News / Stokes Croft
Night street food market coming to Stokes Croft
Imogen and Kieran Waite, and their three-week-old son Mostyn, stand on the corner of Stokes Croft and Thomas Street, outside a building that they got the keys to one day after the arrival of their second child Mostyn on Valentine’s Day.
“The timing hasn’t been ideal,” laughs Imogen, who while checking in on the pair’s team at their Cotham Hill restaurant Bravas is able to place a sleeping Mostyn on the counter while he is still tiny enough to fit.
Named after the supper club that they used to host at their Redcliffe flat, Bravas was Imogen and Kieran’s first business to open in April 2012. They then opened Bakers & Co on Gloucester Road and Cargo Cantina in Wapping Wharf, initially attracted to each site by its potential and then working out what to do inside it.
is needed now More than ever
First Spanish-style tapas and drinks, next San Francisco-inspired brunch, and then Mexican tacos alongside tequila and mezcal.
“We love to do things our own way and be accountable to ourselves,” says Imogen. “We have no investors so no pressure to roll out Bravas meaning we can work on new creative projects that appeal to us.”
Imogen relaxing after a busy night cooking at the first ever Bravas supper club in 2011
This prime corner site that was formerly the short-lived Meat Liquor will be opened in two phases: Corner 77 followed by PapaDiablo.
Before Kieran heads to Nepal at the end of April on a trek with six other Bristol food and drink professionals to raise money for Action Against Hunger, it will be transformed into an indoor street food night market on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a permanent bar perfect for tap takeovers and the potential for events to be hosted in the space from open mics to poetry slams.
The aim with Corner 77 is to invite some four or five independent food traders into the space for a few months at a time; perhaps traders trying out something new, but with Imogen and Kieran insisting that the quality is of the high standards that Bristol has become accustomed to with their other businesses.
There will also be an opportunity for pop-ups to use the fully fitted commercial kitchen to try new restaurant concepts.
Then, after 12 months: phase two, PapaDiablo. This will see the arrival of a tortilleria imported from Mexico to produce the fresh gluten-free tortillas used in a new restaurant that according to Kieran, “most definitely will not be a Cargo Cantina 2 but is likely to feature a taco bar and restaurant with more elaborated dishes”
He adds: “PapaDiablo is our working title, meaning Pope and Devil. The Mexican and Central American diet is one of the most healthy and sustainable in the world, centred around maze and beans. It’s fresh, healthy, sustainable as well as being colourful, vibrant and delicious.
“We want to showcase this, but we also want to express the heat of the chilli and create a fun and atmospheric bar with the best mezcal selection in the UK. That’s the Devil!”
Like all of their Season & Taste bars, cafes and restaurants – which currently employ 50 people across three sites – this means it will have an open kitchen, well-sourced food and drink inspired by Kieran and Imogen’s global travels, and a buzzy atmosphere.
Kieran Waite on a recent research trip
“We believe that when people are going out to eat and drink it should be fun,” says Kieran over a coffee at neighbouring Poco.
“When we were in Mexico on a research trip for Cargo Cantina we saw so many different influences in their cuisine. We had to stay really disciplined to keep Cantina focused as a taco bar, but a bigger site with more space is an opportunity to be more creative and to new things.”
As Mosytn begins to wake up, it’s time for Imogen and Kieran to leave Poco, with the arrival of their second child (a younger brother to almost-two-year-old Winston) one of the reasons why Corner 77 will be opened in two distinct phases as the pair give themselves more time to spend bringing up their young family.
“We’re feeling excited,” adds Imogen. “It will be a challenge.”
If you are a food and drink business who wants more information about trading within Corner 77, email sara@seasonandtaste.co.uk and keep an eye on their website, www.corner77.co.uk
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