New restaurant adds to Ripon’s hospitality offer

A new addition to Ripon’s hospitality sector has arrived with the opening of The Silva Bells restaurant and cafe at the bottom of Kirkgate.

Eight months after the closure of the Bambudda Asian fusion restaurant, a total refurbishment and kitchen re-fit has been carried out at the corner-site premises, located across the road from the city’s cathedral.

Following successful negotiations with landlord Mike Johnson, Silva Bells’ managing director Jenk Pepec and his business partner David De Silva invested time and money in delivering the new look.

The name recognises the vital role that Mr De Silva and his wife Betty played in getting the new venture off the ground.

The Silva Bells chef team

Members of The Silva Bells’ chefs and kitchen team: (from left) Jack O’Brien, Lloyd Gardener, Carl Smith and Stu Hooren

Mr Pepek, who gained expertise through working in the hospitality sector in his home city of Bursa in northern Turkey and subsequently in Birmingham and York after he moved to the UK, told the Stray Ferret:

“I fell in love with this place the first time that I saw it and after a lot of hard work new life has been breathed into it.”

The business employs 17 people and is open six days a week, serving a selection of modern British and European cuisine and incorporating Mediterranean dishes.

Mr Pepec said;

“Our menu includes items ranging from traditional Sunday roasts to a ‘create your own’ pizza and we will also be serving dishes featuring locally-sourced game.

“We have received a warm welcome and look forward to contributing to the community of this charming and historic city.”

The main image shows Jenk Pepec (centre) with members of The Silva Bells’ front of house team — from the left: Gaby Symonds, Mia Kitching, Harry Jewers and Jack George

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