A Leeds-based chef has uncovered 'mysterious ghost signage' left hidden for more than 60 years at the site of his new restaurant.
Sam Pullan, who is transforming the former La Strega café in the centre of Leeds, and his team of builders discovered the 'Empire Café' sign while working at the site. The sign is thought to date back to the first half of the 20th century.
While little is known about the Empire Café, its name is thought to refer to the Empire Theatre. The theatre opened on Briggate in 1898 on the site of what is now Harvey Nichols.
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Chef Sam, who hopes to turn the empty building on Fish Street into an all-day café and restaurant, now plans to keep the sign. He said: "As we started taking off the old cladding covering the front of the building, we discovered this 'ghost sign' for the Empire Café.
"There’s no real reference online about it but it’s right behind where the old Empire Theatre used to be until 1962. The former owner of Café Strega, who bought it in the 1970s, didn’t realise the sign was even there."
Sam, who previously founded and ran successful gastro pub The Bear at Carriages in Knaresborough, says the sign has already become a major talking point as passing shoppers notice the ongoing renovation work - sparking conversations and fond memories. He said: "Everyone who is walking past is looking up and taking photographs.
"It must be one of the last remaining areas of the city centre that hasn't been redeveloped so there probably aren’t many signs like these left to uncover. We've literally uncovered a little slice of Leeds’ forgotten history."
Sam left The Bear in search of a new business venture earlier this year. He signed a 15-year lease on the building on Fish Street, Leeds, with his partner Nicole Deighton and the pair are now investing between £75,000 and £100,000 in the building.
Said Sam: "In developing and transforming this once very popular and characterful Leeds institution, we want to give a little bit of Leeds back to Leeds. Café Strega was always an all-day dining venue serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"This type of service is almost unheard of these days and there certainly aren’t many independent places that are like that in existence any more. It’s a small, fairly compact space and we’re taking a lot of it back to the original brick.
"We want the finish to be really nice. Originally the front of the café would have been all glass which we can tell from the construction so we’re going back to that which we feel is a nice nod to the heritage of the place."
Sam hopes to launch the business in December, or possibly January next year, and plans to open four days per week (Wednesday to Saturday). The café will offer both dine-in and takeaway options. The chef intends to source as many ingredients as possible from nearby Kirkgate Market.
Sam has designed an open kitchen for 'theatrical cooking' using a German-style rotisserie and an open fire. He is also considering switching the lights off in the evening to create dining by candlelight to help reduce crippling energy costs.
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