Boss of Europe's biggest purpose-built food hall on first two months

The Star, Sheffield

Andy Woolley is head of food hall operations for Blend Family, which runs Cambridge Street Collective in Sheffield city centre. He spoke to The Star about the public reaction since it opened in May and which of the 20 food vendors are proving particularly popular so far.

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00:00Can you tell me a little bit about how things are going at the food hall here?

00:07Yeah, sure. It's going really, really well. It's been very, very busy. It's just getting to a nice level of steady trade now,

00:13but we've been blown away by the couple of opening months. It's been fantastic.

00:17The support we've had from the communities has been, yeah, really overwhelming.

00:20We're really happy and proud to be part of this new development as well.

00:24And in terms of the feedback, what are the things people like most about it?

00:29They love the fact that it's got so many diverse kitchens. Some of the kitchens are quite unusual.

00:34We've got African kitchens, we've got Palestinian, just something a little bit different.

00:39And people are loving the fact we've got the child's play area, we've got the Blend Culinary Foundation.

00:44We do cookery schools at the back, so you can book events for that.

00:47So there's a lot of different things. We've obviously got the Changing Places toilet on site.

00:51So it's not just a food hall, it's like an events venue. There's a lot going on, so something for everybody.

00:56And is there anything you've had to change based on feedback from people you're looking to change or introduce?

01:01Not really. I think we're quite happy with the way things have gone.

01:05We needed to take more staff home. We've got a good amount of staff now.

01:09I think we're just kind of blown away by how busy it's been. The support from Sheffield has just been incredible.

01:14So yeah, we're really happy with how things have gone and how things continue to go as well.

01:18And any particular vendors or any particular dishes that sort of stand out when it comes to feedback?

01:24Yeah, so Greeks are always a winner. Greeks always do really, really well.

01:27Personal favourites for me are Beiti, the Palestinian kitchen.

01:30South Havershire, the Eritrean Ethiopian kitchen. Really, really worth going to.

01:34But yeah, I mean, they're all great. They all offer something really different.

01:39And what will it mean when you've got Leah's Yard open across the way as well?

01:43I mean, it looks fantastic already. Just the walkthrough that's opened.

01:47It's going to be incredible, like the footfall coming to this area.

01:50I think the whole regeneration is fantastic. It's just bringing so much life back to Sheffield.

01:55It's really very much needed, so we're really proud and happy to be part of it.

01:58So yeah, really excited about Leah's Yard.

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