Our Beginnings -
Tammy and her vision

By Robyn Goodare

July 2022

 

Feast Cafe was born on the 7th of July 2022 after years of dreams, imagination, and general feasting in the home of Tammy Grounsell.

 

Catering for friends’ birthdays, weddings, funerals and all the other types of parties that require a banquet; Tammy has been a favoured choice for those based in Galloway over the years, and her large extended family have gobbled up many of her meals eagerly with shouts of love and adoration in thanks.

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Almost immediately the cafe has become the place that Tammy has dreamed of. With many friends and family taking part in setting it up, providing things to help the cafe run smoothly and helping out with shifts, it has already become an exciting little community hub with friends and family in and out all day.

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Tammy’s love of being in a kitchen chopping, stirring, and baking is supported by many friends in quirky little seaside town, Kirkcudbright. With a population of 4000, it has a quiet close-knit community, but in the summer the Artist town livens up for the tourist season!

The locals organise lots of events that celebrate the towns’ history and art, and put on a show of Scottish culture for visitors to enjoy.

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Even with its small size, Kirkcudbright has a nice selection of traditional cafe spots and restaurants. After talking to locals and holiday makers in the town, it is clear they are excited that Feast Cafe will be filling the need of something new, that provides a bit of an alternative menu.

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I ask Tammy to describe the cafe, ideally looking for an answer that describes the general vibe and taste palette. While “terrifying” might be how she feels about the business venture, I decide, “Mediterranean inspired home cooking” sums it up better for potential customers and hopefully has a more invitational feel to it!

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Tammy and her husband Damon, name me Floor Manager as I try to bring the skills I’ve gained from various hospitality jobs around Edinburgh, to Feast Cafe. My job in my month here is to train everyone up, and leave my extended family ready to run the cafe. The most important lesson so far though is to laugh at your mistakes, and smile when it seems like a customer might feel there is a problem.

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The first few days are crazy and full of lessons, and as we piece together rotas, stock lists and basic scripts for waiting staff, Tammy’s daughter Jemima laughs about how much her cheeks hurt from smiling! She says it’s been, “Stressful, but rewarding” and while she is, “Learning new things every day, it's been nice to see people excited for more options in the town.”

In the first week we gained some “regulars” from the families on holiday in the town, and one family in particular who visited 3 times in their week here, highlighted their appreciation for somewhere with, “healthy food while we’re on holiday, rather than just burgers and chips.”

I chat to a couple who have recently retired to Kirkcudbright after years of visiting on holiday, who express excitement for “somewhere with so many vegetarian options”.

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Tammy keeps us on our toes with shouts of “Oh no, I forgot to …” followed by some key ingredient from her recipe, but bit by bit a system evolves from a series of long imagined ideas.

Despite the chaotic nature of opening a cafe with no knives in the kitchen on the first day, the first week runs well and nobody - as far as we’re aware anyway! - seems to have anything wrongly delivered to their table.

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Each day we learn more about what customers want to eat, when they're hungry and how excited they are to hear our family working and laughing together as we somewhat wing how to run a cafe.

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Grandma’s Carrot Cake is an absolute winner, with its light and airy texture, it's not too sweet - and a self-proclaimed “carrot cake snob”, says it's one of the best she’s ever had.

Tammy’s Muhumra dip made from roast peppers, tomato, toasted walnuts, and pomegranate molasses will be a part of my food fantasies for the rest of time, along with the smell of Shakshuka spices cooking, ready to be served on a slice of toast.

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Together we learn quickly to talk to our customers; they’ll tell you what the market is missing, what they’re looking for and everyone is eager to give their compliments and recommendations for improvement.

 

And while this rural seaside town was surprised to find a largely plant-based menu, it's clear that Kirkcudbright is excited to Feast on Tammy’s delicious, healthy, and alternative home cooking!