After graduating with a degree in Languages and Philosophy, Jeremy realized that his career didn’t fit his interests and found himself in a completely different place: gastronomy. Chan read avidly and curiously about chefs and gastronomy, and that’s when he decided what direction his career should take.

Talking to his childhood friend and now business partner Irem Hassan-Odukale about a new restaurant concept, Chan embarked on a period of intensive research and decided to create a new culinary narrative around international flavor profiles.

He reached out to Professor James McCann from Boston University, a specialist in the history of grains; he worked with the Umami Information Centre, a global online platform founded in Japan; studied the medical journal, African Ethnobotany in the Americas and resourced an extensive collection of books and manuscripts from The British Library. Fascinated by this, Jeremy opened Ikoyi with Odukale. Winning its first Michelin star a year after opening, it offers a range of dishes with the ‘international flavor profile’ that Jeremy was after.

Working directly with select British farmers, fishermen and producers, Ikoyi’s cuisine emphasizes micro-seasonality, resulting in a completely objective and creative product.

Ikoyi’s awards:
2019:
• Awarded 1st Michelin star
• Nominated for Best Chef Award at GQ Food & Drink Awards
2021:
• Winner of the American Express One To Watch Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
2022:
• Awarded 2nd Michelin star
• No.9 on the National Restaurant Awards list
• No.49 of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
2023:
• No. 35 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
• The GQ Food & Drink Awards 2023 Editors’ Special Award
• No.10 on SquareMeal’s top 100 London restaurants
2024:
• Placed at 82.5% on La Liste