A renowned head chef joined forces with a wine bar to bring high class dining to a Staffordshire town.

Pop up restaurant nights brought a gourmet experience to Eccleshall over three nights.

Gavin Evans, who is known by the company brand of Gavin the Chef, teamed up with Lesa Le Monnier, owner of Sancerre, Eccleshall,  to bring a gourmet experience to Staffordshire diners.

Having quickly sold out three nights to Sancerre, the duo are now looking to consider gourmet nights into 2022.

Gavin staged three themed evenings at Sancerre over the summer, featuring classic Italian dishes, Spanish Tapas and steak and wine.

Gavin said: “Sancerre is a little gem of a venue and when Lesa approached me about creating pop up dining experiences, I leapt at the chance. It’s gone extremely well and we’ve quickly developed a loyal customer base.”

“The menus have been themed, the first featured classic Italian dishes, with a three course menu, and we followed that with a Spanish Tapas evening, with specially baked breads served with olives and oils, Tapas classics such as pork and beef meatballs, chorizo and feta cheese and a classic paella.

“I’ve loved the experience of working in my home county this summer,  providing diners with a special experience.”

Feedback has been excellent with one customer commenting; “I have been to Valencia many times, but the tapas you have served to us this evening was far superior than we have had before, the only criticism is there was too much for us”

Lesa bought a café on Eccleshall High Street in 2019 and transformed it into the Sancerre Wine Bar, named after Eccleshall’s twin town in France.

“The pop up dining experiences  have been a real success so far and we’ll be looking to continue them into the future,” said Lesa. “Gavin is a fabulous chef and has created sumptuous menus that provide a themed dining experience for around 30 covers each time. It’s a level of fine dining that we think isn’t normally found outside the large towns and cities and the feedback has been fantastic.”

Lesa described the evenings as relaxed, explaining: “We want customers to enjoy the experience, stay all evening and have conversations with their fellow diners. We have one sitting, so the table is yours for the night.  Sancerre is known for its wines, spirits, good beer and cocktails, but the pop up restaurant is new.”

Gavin, of Cheadle, Staffordshire, has 25-years of experience, taking on prestigious roles, including Head Chef for the Formula One British Grand Prix and RHS at Hampton Court, and relief head chef at a Rugby Union World Cup and with the England cricket team.

He launched the Gavin the Chef brand during lockdown, bringing fine dining into customers’ homes across Staffordshire and beyond.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Nigel Howle on n0776 2043436, email [email protected].