'We have a responsibility to deliver for Cork':  Restaurateurs expand foodie businesses 

Think Bakestone, think perfect breakfast and brunch in the bright, airy space of Fota Retail Park, from where it has been nurturing a community around food for the past 12 years.

Now, Bakestone HQ has a new sibling, right in the heart of Cork’s city centre, with a 100-seater restaurant on Perry Street.

The announcement of a new eatery in Cork’s heartland is more than just a positive news story.

Off the back of recent high-profile closures and in the context of a hospitality industry struggling to roll with an endless stream of sucker punches, this is a bold expansion, but one built on all the right ingredients for success.

Bakestone co-owners, Maura and Joe Carey, have a proven track record in hospitality and creating spaces for people to gather.

Their White Horse gastropub and live music venue in Ballincollig blends the couple’s ion for good food with Joe’s musical talent as part of the White Horse Guitar Club, and Jodavino before that. Meanwhile, the focus for Bakestone has always been about family, food, and connection.

With its light flavours, bright colours and layered textures, the signature vibrancy of Bakestone’s brunch and lunch was an exciting proposition for the Careys, along with an emerging coffee culture that makes for a perfect foodie partnership.

Bakestone HQ began as a modest 35-seater which gave the duo room to learn the ropes of a daytime hospitality business. The café soon began to expand: 60, 70, then a 200-seater.

Today, the Fota restaurant is a behemoth with 260 seats and a bespoke bakery established in 2023, producing all bakes, breads, cakes, and sweet treats for White Horse, Bakestone HQ, and now Bakestone Perry Street.

I caught up with Joe at the new Perry Street location ahead of their official launch this Thursday.

“We tend to be slow and cautious with everything we do and taking the long way around,” says Joe.

“We didn’t jump at the first thing we saw and have been looking for a good while. But this premises spoke to us, and places of this scale don’t exist much in the city.”

The building on Perry Street has links back to Cork’s Butter Exchange and still has part of an old butter weighbridge in a corner of the café. Both Joe’s parents came from dairy farming families.

“I’m really connected to the butter roads. My dad studied dairy science, his family were dairy farmers, and my uncle was a creamery manager in Rathmore, Co Kerry. The butter roads from Rathmore came all the way to here. I love that notion of arterial routes that enabled butter to come from everywhere to this butter exchange and then out around the world.

“To be connected with that story felt serendipitous when we landed in here.”

Serendipity aside, there is an enduring love for the city that has fuelled the ambition to find a foothold for Bakestone in the city.

“I love this city; it’s beautiful in its scale. It’s been our ambition for years to be here, and we’re proud to be shoulder to shoulder with some gorgeous places that are doing so well,” says Joe.

“We look to the Market Lane restaurants, 51 Cornmarket; The Glass Curtain; Paladar; the guys in Corner House, Hi-B and the Shelbourne; Proby’s, Liberty Grill. We all have to live together because that’s what good cities do – they marry the best of their past with the best of the new, just as the butter road connects us today as much as it did 150 years ago.

“There’s a huge vibe here and collectively we have a responsibility to deliver for Cork. It’s a wonderful place to be in business, and I’m really excited about it. We have a lot of work to do, and we won’t be able to sit back for a second, but the ingredients are here to create something cool and lasting. And we like lasting things. We’re not here to do something gimmicky for a year and go off and do something else. We want to be here.”

Everything Bakestone does is counter-intuitive (some might say) to running a profitable hospitality business in the current climate. No corners cut; everything scratch-made daily by a full chef team operating seven days a week. Provenance and seasonality are cornerstones, as is their network of artisans and craftspeople showcased on both the Bakestone menu and pantry – some 74 in total.

“It’s for others to say whether it’s a winning formula or not, but what we’ve kept to from day one is to set out our stall and decide not to take any shortcuts or deviate from it,” Joe says.

“We believe the trust of customers is hard-earned and very delicate. It’s not to be messed around with, and flip-flopping or changing direction is a reckless thing to do. We’ve always had the notion to be confident, be determined, and maintain that course. We’ve grown into that idea, and that’s down to a great team, no shortcuts, early starts, understanding that by the end of the day, hopefully your counter will be wiped, all your stock will be finished, and we’ll start again the next day.”

Expansion is always a gamble, no matter how much ion, drive and ambition there is behind a business, because risk and challenge are part of daily reality.

“Challenges arrive often in hospitality, so you must be geared towards accepting it. If you’re afraid of change, then unfortunately, this game is not for you,” says Joe.

