Llanrwst mayor to reopen The Old Tannery restaurant
Nine jobs will be created
Mari JonesReporter
Adam and Penny Ratenbury with Doug and Garry Lloyd Jones outside the Tannery in Llanrwst
FOOD lovers in the Conwy Valley will be celebrating this week after it was revealed one of Llanrwst's most popular restaurants is reopening.
Nine new jobs will be created at The Old Tannery in Llanrwst when it opens next month. The restaurant has been closed for a year.
The town's mayor Garry Lloyd Jones has taken on the lease, and employed two chefs who were behind one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the county.
Husband and wife team Penny and Adam Ratenbury owned and ran Chandlers restaurant in Trefriw until its closure in 1999.
Adam, who has until recently cheffed at the Portmeirion Hotel, is looking forward to be working back in the area. He said: "We've already moved back to our house in Trefriw.
"We've known Garry for years as he was a fan of Chandlers and asked us if we'd like to run the kitchen at the Old Tannery.
"We see it as an ideal opportunity to do something a little bit different. It won't be like Chandlers as it's Garry's restaurant, but ironically when we closed in 1999 the then Old Tannery owner bought a lot of our furniture!
"The restaurant will have a brasserie type feel to it with a Mediterranean twist.
"We'll be open all day including for breakfast, serving such fare as eggs benedict and American style pancakes, but for the moment we'll be open just two nights a week on Fridays and Saturdays.
"Penny and I have always worked together in the kitchen, she'll be concentrating on the baking and pastries, and I'll be cooking the main chunks of the menu but we cross over quite a lot."
Garry said: "I'll be employing nine people to run the restaurant, my partner Doug McTavish will be front of house.
"I'm also looking to utilise the top floor as an antiques shop, as I'm running out of space for all my things! The Old Tannery should be reopened officially by November 17, it's being redecorated right now.
"I've seen the menus devised by Adam and Penny and they look very exciting, a lot of the produce will be sourced from the Conwy Valley.
"Many people still talk about Chandlers and how much they've miss it, so it's great we have them on board.
"We will also be offering a limousine service picking people up for £6 each way. We just want people to enjoy themselves as the Tannery always had a great atmosphere."