A new, multi-kitchen dining hall called Y Gegin will open in Pembroke Dock on the 7th June.
The venue, whose name means ‘The Kitchen’ in Welsh, will be based inside the 6,000 ft² Grade Two listed former Market Hall in Pembroke Dock.
Y Gegin will be open on Saturdays and Sundays for a four-week trial period, and each week, a selection of guest chefs and food traders predominantly from Pembrokeshire will be on hand to serve everything from breakfast, brunch, and coffee – through to dinner and cocktails.
If the venture proves successful, it will close for refurbishment after four weeks, before reopening on a permanent basis in early October.
Guest chefs confirmed to cook at the venue in June include Matt Waldron, Head chef at The Parkhouse restaurant in Cardiff, and Carmarthen’s Pink Peppercorn. Tenby’s Loafley Bakery and Café Pura also join the line-up, and it is intended that the space will also provide a platform for fledgling food businesses just starting out.
The venue will also serve a range of Tenby Brewing Co beers.
Y Gegin has been set up by a group of entrepreneurs who are no strangers to the Welsh food scene; British Street Food Award winner Michelle Evans, who runs Paternoster Farm and The Beach Hut at Broadhaven South; and Jody and Rhiannon from Cwlbox, a seafood pop-up based on Saundersfoot beach. Both will also be serving their own food at the new venue.
Michelle, who raises her own animals to supply her catering business with high-welfare, free-range meat, had a vision to create a dining venue with provenance and sustainability at its heart.
The venue will be the first of its kind in Wales to opt for glassware, enamel plates and proper cutlery, instead of single-use serving ware. The chefs / food business who guest at the venue will also be tasked with using the best quality, local ingredients, to serve up their simple plates of food designed to be shared.
“I had always thought this light, bright, historic building – which had lain empty for years – was the perfect space for something like this.” she explained.
“We can’t wait to turn it into a hub for laid-back weekend dining, from brunch, right through to supper, and an alternative to the Sunday lunch. We really hope customers share our vision and get behind us. The only way we can make it work is with their support.”
Jody continued, “Pembrokeshire is gaining in popularity all the time, thanks to the amazing beaches, the walking routes available, the coastal path. We can’t wait to give those visitors – and the locals – a place to come to sample some really great food, made by passionate people from the surrounding area.”