It follows the departure of Andy Appleton from the role in 2016 after more than a decade at the restaurant.
Banks worked as senior sous chef at Fifteen from 2005-2011, before moving to Australia to cook in Melbourne for four years.
He returned to Cornwall in 2015 to work at the Star and Garter alongside former Fifteen chefs Andi Richardson and Stephen Knowles.
“I am so excited about returning to the Fifteen kitchen - it’s like a homecoming,” says Banks.
“I love cooking Italian food and for a chef it’s a dream to be part of a restaurant that is so focused on sourcing the highest quality ingredients. I’m looking forward to working closely with Cornwall’s best producers and evolving the famous Fifteen Cornwall menu.”
Fifteen launched as a restaurant and social enterprise in Watergate Bay in 2006. It has trained over 100 apprentice chefs over the last decade.