A pioneering Cornish chef who was a Masterchef contestant has opened a new deli in Newquay.

Kate Attlee has unveiled her fourth Sabzi deli at Nansledan after staging a launch party attended by family, friends and customers.

She founded Sabzi in 2019 after training in a Michelin-star service in London and reaching the quarterfinals of 2018’s Masterchef. 

Katie brings her extensive culinary knowledge and passion to Sabzi’s kitchen every day with locations in Truro, Falmouth, Padstow, and now Nansledan.

The new location at the Duchy of Cornwall’s Nansledan boasts a 1,259 square foot café with outdoor seating and free parking available. 

Nansledan’s environmentally focused approach to building design made it a comfortable choice for Sabzi’s newest location as sustainability is at the core of her values.

The building utilises energy-efficient features such as cork-lined walls and incorporates eco-friendly technology including a geothermal heating system. 

As a mixed-race woman whose Iranian heritage heavily influences Sabzi’s menu, Kate is passionate about pushing for diversity within Cornwall's culinary landscape. 

Kate Attlee of Sabzi
Kate Attlee of Sabzi (Submitted)

She says: “It's not just about the food; it's about the incredible people who make it all possible.

“At Sabzi, we focus on celebrating and nurturing long-term hospitality careers in Cornwall. I'm committed to empowering our employees to grow within the business and continuously develop and fine-tune their skills.

"The success of Sabzi isn't just measured by the many wonderful customers we serve; it's also about creating opportunities for individuals to flourish in Cornwall's dynamic culinary world."

All of Sabzi’s sites offer a daily changing menu that is created in-house with recipes developed by Kate and her team. These recipes use seasonal produce to create flavour-packed dishes at accessible price points.

Kate said: “I am so proud of Sabzi. Cornwall has a brilliant food scene, and Sabzi is here to prove that humble ingredients and creative cookery can create affordable, sustainable, and delicious food that can brighten up our customers’ everyday meals.’

“I am so excited for Sabzi to join the community of Nansledan which has already been so welcoming.”

Sam Kirkness, the development manager at the Duchy of Cornwall, said: “We are very excited about the opening of Sabzi Nansledan, and it has been a great pleasure to work with Kate and her team in the build-up to this moment. 

“We think Sabzi’s creative, quality and sustainably sourced dishes bring something truly unique to both residents and visitors at Nansledan and the wider Newquay area. 

“It is also great to have another vibrant venue to support a growing schedule of annual events and gatherings here.”

The opening of the Nansledan deli rounds off a momentous year for Sabzi.

Having doubled the number of locations and provided 10 new permanent job roles in just five months with no third-party investment, Sabzi has placed itself at the helm of the contemporary Cornish food scene.

Kate has also recently created and released a bespoke coffee blend in collaboration with leading roast house Rising Ground. 

This blend, named Duke Street after the Sabzi Padstow location, is made up of fully traceable beans that are sourced both from smallholdings in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and the ‘La Morena’ Women’s Project farms in Guatemala.