Lee Skeet hits £25,000 crowdfunding target to support his Cardiff restaurant

Chef Lee Skeet has hit his £25,000 crowdfunding target to help buy better equipment for his restaurant Cora in Cardiff.

Skeet has today (25 February) raised more than £28,000 from over 300 backers ahead of the Kickstarter campaign ending on Sunday.

The former head chef at Michelin-starred Hedone opened Cora, his first permanent restaurant, in the Welsh capital in January following sold-out pop-ups and supper clubs. It seats just 12 guests and serves a set tasting menu, priced from £50 for lunch and £75 for dinner.

He had no support from investors and was seeking to raise money to buy a new oven, hobs and fridges. Additional funding will be used to buy crockery, a plate warmer and will be directly invested into the restaurant and staff.

Reacting to the campaign reaching its goal, Skeet tweeted: “Thank you so much everyone who’s invested in us and supported us! I promise we will be worth your investment and do Cardiff proud.”

Skeet's career includes time as sous chef at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, chef de partie at Marcus Wareing Restaurants and sous chef at Restaurant Tom Aikens in London.

In 2017, he was severely injured in a hit and run, leaving him unable to work and out of the kitchen for four years. During the pandemic he began running a supper club from his living room, which evolved into Cora.

To view the Kickstarter page, click here.