Great British Menu chef Kray opening restaurant in Brum
OPENING a restaurant is tough in the best of times. But trying to start one in the midst of lockdown has not stopped a chef who found fame on TV’s Great British Menu. Kray Treadwell was born and bred in Solihull and trained under renowned Brummie chef Glynn Purnell.
He reached the finals of the BBC cookery show last year and is now ready to branch out on his own with a new venture in Digbeth. His restaurant, 670 Grams, is provisionally due to open in The Custard Factory in mid-June.
He named it after the birth weight of his baby daughter, who was born four months prematurely.
Mr Treadwell said: “670 Grams will be a unique experience designed to attract all kinds of people.
“Keeping the experience as accessible as possible is hugely important to me.
“At £6 per course, the menu represents amazing value. My aim is to bring my eclectic take on food to as many people as possible, without the stuffiness and pretension that fine dining can sometimes bring with it.” The handwritten menu will be changed regularly and will be available to view 48 hours before on the restaurant’s website.
Food will be a mix of European and Asian-influenced flavours, but will have a “playful element” even, offering dishes inspired by takeaway food.
There will also be a ‘Tesco cheese and onion sandwich’ and the peach dessert that saw Mr Treadwell reach the finals of
The Great British Menu. Seating just 16 people, the restaurant will be over two floors. Upstairs will be an open kitchen, overlooking a two-person chef’s table and a table of four, with the remaining covers downstairs.
Mr Treadwell was previously head chef at the Michelinstarred Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds.
But he spent most of his time at Glynn Purnell’s restaurant, Purnell’s. He met Purnell when he washed up for him at his previous restaurant, The Asquith in Edgbaston, to “earn extra money to go on holiday”. After a couple of months, Mr Treadwell went in on his nights off to learn more about cooking and Purnell gave him a job as a chef.
He worked his way through all the sections and then got a job at Purnell’s where he stayed for three years.
670 Grams restaurant will be at
Unit 3030, Zellig,
The Custard Factory, Digbeth.