.

He says when he first arrived Porthleven reminded of the New Zealand coast where he lived. ‘Cornwall really reminded me of home,’ he says.

‘I couldn’t believe there were so many native trees and bushes from New Zealand here. I went to Trebah Gardens and there were tree ferns everywhere. I really thought I was in New Zealand. I fly back there every year, but Cornwall is home to me now.

‘The attitude here is very Kiwi like and that keeps me grounded. People are happy. I feel so lucky to have been in this village for twenty years. There are as many dogs as humans here and it has pretty much everything I love – a thriving primary school, bursting at the seams, there are some holiday homes, but not too many, and there’s a real community spirit.

‘When I arrived, there wasn’t really a food scene. We had a smokehouse, and we introduced the jalapeno to Porthleven! People would say “I’m not eating that!” This was a fishing village for many years, now it’s a centre for art and great restaurants.’

Jude works with Hugh West at Toll House Pottery to create plates and bowls that are perfect for the dishes (Image: Kota Restaurant)

Jude is as passionate about plates as he is about what he puts on them, working with Hugh West at Toll House Pottery (hughwest.com) to create plates and bowls that are perfect for the dishes he creates.

‘It’s a lot of fun, talking about the season and the colours I’m after, and the shapes,’ he says. He’s also working with Maxine Greer who has become artist in residence at Kota, creating beautiful paintings for the walls (prints available at maxinegreer.com).

Read more about Cornwall's food scene in the latest edition of Cornwall Life: www.cornwalllifemagazine.co.uk/

The food is as pretty as a picture, packed with the flavours Jude grew up with.

‘I’m the youngest of five and I loved being in the kitchen with mum, cooking. My mum was Chinese Malay and she inspired me to enjoy food.

"We’d go to the beach, but there would be no sunbathing. We’d be looking for clams and mussels on the rocks. We’d catch crabs and they’d be cooked and cut into quarters and we’d suck out all the meat. I remember it all with delight. I’m salivating at the thought of it.

‘Those flavours have inspired dishes on the menu at Kota Kai – things like Singapore crab in bao buns or soft shell crab with a seaweed mayo and Asian slaw. Dishes that remind me of my family and evoke so many memories. These are the flavours of my childhood - my mum’s seafood laksa is famous at Kota Kai.’

Kota Kai opened in 2011 and underwent an extensive refurbishment earlier this year, still offering a welcome to families but also a new destination for drinks and snacks with some exciting fresh dishes on the menu.

The open plan layout has harbour views and there’s a new colour scheme with more natural materials and textures, to create a calmer, more cohesive space. A long statement bar and new dining furniture has been installed and there’s work from local artists.

Expect small plates and fish on the menu at Kota Kai (Image: Kota Restaurant)

Jude is excited about the changes with the ever-popular range of small plates remaining on the menu. ‘We were doing small plates before small plates were a thing,’ he laughs. ‘We’ve given it a new lease of life by changing the concept slightly and it feels like a new space. We make sure we look after the locals, they are the main focus, not the tourists.’

Jude and his late wife Jane were instrumental in the setting up of the Porthleven Food Festival every spring and he’s still involved with the chefs theatre.

‘The first year was very small, but the whole village got behind it. It’s amazing to see how it has developed. That first year we had 5,000 visitors. Last year it was 45,000. The festival is so much fun and it’s really put Porthleven on the map.’

Every time Jude mentions Jane, his eyes light up. She died of cancer in 2019 at the age of 46. The couple had been together 23 years and their son, Joe, was then 12. It was Jane who persuaded a reluctant Jude to appear on Great British Menu.

‘I got the call saying they were looking for new talent. I thought it was an awful idea. Jane told me to ring them back and to do it.

'I remember I had my heart in my mouth. It was terrifying and exhausting mentally and physically. But afterwards bookings were much higher. After Jane died I was a single dad and only had time to practice the day before. It’s amazing what adrenaline can do, but I wanted to do it for my son.’

Having revamped Kota Kai, his fine dining restaurant Kota is next in his sights. ‘I still love what I do and I’m planning for the future. I want to refurb Kota and carry on doing what we do best.’

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Cornwall Life named Kota Restaurant of the Year in 2019, the same year Jude was named Chef of the Year in the Trencherman’s Awards. He has been recognised by the Good Food Guide, has a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide and has Three AA Rosettes (one of only five Cornwall restaurants to be recognised in this way).

On the Kota A La Carte menu you will find such delights as smoked mackerel doughnuts, lemon sole and hand-dived scallops. The adventurous lunch menu highlights under-rated fish such as gurnard – served with a brown crab sauce – and weaver fish which has been kombu cured. The restaurant also has rooms.

Just along the harbour front is Kota Kai – a fun-filled bar and kitchen where, alongside the main menu, you can enjoy a selection of small plates – like a duck bao bun with Asian slaw, tempura Porthilly oysters with wasabi tartare and seared rare tuna with a celeriac remoulade.

Kotarestaurant.co.uk, kotakai.co.uk