Well known on Hills Road for pastries and desserts that look (almost) too good to eat, Dulcedo is embarking on a new adventure for 2020
Words by Siobhan Godwood
Andrew Hunter and his partner Joanna took their first steps towards their dream of running a restaurant in 2015, with a stall on Cambridge Market. “We had the stall at particular times of year, like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, and sold seasonal items that people could give as gifts,” says Andrew. “Because it wasn’t a bricks-and-mortar premises, it had to be things that didn’t need to be refrigerated, like chocolates and macarons. My background is as a chef, working in restaurants for the past 20 years, but the retail side of things was new to me and Joanna, so it was a good way to dip our feet in and get some experience. But we were always looking out for a site so we could run a patisserie and dessert kitchen. That was always the goal.”
In 2017, Dulcedo’s current home on Hills Road became available, but Andrew and Joanna always knew it wouldn’t be a permanent home for the business. “It’s going to be converted into flats,” Andrew explains, “and we were aware of that from the outset. For us, it was a good way to start the business and find our feet without having to commit to a ten-year lease.”
Andrew has learnt a lot in the past couple of years on Hills Road, and running a business for the first time hasn’t always been an easy ride. “We definitely had a few teething difficulties to begin with,” he says. “In this part of Cambridge, there are no tourists, and it took us a while to work that out that we needed to adapt what we offer to the demand that is there. There are lots of offices round about, and 90% of our customers are local rather than passing trade. So we started offering brunch, and sandwiches and other lunch items for the people who are working in the local businesses, and we’ve built a reputation with the customers who come in every day. Now, we know almost all our customers by name, and it’s been really nice to build up those relationships.”
“Now, we know almost all our customers by name”
The Hills Road shop is closing in June, though, and the couple have found a site in Eddington, where they can expand the business further with the luxury of plenty of space to try new things. “It will be similar to what we do now, but we’ll have a full bakery, too,” says Andrew. “On Hills Road, there are already three bakeries so there wasn’t the demand for another one. Now we’ve got the opportunity to sell different kinds of bread and baked items, and we’re also planning to run a restaurant four evenings of the week, doing bespoke, ever-changing set menus.”
Andrew is looking forward to getting back into proper restaurant cooking. “That’s my background, and I miss the buzz of doing the service side of things, so it will be great to get going. We’ve done some dessert tasting evenings in our current shop, in conjunction with Pina from One Two Culinary Stew, which went really well, so that’s definitely the kind of thing we want to do more at the new site.”
Currently, there isn’t a restaurant in Eddington, other than a nearby Beefeater, so Andrew and Joanna are hoping Dulcedo will be a welcome addition to the growing community in this part of Cambridge. “We’ll still be offering brunch every day, as well as sandwiches and other savoury items. We are keen to offer different tasting menus every night, so that people in the community have the kind of choice and variety that isn’t there for them at the moment. The great thing about the site is that there are no main roads; there’s a big square, where there will be community events and activities taking place, and we hope to be able to do the catering for all the things that go on. Plus, we’re hopeful that people from Girton and the surrounding areas will come and give us a try.”
At present, Andrew and Joanna have no definite opening date for the new eatery, but the fitting-out of the site is going really well. “We’re working with the group that fitted out Steak & Honour in the city centre. They’re really on the ball, so we couldn’t be in better hands. The space is twice the size of the current site, so there’s plenty of potential to do all the things we want to do. The Hills Road site is closing at the end of May, and we can’t wait to get going in Eddington – we just need to finalise a few more details about the fitting, and then we’ll be able to announce an opening date. If customers keep an eye on our Instagram, we’re very active on there, so we’ll make an announcement as soon as we know.”
Fans of Dulcedo’s pastries and chocolates will be pleased to hear that Andrew and Joanna are actively looking for other, smaller sites out of which to run a bakery and chocolatier, too, so keep an ear open for news; 2020 certainly promises to be a busy year!
