Making its mark

IT’S A RAINY FRIDAY MORNING IN HOVE AND, AS I MAKE MY WAY FROM THE TRAIN STATION TO MY INTERVIEW, I REALISE THAT I AM A GOOD HOUR EARLY. ARRIVING AT THE DOORS OF STEVEN EDWARDS RESTAURANT, ETCH – THERE APPEARS TO BE NO ONE HOME. JUST AS WELL I KNOW KITCHENS, AND WHERE TO FIND THE TRADESPERSONS ENTRANCE. AS I MAKE MY WAY INTO THE BUILDING, IT IS ALL SYSTEMS GO – POTS ARE BUBBLING, CHEFS ARE CHOPPING, AND RADIOHEAD IS COMING THROUGH THE AIRWAVES.

Words Claire Bosi

Camera Justin De Souza

Steven Edwards is a chef who likes to diversify in business, not rely on a sole income stream. Coming from a family already familiar with the hospitality sector, I wonder if those influences gave him an early advantage to his peers. He knows that one restaurant alone could, potentially, struggle at times. Somewhere in his formative years, he learnt not to put all his eggs in one basket

“Our business model has always been to diversify. We haven’t sat on Etch to make money. Even when we were making profits, we were putting them straight back into the restaurant. We diversify the company by doing events. We also have the Bingham Riverhouse and manage corporate stuff as well. We’re kind of lucky that winning MasterChef: The Professionals in 2013 gave me the platform to do that. If I just had Etch and nothing else, we would have closed. We would have closed three or four months ago”

He is fresh from a quick trip down the road to Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, another new project for the team. Located just 20 minutes across town from Etch, Steven has been offered the opportunity to diversify once more – into stadium catering. The Tunnel Club at the Amex was kicking off, the day following our interview

“It’s just really lucky, to be honest. The club wanted a chef that represented the city and had appointed a team to go out and find one. In November last year, they came in for lunch and asked to speak to me afterwards. We chatted, they mentioned there was this opportunity. I fitted the brief, if I wanted to find out more”

Brighton & Hove Albion FC have repurposed one of the disused players changing rooms and invested in a brand new 60 cover restaurant “It doesn’t sound glamorous in that sense!” he laughs “But basically where the players walk out onto the pitch, that’s called the tunnel. The club, spearheaded by Russell Wood, head of commercial - built a 60-cover restaurant glass walled restaurant. They’ve spent a lot of money on it. It’s an a la carte restaurant where the guests have already pre-paid for three seasons. They get to see the players before they walk onto the pitch and then they get heated leather seats right on the halfway line. It’s a smaller version of the Diamond Club at Emirates but based down in the tunnel rather than on the halfway line”

“Ultimately, the club want to offer different packages for all their fans. There will always be the ‘pie and a pint, watch the match, go home’ fans, but nowadays there is a fine dining, slightly more corporate side to sports. Companies or sponsors use the days to entertain clients, for example. We have seen many sporting fixtures appoint independent chefs to add a little ‘extra’ to their offerings – like Lords, Ascot, Wimbledon. I guess that’s where the money is, and I think as long as they keep their core fans happy, everyone’s a winner.