You’re in the Right Place
So how did it start?
You could say it’s what happened when a food obsessed Welsh Cypriot girl from Spain, met and fell in love with an English boy who naturally lived to entertain.
They met on their first day at drama school in London in 1990 and soon found they shared the same exuberance for hospitality and good food. That pairing eventually became the DNA that formed and fused the amber that is Gastrono-me today.
Not always a restaurant, it started life as a bakery and deli, where space was scarce but hope and heart soared high. Gem and Mike soon discovered that customers were more excited by the dishes they created for the counter than they were with buying cheese and meats, and so it transformed and became our beautiful restaurant in Bury St Edmunds.
Generosity has always been Gastrono-me’s golden watch word. When learning her craft, a chef once berated Gem for plating a dish too ‘fully’ “you’re not their mother!”. Undeterred she didn’t see this criticism as a negative, but instead made a mental note to always make customers feel as if their meal had been made with ‘extra’ love.
To give a little bit more than you are expecting is always our aim. Be it with your meal, the hospitality you receive, or simply a helpful menu explanation, it matters that you leave us feeling pleasantly amazed.
Our ethos of giving more is also how we grow a Gastrono-me team. For some it may be their first job, the first time they carry a tray, or nervously plate a dish. Our encouragement, kindness and nurture are the most powerful assets we can imbue them with. Probably the most satisfying thing for us is watching tiny acorns turn into Oaks and seeing them train the next generation of saplings using the same generosity of spirit.
Gastrono-me has now grown into something much more than Gem & Mike’s story, it’s become the setting for many stories – first jobs, first brunch dates, first food obsessions, marriages, births even a first solid meal for a toddler (true story, hey Stella!)
Thirty years later we’re happy to say, Mike and Gem are still just as much in love as they ever were and still as stupidly obsessed with great hospitality.
We all hope to meet you soon, and look forward to becoming part of your story…