Happy June!
Our first An Audience With TGITE last Wednesday, tackling the question of where are the women restaurateurs? was pure magic. I’ll be sharing what went down, a synopsis of our conversations, and my reflections, later this week.
I’m still digesting our panellists wisdom and the other intimacies shared, and marinating on the actions that might make the most impact going forwards.
Until then, have a read of Immy Lawrence’s notes from Wednesday over on la grappe, or check out Alessandra Brian of Hospitality Diplomat’s dispatch. Thanks to both women for asking thoughtful questions on the night.
If you came, or couldn’t make it but wish you had, message me your feedback. Compliments and criticism welcome.
If you haven’t watched episode seven of our talk show with Isaac Rangaswami yet, then I suggest you do. His episode marks our season one finale, and after publishing the innards of Isaac’s camera roll, and revelling in his documentation of Wong Kei dishes, AI designs, and ghost signs, we learnt that the Hovis sign in Brockley is in fact not-so-historic, dating back to 2015. Thanks Callum for the revelation.
Like I mentioned, we’re open to sponsors for season two. We’ve started curating an excellent line up of guests, so if any brand directors, or patrons of the arts wishing to enter the culinary space would like to discuss this further, get in touch.
In today’s edition: a look inside Turn Up Truck, my notes from Tavern, a comprehensive analysis of Zylia (still in softs), an “atrociously bad” dinner in N16, Michael McGregor designed plates, the magazine-to-book publishing pipeline, ice cream as cultural object, hedonism in the countryside, Goblin Tea, TGITE’s agenda for June, and much much more.
Introducing Turn Up Truck, a soon-to-launch, novel way of running chef residencies: out of a truck parked up in Coal Drops Yard.
Launching on Friday, I asked Sam Wong – 1/3 of the Turn Up Truck team, and the baker behind Lil Wong Bakes, who I know from her days working in partnerships at DELLI – about how the truck came about, and what they’re hoping to achieve.
Who are the three of you behind Turn Up Truck, how do you know each other, and how do you split responsibilities?
It’s myself, Sage and Josh! We all met at Arts Uni in 2012 and have been close ever since. We all bring different skillsets which I think is probably one of the main reasons we work so well as a team. Josh runs operations and logistics, Sage and I both work on marketing together, with her focusing more closely on creative and brand, and me on business and community. It’s been a crazy dynamic working with close friends but I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
“Creating somewhere that people could use to test ideas, scale, and trade from just felt like a no-brainer”. I like that your idea aims to help up-and-coming food businesses establish themselves, or to allow established ones (like Toklas Bakery) try a new thing. How did the idea for the truck format come about?
Josh actually came to me with the idea at the pub just over a year ago and I was immediately on board. With our different skill sets, we got to work a few weeks later.
As he was telling me the concept idea that day, it immediately connected with me so deeply because I had (and still do!) experience a lack of opportunity for scale and space to truly test new menu items, or a place to trade directly from, without the longer-term commitment and costs of opening a shop. Essentially, I had a problem, Josh was telling me a solution, and here we are.
What has been the most challenging and gratifying thing about the process of setting it up?
Where to begin! You know when you watch those content reels on socials of people starting new businesses with tears, frustration and loads of things going wrong, and you think “that won’t be us”, and then suddenly, everything happens all at once, and you’re just fire fighting for weeks on end? Yeah, that’s real.
Seriously, setting up and working together at all hours of the day whilst we’re all working on our individual careers, is probably the most challenging thing, but equally gratifying when you problem solve together and see the process end to end. It’s amazing having known we had a conversation just over a year ago, thinking it was a business idea you’d never follow through with, and now it’s happening.
You’ve already curated the line up for the first couple of months, but you’ll be running an open application for future spots. How will you assess which operators might work best?
It’s been really fun curating the line up so far! F&B is a melting pot, especially in London and we want to ensure that there’s room for everyone! I think the key thing for us was that we want to give the businesses and chefs an opportunity to have a fully kitted space to trade directly out of, and we knew Coal Drops Yard was a perfect place to launch, so traders can really gain that footfall and traction.
I have a background in food and marketing, as well as owning a small independent baking business, so I guess it’s about recognising likeminded people and businesses that could benefit from this offering.
You’re starting off in Coal Drops Yard, but where do you plan to go next, and where is your dream destination to turn up to?
We’re so excited to be launching in CDY this summer. We have some big plans coming up, and we’re always looking to have new conversations with exciting locations and people. Our dream destination? To take this international baby!
Thank you Sam. Wishing Turn Up Truck all the best, and see you there soon.
Spitalfields Market trading is down 40%. Are that many more people bringing a packed lunch to work?
The best thing about the British Vogue Wellness Retreat at Estelle Manor was the spa. Eynsham Baths is a 3,000 sq metre Roman-inspired spa, and according to Kat Chan, the thermal experience, which moves between six temperatures, is complete heaven. The spa also includes The Hideaway, an open-air hidden oasis with a cascading waterfall, natural wildflowers and woodland ferns.
Kitty Slydell-Cooper – trained shoemaker, the voice of St. JOHN, Countertalk’s linchpin, creator of Torbock jewellery, and mother to 6-year-old twins – somehow found the time to make the yellow striped awnings of the Magnolia Bakery pop up at Cafe Ciel in The OWO. Her husband, designer-maker Dean Slydell, constructed the rest, and it’s running until 10th June. I’ve never understood the Magnolia hype, so let me know what it’s like if you go.
Dinner at The Golden Tooth was “atrociously bad”. I bumped into a friend in the neighbourhood on Friday night, visibly traumatised by the experience. “I have never had a dinner that terrible” she told me. I must admit that despite my proximity, I’ve not yet been, so cannot comment. I welcome yours.
Missing your Pret jambon beurre fix? Tramps BAR has the solution. Gallery owner Parinaz Mogadassi has Harry McKenzie cooking lunch and dinner a few days a week at 15F Micawber Street, while her partner Peter Doig hangs around the speaker system. If the menu is anything to go by, I have high hopes for the couple’s next hospitality venture, restoring McGlynn’s in King’s Cross, currently used as the Tramps gallery space.
Last week, I mentioned The Standard’s new guest restaurant critic set up, and this week, Heather Steele took over with a smart review of Tavern. I’m not in the business of criticism, but I love to offer my observations, and after
