Harborne Food School

I co-founded Harborne Food School in partnership with Robert Smith back in 2014. Before embarking on this venture, I dedicated over a decade to establishing various community food projects. Our journey with Harborne Food School involved the extensive transformation of a Grade II listed Victorian building, a project that spanned nearly a year. With unwavering support from my family, we successfully converted the 1600 sq ft old school hall into a vibrant space for dining, culinary demonstrations, and cooking classes. My dedicated uncle played a pivotal role in developing the site, while my sister and her husband lent their talents to the design.

Prior to the pandemic, our offerings at Harborne Food School were diverse, including cooking classes that delved into a wide array of culinary traditions, from Modern British cuisine to Middle Eastern delights, Italian classics to Indian flavors. We also extended our services to include corporate well-being sessions. Our classes covered essential skills such as knife proficiency, the art of bread baking, and 'cooking for a healthy body and mind.' Additionally, Harborne Food School served as a hub for hospitality businesses seeking training, and it played a vital role as one of the venues for the M&B Apprentice Training programme.

In response to the challenges posed by the pandemic, we undertook a significant transformation of our site. The Harborne Food School now operates as a cooking school on Mondays and Tuesdays. On the remaining days of the week, our establishment, now known as Hengata, has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant. Should business conditions return to pre-pandemic levels, we are open to the idea of expanding and opening additional locations.

Note added in September 2023

Since writing this post, both the Food School and Hengata have closed. Should business conditions ever permit, we remain open to the idea of expanding and opening additional locations. In the meantime, our foray into the hospitality sector provides valuable insights and expertise that inform our efforts in the area of healthier, sustainable food policy.