A commis chef who lost his job when Elgin’s Mansion House closed its doors has taken the first step to his own dream career.
Fraser Gibb only discovered he was out of a job when he returned from holiday exactly a month ago to discover the popular venue had gone bankrupt.
But Mr Gibb, 21, today reopens his hometown’s Bean and Gone Café, having taken over the business when the previous proprietor had to give it up due to poor health.
One of his first acts as chef-proprietor was to hire a colleague, Sarah Dixon, from the Mansion House who also lost her job, as head barista.
Now Mr Gibb is perfectly positioned to take over as a former manager of the café with experience of what people want plus his experience from the Mansion House.
He said: “The café was very popular when it was open and very busy at times so we’ve kept the menu roughly the same.
“We’ve changed the flooring but that was the only change because it was horrible to clean and didn’t look so great.”
With the place retouched and staff in place the full menu will be on offer from Monday but most dishes available from the opening.
Mr Gibb managed to secure the premises with a private loan and it will be a family business with his father offering to help out when it gets busy.
Mr Gibb said: “I used to help with menu items, I wanted to lots of different things and now I want to try them out.
“We have been keeping people updated online. Our opening times will be the same Monday to Saturday, 8am to 3pm. We will definitely be open longer when it gets busy in the summer.”
But he admits that the café is just one step on the road to what is a long-held ambition to own his own restaurant.
“For me at the moment the café is a bit of a stepping stone. I would like to have my own bar and grill but for now I am happy with my own little café – small steps at first.”
The iconic Mansion House Hotel and Country Club went bankrupt early last month due to a £90,000 tax bill.
It later reopened on a limited “bed and breakfast basis” with pre-booked weddings and functions not being honoured in the meantime.
The hotel was then put on the market for £975,000 and remains available but now at the reduced price of £950,000.