Monday Bulletin: Taca Tacos finds a permanent home and Manchester has a new butty shop

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

Taca Tacos

South London Mexican street food joint Taca Tacos has opened a permanent location in the arches of Deptford Market Yard. Taca Tacos is known for its soft corn tortillas and its beef birria, a taco filling traditional to the Mexican state of Jalisco, made with six-hour braised brisket emboldened by guajillo, ancho and pasilla chillies. Started by Thorne Addyman in 2019, the taqueria has, up until now, existed as pop-ups, residencies and a weekly fixture at Brockley Market. Now, its new location seats up to 20 inside and 30 on the terrace, and will offer brunch from 10am-3pm on weekends. To drink? Jarritos, of course, plus Peckham Pils, Villages IPA, and a house margarita. These are tacos worth trying.

Cadet

Possibly London’s hottest new wine bar will open its doors on Newington Green this Thursday. Cadet (pronounced cah-day, meaning the younger sibling in French) is a collaboration between expert charcutier George Jephson and wine importer duo Tom Beattie and Fran Roberts. They’ll be joined by chef Jamie Smart, formerly of St. JOHN and fresh off the induction hobs at P.Franco. The bar and bottle shop will open from midday ‘till late from Thursday to Sunday, with Beatie and Roberts pouring the wines and serving Jephson’s pâté en croûte and fromage de tête. In the evenings, Smart will run dinner service, cooking ‘understated, seasonal dishes using the best possible produce’. The plan is to add a takeaway offering at weekends, including what is likely to be a very good jambon beurre baguette.

Peg

Hackney restaurant Peg, from the team behind P.Franco and Bright, will close this week after more than three years of trading. Read more here.

More apprenticeship schemes

Hospitality businesses are continuing to launch new training and apprenticeship schemes in a bid to combat staff shortages. Following groups such as Rick Stein Restaurants and D&D London, Northcote and JKS have announced ambitious plans to recruit and retain professionals. Here’s a quick run-down of both:

JKS

JKS Restaurants has launched its first ‘academy’ and is set to take 11 apprentices for programmes lasting 12-16 months. Successful candidates will be paid £18,000 a year and will be offered the chance to work across the group’s 13 restaurants, including Gymkhana, Sabor, and Kitchen Table. Roles will be split between front and back of house and recruits will be able to divide their time between multiple sites. The scheme also includes quarterly opportunities to dine at JKS’ numerous restaurants, as well as trips to farms, vineyards, and breweries.

Northcote

Northcote restaurant and hotel has launched a new kitchen apprenticeship programme under its award-winning executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen. The Lancashire destination revealed it is looking for new talent as it plans for expansion, and has space for five new chefs who will get the chance to work closely with Lisa. Apprentices, who will enrol on a two-year course, will work a 9-5 shift pattern across a 40-hour week, earning a minimum of £7 an hour. They will also be given the same benefits as Northcote employees, including bonuses, and accommodation if required.

Adam Reid

The Manchester-based chef Adam Reid will open a butty shop at the city’s New Century Hall development this summer. The casual venue will serve an all-day menu focusing on traditional sandwiches, with sides such as pickled eggs and potato salad. The idea, an announcement said, ‘aims to bring the British butty back to life, with classic Northern flavours built on the memories of childhood visits to the bakery’. The Butty Shop sounds like it could be brilliant.

Alberto Landgraf

One of Brazil’s most celebrated chefs, Alberto Landgraf, is opening a restaurant in London later this year – his first outside his home country. Hear from Alberto here.

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Featured image credit: Ben Carpenter Photography