“Covid was the most fundamental thing that’s ever happened to the hospitality industry, and it immediately required us to think on our feet and be adaptable and dynamic. We could see business was changing; that we might have to push in one direction and pull back on another.

“It was good for us because it required us to start focusing back on fundamentals again, which allowed us to reimagine Bakestone with that lovely sense of craft, product and artisanship at the heart of what we do.

“We also realised we could be part of that too with our own range of products, and I’m really proud of what we make.”

The bakery is a vital part of the Bakestone expansion, with Joe referring to it as the “baking heart of Bakestone.”

“It allows us to put fresh croissants, focaccias, soda breads, baps, cakes and treats on all our menus. It means we can do things like all-butter croissants using the best of butter, the best of flours. It’s a scratch bakery, no premises, and everything is done by hand because short-cuts are easily seen and easily tasted.”

Head chef at Bakestone Perry Street is a veteran of the Cork food scene - Pat Kiely, former chef-proprietor of much-missed provenance-driven restaurant, Les Gourmandises.

Between Joe’s personal ion for provenance and seasonality, Pat’s experience in knowing how to put the best of Cork on a plate, and Bakestone’s own bakery, every plate and bite is made with care.

Opening a city centre location for Bakestone is the cherry on top and completes their expansion ambitions for now.

Next on the agenda is to become part of the city community and realise the potential of the space.

“Perry Street will be a gorgeous event space going beyond its manifestation as a breakfast, brunch/lunch spot. It can have a life in the evenings, and we’ll be exploring that with events, talks, storytelling.

“We’ll link in with theatres for pre-theatre offerings, and because we have the history of doing it at White Horse, we’ll develop our own events and celebrate our producers.”

This new space aims to be far more than a place that serves good food, but a place where food, people, stories, culture, and music all come together in a sort of modern-day Rambling House.

“We’re really happy to be at this stage - the nervous, invigorating, terrifying stage of starting something new,” says Joe.

“We’re lucky the space was there for us. We had built the infrastructure to do something; we were ready for it; we just hadn’t figured what that something was. Now we’re excited to double down, roll up the sleeves, work hard, and really deliver.

“We love connecting with people through our places. We still see the value in it, and we need that now more than ever. In a world of disruption and disconnection, I think this is the antidote. Let’s connect, gather, talk, argue, disagree; it doesn’t matter, but at least it’s in our hands - and let’s do it over food.”

This isn’t the only good food news for Cork. K O’Connell Fishmongers have opened Kay’s Kitchen outlets in the English Market and Dunnes Food Hall on Patrick Street, and Sprout & Co will open their first outlet outside of Dublin and Kildare on Panna, too.

Sonflour co-proprietors Eugenio Nobile and Lorenzo Barba have reopened after expanding their restaurant on Castle Street.

“From day one, we’ve chosen to grow one small step at a time. We have added ten more seats, but more importantly; after listening to our community’s , we’ve extended our booking time slots. Now, everyone can enjoy their time with us at a slower, more relaxed pace, soaking in the warm and chill vibes that make Sonflour feel like home.

“Sonflour is all about sharing unique and fresh food, staying true to who we are, and celebrating the local ingredients we love. With this little expansion, we can also welcome walk-ins every day with more space and more smiles!

“We’re so excited to keep creating room for charity events, live music, and art exhibitions. For us, Sonflour isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a place where community, culture, and kindness grow together.”

O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages has also expanded with a new outlet on Western Road in addition to their Winthrop Street and English Market locations.

O’Flynn’s has made sausages in the heart of Cork for over 100 years, and in the last 20 years, their reputation for creating gourmet sausages has reinvigorated the brand for a new generation.

“We are delighted and very excited to be opening our third store on Western Road. It’s the perfect time for us; an amazing location and a fantastic opportunity to develop our brand,” says Declan O’Flynn.

“In 1993, I worked in the very same location which was home to Ireland’s first-ever pizza delivery company, Pisa Pizza. I still the day I left, nervous but with a burning desire to do something of my own. I had no idea then that this spot would one day become the home of O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausage Company.

“It’s been a long journey full of twists and turns, something anyone in business will understand. Today, we have our sausage factory ten minutes from the city centre, our store on Winthrop Street, we cater at local festivals, sporting and corporate events, and are proud to celebrate our 20th year in Cork’s English Market.

“A huge thank-you to our customers and staff who have ed us from the beginning.”