Founders Ellis and Liam Barrie, who recently announced plans to open a second restaurant in Liverpool’s Albert Dock, have designed a cookery school alongside local business Peninsula Home Improvements.
The pair hope to make the school a development centre for local children to learn how to cook, as there is only one school left on the island of Anglesey that still teaches GCSE catering. They will also use the space to offer cooking lessons and experiences for people interested in replicating the food at the brothers’ restaurant.
The school will be located next to the existing two-AA Rosette The Marram Grass, forming part of a new route to the restaurant from its new carpark.
The £30,000 the brothers hope to raise will go towards building the and equipping the school with commercial grade equipment, allowing for dishes and techniques to be used across both the school and the restaurant.
The brothers also intend to fit the site with recording equipment to allow for better quality of sound and film for the YouTube channel that they run.
"We’ve had a massive response to our videos in the past, largely through Facebook but now we want to hit the next level in quality and consistency, whether that’s tutorials and 'how to’s' or more adventure days out," reads the restaurant's Kickstarter page.
According to the Kickstarter page for the project, planning permission is already in place for the project and the brothers have invested in new electrics to install during the build.
The brothers expect the school to act "as a hub", allowing for chef development, as Ellis - the chef side of the duo - credits the first Saturday cooking school he attended as a child with putting him on the career path he has followed.
Rewards for supporters and those who pledge include an exclusive Great British Menu e-tutorial for backers of £30 or more; a year’s supply (10kg) of sausages from the Fat Pig Co. for backers of £100 or more; a place at the Tom Brown masterclass series event for backers of £150 or more; a sponsored place for a term at the Saturday morning kids’ cookery classes for those who pledge £200 or more; a takeover at The Marram Grass for pledges of £5000 or more; and an experience weekend at the soon-to-be-unveiled White Lodge Cottage on the site of The Marram Grass including snacks, refreshments and a three-course evening meal for pledges of £8000 or more.
The brothers launched their first restaurant, The Marram Grass, in 2011 in a shed on the caravan park owned by their parents. The restaurant was awarded two AA Rosettes in 2018, and Ellis is competing in the Great British Menu this week, having previously been a finalist on the television show in 2017.