In posts on Twitter and Instagram tagged #blacklivesmatter, the chef acknowledged that Lympstone Manor, the Devon hotel and restaurant that he took over in 2017, was built from the profits of the slave trade, but that it had been liberated from its past.
“As a direct descendant of slaves, I've always lived in the shadow of those who have profited from our past,” he wrote.
“Lympstone Manor was built from such profits, Charles Baring residing in the house in the 1760's with Barings Bank & its associate bank Hope & Co amassing a fortune from the slave trade.
“History is cruel and as free men & women we have had the ability to rise from the shackles of the past to become equals within society even if some of those around are still blinded by racism. I feel proud to know that in living my life I hope to inspire the next generate both of colour and otherwise, to live their dreams.
“Lympstone Manor can be liberated from the past, then so can our society.”
Caines was born in Exeter in 1969 to a white English mother and a black Dominican father but was adopted by a white family because his biological mother’s parents were against mixed-race marriage.
He is one of only a tiny number of high-profile black chefs in the UK but has historically chosen to not talk about race but rather have the focus be on his cooking.
For more information about Black Lives Matter and other resources see below:
Black Lives Matter UK – About | Donate
Black Minds Matter UK – About | Donate
UK Black Pride – About | Donate
Stand Against Racism & Inequality – About | Donate
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – About | Donate
Race Equality Foundation – About | Donate
Show Racism the Red Card – About | Donate