Chester restaurateur joins NRB panel
Gary Usher, chef patron of Chester’s Sticky Walnut, has been announced as the final panellist in the NRB Debate, the headline event of the North’s largest hospitality trade show taking place in Manchester next week.
Usher will discuss food entrepreneurship alongside Cynthia Shanmugalingam, chief executive and founder of food start-up incubator Kitchenette, and John Quilter, broadcaster and founder of CRU Kafe.
The NRB Debate takes place in Manchester on Wednesday 16 March as part of the Northern Restaurant & Bar conference.
Usher is currently crowd-funding for his third restaurant, Hispi, which is due to open this year in South Manchester’s Chorlton.
Thom Hetherington, chief executive of Holden Media, the organiser of NRB, said: “Gary will add perfect balance to the discussion. When you talk about ‘Food Entrepreneurism’ people automatically think about street food, pop-ups and small scale artisan production but it’s important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There will always be a place for the classic model of restaurants run by chef-patrons, but Gary goes about it in an incredibly sharp, creative and contemporary way.”
The NRB Debate is headlined by a conversation with Jay Rayner, one of the most high-profile figures in food journalism, who is expected to be typically candid on a wide-ranging set of hospitality trends and issues.
The NRB Debate starts at 12pm on Wednesday 16 March 2016 at Manchester Central and includes a buffet lunch. Tickets are priced £55+VAT. Book online at nrbdebate.co.uk
The North’s biggest hospitality show, Northern Restaurant & Bar, returns to Manchester Central from 15-16 March for its 16th year. In addition to hosting the NRB Debate, the exhibition also includes the NRB Top Fifty Awards celebrating the region’s top operators.
