Birmingham chef Glynn Purnell is opening a brand-new West Midlands restaurant.
The Michelin-starred celebrity chef, who has been seen on Saturday Kitchen, has confirmed plans to open a restaurant in Coventry.
Glynn's new eatery will be housed in a historic building in the city, following the success of his two existing establishments in Birmingham - Purnell’s Restaurant and Purnell’s Bistro & Ginger’s Bar.
The new restaurant in Coventry will be at the Charterhouse, just off London Road, which is one of several historic buildings in the city set to have new life breathed into them.
It is owned by Historic Coventry Trust (HCT), which is starting an £8m restoration project in June this year, part funded by a £4.3m grant from the National Lottery, reports CoventryLive.
The restoration of the Charterhouse is the flagship project in the transformation of historic buildings in the city.
When the restoration is complete the Charterhouse will be one of Coventry’s major heritage, leisure and educational attractions.
Glynn’s new restaurant will have 30 covers on the ground floor, with 20 more in a first-floor bar.
The project will also see the creation of a purpose-built 150-seat conference and wedding venue.
Glynn grew up in a council house in on the Chelmsley Wood estate.
His dad worked in a factory but was made redundant several times and his mum was a dinner lady.
He started cooking from a young age, making his younger brother and sister beans on toast with a Purnell twist of curry powder even then.
Glynn said: “I am thrilled and proud to be part of what is unquestionably going to be an amazing venue.
“The Charterhouse is a remarkable building of national importance and the project to restore it is fantastic.
“It is an honour to be part of one of the most important times in Coventry’s history as it gears up to be the UK City of Culture in 2021.
“Bringing the Purnell’s brand to the city of Coventry is very exciting, especially to be doing so on such a historic ground."
Although he’s a proud Brummie (and Birmingham City Football Club supporter) who says he will never move away from his beloved city, he did work away earlier in his career.
His first job in fine dining was actually in Kenilworth, where Simpsons, now in Edgbaston, was based. He worked on placements in French restaurants in Lyon, Monpellier and the Basque Country and for six months as sous chef at Claude Bosi’s Hibiscus in Ludlow.
Glynn added: “It is a massive opportunity to bring such a strong food brand into Coventry and to hopefully be the catalyst of an explosive new food culture, as I was in Birmingham in the early 2000s.
“My award-winning team and I will bring a stunning restaurant which will serve adventurous and ground-breaking dishes in the form of a la carte and tasting menus.
“We will use locally sourced ingredients to produce mouth-watering combinations with mind-blowing wines to match.
“It will offer something that not only Coventry will be proud of, but the country as a whole, placing the city firmly on the culinary map.”
