“I am always half glass full, I’m the most optimistic person you’ll ever meet!” says Andy Lowe- Smith co owner of Boheme on Bridge Street. With his business partner Ben from The Marlbororough/ Popcorn they have spent the last 3 years converting the former Cafe Rouge into “a love letter to all the things we love about hospitality”

Andy is a lifelong Cestrian with experience working and managing in multiple hospitality venues in the city, including The Grosvenor Hotel. In between shifts he was also a key player in the local music scene, performing with The Queen’s Minions and Campfire Social. In more recent years he has found huge success with his catering company The Cheshire Dining Experience.

The Boheme vision dates back to a lockdown walk in the dark days of spring 2020. “When the pandemic rolled around, we walked around the city and thought about what opportunities there were. If we had the opportunity to get somewhere what would we do? “ The Cafe Rouge site became available after the company went into administration and never reopened. “We always used to come here and sit for a beer because the sun always comes down Commonhall street and lights up the front of the building. “ Subsequent lockdowns and delays with landlords and planning permission as well as the incredible attention to detail required meant opening was pushed back, but renovations are now nearing completion.

“Our concept is that we we want to compete with the best restaurants and bars in the city. Our designer James Roberts is a local lad- the last restaurant he designed was Mana, which bought the Michelin star back to Manchester. We’ve had 3 years of pouring over the details. With most restaurants you take a massive loan out and try to get it open in 4 months because you’ve got to pay back the loan. We haven’t had that pressure, its entirely self funded, we have other businesses that are operating. ” The team have spent £1.5 million on creating Boheme.

Boheme will have a Parisian cafe/bistro feel with coffee and homemade pastries in the morning. A cafe menu will offer a rotating soup/ salad and sandwich of the week alongside sweet and savoury brunch items.  An a la carte lunch menu will offer 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts with small snack plates. “Everything is made from scratch in house, even the bread, nothing will be bought in. It will be a nice culinary expression” says Andy. “The bar will serve classic cocktails with a twist. I want it to be a hub for foodies and people who are super passionate about food.”

Noting the proliferation of Chester’s dining scene in the last decade from Sticky Walnut to The Chef’s Table and beyond, Andy says that “people aren’t stupid now, you don’t need to be a chef to know about food because of Great British Menu, Great British Bake-off and all things like that. Shops like Waitrose and M&S stock some amazing stuff now. People are really educated about food, and this is a place where you can come and geek out about food. “

I asked Andy about the challenges to hospitality which have been noted by many, with 2 venues having announced their closure post Christmas. ” I think its about perspective and spirit. I don’t have social media. In lockdown I was a business owner and I was looking at all the businesses online and it really started to panic me. I realised that what I could control was looking after my business, my staff and my family, that was what’s important to me. I never went back on it. I have really good relationships with my staff, and the more I give to things that I cant control the less I am to things that I can .

“When retail is going you have to ask what the city stands for. Its a lot of tourism, historical tourism but also food and cafe culture. Chester used to be the best place to come shopping in the North West, now its the providence of online shopping, so it falls back onto hospitality to keep the city alive. I wanted to honour that with attention and detail not just a money making exercise.

“We’ve taken some time over it and I think it shows!”

Boheme are aiming to open on the 15th Feb