In shock news yesterday, Scott Smitth tweeted his intention to leave Norn, which recently won Edinburgh Restaurant of the Year at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards.
In the open letter, shared on the restaurant's social media, the chef spoke of his “huge regret” at leaving Norn.
He went on to describe how the decision, taken between him and his wife, was incredibly difficult and heart-breaking.
After thanking the team and guests of the restaurant, located on Henderson Street, Scott went on to say that: “we have a new project to work on that promises to be bigger, better and more ambitious than what we have achieved so far.”
IMPORTANT NEWS:
Goodbye Norn - I have needed to leave my baby. New opening coming soon (see attached...) pic.twitter.com/auRfcOJNe6— Scott Smith (@chefsrsmith) April 30, 2018
The couple's latest venture, 'Fhior' will be located on Broughton Street, with more details to follow.
Fans of Norn took to Twitter to wish the chef luck, as well as conveying sadness for his depature.
Fellow chef, Jamie Scott tweeted: “A great cook wonderful human and a real visionary in Scottish cooking! Norn was the beginning @FhiorRestaurant is the exciting future!! Can’t wait to see the next chapter!”
With Dave Milne adding: “Good luck in your new venture. Was going to head down to try Norn sometime soon but will just have to wait and try your new place.”
Norn is named after an ancient Scottish language, which reflects part of the restaurant’s ethos - to honour and pay tribute to Scotland’s rich food landscape and heritage.
