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26
Jun
Sneak Peek: New King's Road café in Harrogate
A new Harrogate café will open next Wednesday (July 2).
Ginkgo Café will be the newest addition to the strip of shops on King’s Road.
It will open from 9am-4pm every day except Tuesdays.
The eatery will focus on serving lunch and brunch. It will occasionally do speciality evening meals too.
It will offer freshly baked goods, such as sourdough, focaccia, and shokupan, which is Japanese milk bread.
The company has nine staff, including owners Tommy and Brigit Souter.
The Stray Ferret recently caught up with Mr and Ms Souter to look around the new space.
Mr Souter has been a chef since the age of 15. He has Michelin star experience, having worked previously as a private chef on superyachts.
He said he has cooked for A-list celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
Ms Souter has worked in hospitality since the age of 12, having also travelled around the world to do so.
She said the two previously worked together in a bakery in Canada, and that she also joined her husband on the superyachts.
However, this is the first time the pair have owned a business.
They told us why they’d chosen Harrogate:
For years we’ve been wanting to have a bit of stability and be at home, and we’ve just recently got married. We wanted to come home and start something on our own. We’ve travelled a lot, from Antarctica to Brazil.
We’re from Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley. They’re both small villages and we wanted somewhere that had a bit more going on. We’re both fundamentally country people though, so we didn’t want a hectic city either.
We want to be focused on the community which is why we’ve chosen here. It’s such a great community on King’s Road. We know how tough it is in hospitality at the moment. We want to work with small businesses and be a part of it – we don’t see ourselves as new competition.
The pair said that they want to offer “some of their favourite bits” from across the world. Brunch and lunches will be inspired by different dishes from countries they’ve been to.
Mr Souter said that they will be rooting it in Yorkshire ingredients, though, and the menu will change seasonally.
The couple said they would like to collaborate with local businesses to host workshops, too. Art classes and pottery nights were suggested.
Ms Souter emphasised the importance of adding to the community:
We want to get into the Good Food Guide and build a good reputation. But, equally, we would like the local mums coming in for a coffee with the kids. It’s a real homely vibe in here, we’ve kept it earthy and relaxing.
We don’t want to home in on just one audience. I’ve been very aware of having certain things at a lower price point and then options for people who want to come in and have a brunch cocktail or something more up market. We want to be accessible to everybody.
The café will also offer outdoor seating for the summer months. There will be 24 indoor seats, with an additional eight outdoor ones.
The couple said that the cafe takes its name from a tree, which is culturally significant in parts of Asia.
It symbolises hope, resilience, and longevity and the couple hope that these traits apply to their business.
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