Will Holland has been working in Michelin-starred restaurants since the age of eighteen, spending nearly two decades working in some of the finest classical restaurants in the country. Now working on the beautiful island of Jersey, his style is more relaxed and informal, but the focus remains on fantastic ingredients, excellent technique and mouth-watering food.
Will earned his first Michelin star at La Bécasse – one of the proudest days of his life – two years after joining and before his thirtieth birthday. He also added three AA rosettes to his growing list of accolades, with the Good Food Guide naming him one of the ten most influential chefs of the decade. With a long work history under classically trained chefs from the Raymond Blanc and Roux brothers school of cooking, the food that earned Will his star remained in this vein.
In 2014, Will Holland opened Coast on the Pembrokeshire shore – his own restaurant, in a purpose-built venue. His new restaurant offered an altogether different proposition to the Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants he had worked in for nearly two decades. ‘Coast is definitely a difference in style as it’s a lot more informal, it’s a lot more relaxed. I do think that’s the way the restaurant and dining scene is going. It’s not about white tablecloths, it’s not about tray service, it’s not about four or five waiters to one table, it’s about really, really good food.’
Will Holland has often spoken of his drive for success and his early ambition to be the best. Having proved himself in more traditional fine-dining restaurants around the country, he moved on to take over Ocean at the Atlantic, on the island of Jersey, in October 2017.