MasterChef Quarter Finalist & Independent Coffee House Take Over The Hepworth

Hepworth Wakefield Cafe – MasterChef – House Of Koko – 

MasterChef Quarter Finalist & Independent Coffee House Take Over The Hepworth Wakefield Cafe

The Hepworth Wakefield has announced a new collaboration to transform The Hepworth gallery’s café and catering. Leeds-based House of Koko is partnering with Wakefield-based chef Chris Hale and his wife Sophie, to take over the running of The Hepworth Wakefield Café from October. They will launch with a new menu and redesigned dining space to create a welcoming dining experience for visitors.

House of Koko is an independent coffee and tea house which was opened in Chapel Allerton in 2015 by Shanshan Zhu and Chris Ball, quickly becoming a local favourite. Chris Hale, who was a quarter-finalist on BBC MasterChef 2016 and runs Pop-Up North, will be executive chef for The Hepworth Cafe. He has created a diverse menu for the whole family featuring British classics made from local Yorkshire produce, alongside brunch and lunch options from the existing House of Koko menu.

Mr Hale’s experience of creating and delivering one-off event menus will enable The Hepworth Wakefield to further develop its wedding and special events offer within the gallery and adjacent converted mill The Calder. Details about how to hire the space can be found at hepworthwakefield.org.

Chris Ball of House of Koko, commented: “The Hepworth Wakefield is an amazing venue and it has transformed the city. We want to embody this success with our wonderful locally sourced food and drink to create memorable menus and events. We’ve loved growing House of Koko over the past couple of years and we are unbelievably excited about our next step.’

Chef Chris Hale, said: ‘We are passionate about promoting Yorkshire food and drink to the world and helping to put Wakefield firmly on the map. The Hepworth Wakefield has achieved so much in its first six years and we want the food and drink offering to be just as creative and exciting.”

Rachel Crewes, Head of Business Development at The Hepworth Wakefield welcomes the new collaboration: “We can’t wait to start working with House of Koko. They have created a very special experience in Chapel Allerton with great coffee, great food and great service underpinning everything they do. We believe that with this fresh approach and refurbishment, The Hepworth Café will soon become a destination in its own right. We are also very excited to be working with local Masterchef finalist, Chris Hale as executive chef, a fantastic addition to our events and wedding offer here at the gallery.”

Opening to coincide with the gallery’s exhibition launch party on Friday 20th October, 7-10 pm, the café will be refitted with furniture designed by Plæy Workshop. The Hepworth Wakefield’s opening party on Friday 20 October, 7 – 10 pm, is open to anyone who would like to attend and will launch its new exhibition, Alina Szapocznikow: Human Landscapes. The full café menu will be served from Saturday 21 October, 10 am – 5 pm. Entry to the gallery is free.

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Hepworth Wakefield Cafe – MasterChef – House Of Koko