Chris Spence, owner of the exclusive dining at home brand; Emily's Table talks to Jackie Marston about his latest venture in Sunderland; Undisclosed, and gives us a sneak preview as to what to expect from May 17th, when it hosts its VIP opening.
First up Chris, where did it all begin? I started cooking in Jersey around 12 years ago, however, cooking was a passion from a very young age. My Grandfather used to teach me, and I vividly remember the first thing being choux pastry when I was around seven years old. My grandfather and dad were both chefs in the early years, before they joined the military, so you could say it’s in the blood! So what is your background in the industry? I worked in some amazing places around the world, something that I will be forever grateful for. I was lucky enough to work in Italy at Dani Maison, which was a two-star Michelin restaurant for a while. I then spent some time in Budapest, in a restaurant called Caviar and Bull as executive chef and this is where my love of science in food was founded. Being able to travel in this job is great, but one of my career highlights is working in Attica in Melbourne, Australia, which, at the time, was number six in the world’s top 50 restaurants. How did you find running a business in lockdown? Well it certainly was different, the social distancing is the hardest part, especially as I find food a very personal experience, in particular with the at home dining. We used to show people the way to make pasta, bread etc, however, this all had to stop, unfortunately. I could feel sorry for myself here, but that is a totally waste of energy. We’ll just continue to do what we do best and Emily’s Table will get back to what it was doing before lockdown and our new venture; Undisclosed will hopefully flourish in the aftermath of the dreaded Covid pandemic. What made you want to take your at home service, to a restaurant dining experience? I’ve always wanted a restaurant, however my first love was a 1965 Long Wheel base Airstream trailer, as I wanted to do fine dining from the side of the road and travel, however, having a young daughter; Emily, (whom the company is named after) made me realise this wouldn’t be possible, so I thought, now is the time to settle, and Undisclosed was born! What drew you to D’Acqua? I was originally looking for a hotel in Berwick, but saw D’Acqua online for sale. I viewed it and imagined exactly how I wanted it the second I set eyes on it, and I knew I’d found my place – you know that feeling you get when you’ve looked at hundreds of homes then you see ‘The One’. I love that it’s in the basement too, that was a big sell, as I used to spend a lot of my free time in the secret bars in Melbourne and this really reminded me of this very special time in my life. What will make you stand out in Sunderland? Well, there is absolutely nothing like it in the area, so I hope we stand out for all the right reasons. We’ll be offering molecular gastronomy and have hired the best team of staff, from across the globe we can get our hands on. Our sommelier, for example, has travelled all the way from Budapest to give our clients the very best of wines from all over the world. Tell us how you are planning on transforming the space? We are opening the kitchen to create three chefs’ tables, moving the bar area around and making a separate lounge area. We are going for a black, silver and copper scheme, with lots of Japanese wood influences. It will be totally unique, as the idea is that you not only enjoy our hospitality, you enjoy our surroundings too. What can we expect to see on the menu? The menu will be changing seasonally, however the chefs have a massive input into what goes on, so, we could change it every week or every month. At the moment we have such delights as rhubarb and ginger tart with a gin ice cream, pressed lamb shoulder, black garlic and lemon gel and a chilled halibut cooked in bone marrow with horseradish ice cream, caviar and horseradish foam. It’s eclectic, to say the least! If you were handed your own menu, what would you choose? Luckily, I have that ability now, so everything on the menu is a love of mine, but I am not one for hogging the limelight, I am aware that a restaurant is only as good as the team, so Team Undisclosed will have a big say on what goes on the menu! What are the plans for the future of Undisclosed? We plan, hopefully, with a lot of hard work, to build Undisclosed as an award-winning restaurant, the people of Sunderland can love and that clients from outside the area are happy to travel that extra distance to enjoy.