Who is Clare Smyth? All about Michelin-star chef reportedly flown to Sydney to cook for Taylor Swift on Eras Tour

Clare Smyth, a Michelin-star chef reportedly flew into Sydney from the UK to cook for Taylor Swift and her team as Swift arrived in Sydney for her Eras Tour, per a report by Yahoo! Lifestyle.

According to the media outlet, Taylor Swift has rented out the presidential penthouse at the Crown, which reportedly costs AUD 25,000 a night. On Thursday, February 22, Swift’s boyfriend and footballer, Travis Kelce, also reportedly joined her there.

An insider at the Crown spoke to Yahoo! Lifestyle about the publicity generated by the star’s stay at their resort, sharing:

“They’ve spared no expense, increased security and had staff sign NDAs to ensure her stay is nothing but perfection.”

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Meet Clare Smyth: The only British female chef awarded three Michelin Stars for her restaurant

Clare Smyth - a three-star Michelin Chef (Image via Instagram/@chefclaresmyth)

Clare Smyth, 45, is a Northern Irish chef raised in a farmer's household. Her inspiration to become a chef was born out of her first part-time job at a local restaurant as a teenager. Her mother was also a waitress.

At sixteen, she left school to study catering at Highbury College, Hampshire, London. Soon after completing college, Smyth started working full-time at Terence Conran’s restaurant at Michelin House, London. In 2002, she joined the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant, where she was promoted to the position of Senior Sous Chef within the next two years.

Wanting to enhance her career further, Smyth went to Monte Carlo in 2005 to join the team of Alain Ducasse’s Le Louis XV for the next two years. In 2007, upon returning to London, Smyth was made the Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay.

In 2013, Smyth was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services in the hospitality industry. The chef also catered the “after-party” at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan in 2018.

After a decade of working at Gordon Ramsay, Smyth opened her restaurant – Core in Notting Hill, London – in 2017, which was awarded three Michelin stars in 2021. With that, Smyth became the first-ever British female chef to earn three Michelin stars for her restaurant.

The very same year, she opened her second restaurant – Oncore – in Sydney, which gained a Three Hats Honour the following year.

Over the years, Smyth has also made frequent appearances in Masterchef Australia. Smyth is married to Grant Health, who is a financial analyst. The couple lives in Wandsworth, South London.

A source at the Crown shared with Yahoo! Lifestyle that Smyth had planned to travel to Australia even before Taylor Swift had booked her stay at the Crown, just in case the star decided to visit her restaurant while in Sydney for her Eras Tour.