How did you come to set up a nightclub in Padstow?
While I was at university I had a mobile disco that I used to run parties with, and after taking it to London I bought a nightclub in Padstow with a friend to try and give it a permanent home. We were very idealistic! Unfortunately it was just too hard to control, there were terrific fights – mainly with local fishermen, and in the end the police closed us down. Luckily we still had a license for a restaurant that we’d opened in another part of the building, so we carried on with that to pay the bills and I ran the kitchen because I had experience as a commis chef. I really enjoyed it, and that’s how it all started. Did you ever dream that you would one day you would have the food empire you have now? I certainly didn’t, I was just so glad to be off the hook! My friend Johnny and I were facing bankruptcy when the club was closed down so we were just focused on paying the bills. Plus we were in our twenties when life felt like it stretched out endlessly in front of us. Was there anyone
