The success of Bravas tapas bar has led to hospitality company Season & Taste Limited starting work on a second site after 18 months of trading. Husband & wife team Kieran & Imogen Waite, both 29, plan to open Bakers & Co, a San Francisco inspired brunch restaurant and café, at 193 Gloucester Road (the former home of the Bishopston Trading Company) in January 2014.
Says Kieran, “Growth is an important part of our business model as we want to provide more opportunities for our staff. Since opening last April, we have taken every opportunity to promote staff. We have a young talented team who are passionate about hospitality and all of whom we have managed to retain. Promoting people is great, it allows them to grow and take on more responsibility. We try to involve our team in everything and take them on annual trips to London & Spain, to visit vineyards and dine in top restaurants. You cannot underestimate the value of showing them the roots of inspiration for our tapas bar.
“The same will apply to Bakers & Co. We have booked flights for head chef Hayley Hastings to visit the city and dine in the type of places that are producing fresh, vibrant and delicious brunch menus and arranged a stage at Bar Tartine, sister restaurant to the famous Tartine bakery. Other initiatives are providing complementary therapy such as acupuncture for complaints that may be caused by, or effect work, and invest in external and transferable training for professional growth.”
Bravas tapas bar, at 7 Cotham Hill, came about after years after planning and ‘ research’, and was opened after the popularity of the pair’s at home supper clubs.
Last year Kieran and Imo embarked on a journey around Spain in a 1988 VW Camper Van – Elmo – in search of the best food and wine the country has to offer. They were joined in part by their staff who came to tour the tapas bars of Jerez and taste sherries straight from the barrel.
The team picked up Best Tapas and Best Newcomer at the Bristol Good Food awards, and have been listed in the 2014 Good Food Guide. Excellent reviews can also be found in the Bristol Evening Post, The Metro, Crumbs, Clifton Life and from a host of bloggers.
Bakers and Co will encompass a daytime space and have a few hallmarks that have proved successful in Bravas such as an open kitchen, counter dining and vibrant food displays.
Says Kieran, “The menu will have five choices whether it is breakfast, brunch, lunch or drinks as it challenges us to find the 5 best dishes we can and ensures the food is always wonderfully fresh.”
A sneak peek at a sample menu shows breakfast options including a maple, bacon and walnut sticky bun; brunch dishes of huevos rancheros or pork belly with sweet potato bubble and squeak with fried eggs, among others. With Kieran and Imo currently building Bakers and Co by day and running Bravas by night, they’re certainly busy…and we wish them the best of luck!
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