our story

The idea of a family business was born a few years ago while we were all on holiday together in Mauritius, where Jean-Francois was born. Karen and JF had spoken often about developing a business and Luke was keen to be involved. Post pandemic redundancies, along with seeing the commercial unit at Highwood Village, lead to us making that a reality.

It’s fair to say the whole process took years but we are very happy to finally be open as Chez (pronounced ‘Shay’) Polie, which is French for ‘the Polie’s home’ and this says it all for us – our aim is to be a home from home, where our guests can relax and enjoy.

Jean-Francois has worked in the fine dining and hospitality industry for 30+ years and brings a wealth of experience to the business; having worked for businesses such as Goldman Sachs, South Lodge Hotel, a selection of 5* London hotels and Bank of America. He has taken early retirement from the daily London commute and manages the day to day running of the business with Luke.

Karen has a degree in marketing and is a qualified teacher and counsellor. She has taught and worked in the adult education sector and is currently a Communities Manager for Carers Support, West Sussex, a charity that supports those who care for family or friends in an unpaid capacity. Creating community and connections is something that Karen deeply values and is passionate about. Within the business, she supports wherever she can and loves the idea of offering workshops and events from the space.

Luke is an Actor and like most actors has a wide experience in the hospitality business. For the last 10+ years this has ranged from coffee shops to cocktail bars and fine dining restaurants and more recently he worked in a Community Centre helping run cookery classes as well as the day to day running of the food bank. Luke’s focus is in making good food accessible to all and bringing a real sense of community to Highwood Village.

Our Team

We wait to welcome you to Chez Polie.