Things were going well for Paul Sykes and Jessica Hine. Paul, a chef, had spent years honing his chefs skills in the kitchens of some of the best restaurants in the country, including with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, with chefs Simon Rogan, Michael Caines and Claire Smyth – the latter behind the eponymous and three Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth.
Their restaurant, Hyssop, in High Street in Glossop, had more bookings than they could want with the likes of the Michelin Guide, an army of faithful diners and food critics applauding their carefully curated menus, friendly team and celebration of seasonal and local produce.
Their restaurant had gone from a pop-up supper club at the likes of Dukes Cafe in the market town as well as a six-month residency kitchen at local pub the Bull’s Head before opening their permanent spot – all within two years.
They had weathered the challenges the pandemic had thrown at them, adapting, like all restaurants did to such unprecedented circumstances, doing everything from dine at home meals to afternoon teas.
But in September 2022, everything changed. A tumble dryer fire in a back room of the restaurant caught fire. Within moments, the business they had so painstakingly built, went up in flames. What made things even harder was no financial relief, leaving them no way to repair the restaurant.
‘Everything went from zero to 100 so fast,’ says Paul, 30. ‘One minute the dryer was steaming and then it went up and up and up. I got all of the staff out and I tried to put the fire out but there came that point where I realised, I wouldn’t be able to save it.
‘The fire took the whole thing, everything. The flames started coming out of the roof, it blew the window out at the front and all we could do was watch it burn down. It left us with nothing, nothing to be able to rebuild with. Then, we discovered we wouldn’t get any money from our insurance company to help us repair the restaurant, that was another blow, a big blow.
‘We had lost everything, but I couldn’t just breakdown, even though everything was in ruin.’
Determined, Paul and Jessica, started to try and rebuild the successful business they had built. But it took time. Waiting for and appealing decisions on insurance payouts slowed everything down. But they were undeterred.
‘My mum, Jacqui, was always so encouraging and said I had to go where the big names were when I was first starting out as a chef,’ says Paul ‘She was always driving me to achieve my dreams and do better. She taught me that if you want to do something, then you work for it. So that’s what we did.’
The Glossop community also rallied to help the couple get their doors back open. A Crowdfunder raised almost £9,000 to help them reopen in some way and there were offers of support from all corners of the community. First, they opened their deli, The Two Hares, located in the the front of the building they are now based in, just a few yards away from their former restaurant.
‘Knowing that people had come out and helped and supported us when things looked so bad was something really special and we will always be grateful for that.’ says Jessica. ‘We were also approached by a new landlord who really helped us get back on our feet and get the deli open while more work on the building had to be done.
‘Getting the new building and being able to start building again – that was a real lifeline. We also have our 18-month-old Grace and it makes me proud because we are doing it for her.’
They spent months renovating the space behind the deli in that former nightclub – no small feat. And more than a year after the fire then opened Hyssop and the Hare – a cosy café doing breakfasts, brunch and lunch by day and destination dining spot with evening service every Friday and Saturday night. The name is a combination of their two businesses, Hyssop and The Two Hares deli.
‘That was quite a feeling to be open again,’ says Jessica, 28. ‘It had been something we had waited and been working towards for a long time. We never wanted to give up. We both work hard and Paul would work eight days a week if he could.
Now, Paul and Jessica, are turning our dishes that are simple and produce drive, celebrating some of the best local suppliers, including Mettrick’s Butchers, also located in Glossop. They are focussed on continuing to whether the challenges running a café and restaurant in 2024 presents as well as building their own business.
Places like Mettrick’s, we are incredibly lucky to have businesses like that on our doorstep. Not only do they supply the best meats, but they were very kind to us after the fire and they continue to be so supportive.
‘The dream at the start was Michelin success, people knowing our name but now, although that would still of course be good, it’s about keeping a roof over our heads and keeping going. Through the café and restaurant, we have lots of different customers and we love that.
It’s hard to juggle running a demanding business like this. We have had pretty much everything we could have thrown at us. It has been a lot of work to get it to this point and, after the pandemic, it has made it even more difficult, but we keep going.
‘Now, we’re hoping for more peaceful times, making customers smile through our food and making sure we keep improving and give people the great experience they deserve.’
