Two of Scotland’s restaurants picked up their first MICHELIN-star this week at a ceremony in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow, with Avery chef Rodney Wages and Lyla’s Stuart Ralston earning the accolade.
Rodney Wages did have a Michelin star in San Francisco before moving his family and his restaurant to Edinburgh just over a year ago, following an extended family visit in 2022 when the fell in love with the city. But the reopening of Avery in Stockbridge meant that it was not qualified for MICHELIN consideration in the United Kingdom. His entry in the Michelin Guide says, “Rodney has wholly embraced his Scottish surroundings, taking the country’s bountiful produce and treating it with a Californian lightness, while providing bold, distinct flavours.”
Edinburgh chef and restaurateur Stuart Ralston has also been awarded his first MICHELIN-star for his seafood-led fine dining restaurant Lyla. It follows ten years of operating leading Edinburgh restaurants including Aizle, Noto and Tipo.
He said, “I am thrilled and honoured that Michelin felt that we deserved this award. Like many chefs, I have followed the guide my whole adult life and in many ways it’s shaped my career and who I am.
“Massive thank you to my spectacular team at Lyla, and the group at large. I’m very lucky to have such an amazing team. And of course to all our guests for supporting us over the years.
“This industry can come under fire at times because it can be a tough business, but I believe it’s a brilliant career choice. I managed to work myself all the way up from washing dishes to owning a group of successful restaurants in our capital city, Edinburgh, which I love. This industry can give hope and a chance to people from all walks of life, and I’m living proof of that.”
Born in the small town of Glenrothes in Scotland, Lyla is Stuart’s fourth and most personally ambitious restaurant which opened at the end of 2023. Stuart spent his twenties working in New York under Gordon Ramsey, undertaking stages with chefs David Bouley, Marcus Samuelsson, Terrance Brennan, Daniel Humm, Paul Liebrandt and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Following a time spent as Chef de Cuisine at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados, Stuart returned to his Scotland where in 2014 he opened his debut restaurant, Aizle. This was followed by NYC neo-izakaya Noto in 2021 and Italian-inspired Tipo in 2023.
Lyla , a 10-course seafood focused fine-dining restaurant where guests begin upstairs, has been recognised as one of the Best New Openings 2023 by Condé Nast Traveller and crowned Restaurant Newcomer at the Food & Travel Awards 2024. It has been mentioned as one of the most exciting restaurants in the UK by World’s 50 Best and debuted at number 28th on the National Restaurant Awards 2024.
Picture: (L) Stuart Ralston and (R) Rodney Wages