Bacchus staff hope gods smile down on them in food awards
A PRESTBURY restaurant has reached the final three of a county-wide food and drink competition.
Bacchus restaurant, in Prestbury village, has beaten off stiff competition to make the shortlist and will now compete in the Restaurant of the Year category of the contest, held by magazine Cheshire Life.
The two other businesses shortlisted are Yellow Broom, in Holmes Chapel, and Chinese restaurant Yu, in Alderley Edge.
But Bacchus owner Jon Rebecchi is hoping his family run restaurant’s modern British with a hint of European cuisine will tickle the judge’s tastebuds.
He said: “The magazine just sent us a letter in the post out of the blue.
“We feel honoured to have been shortlisted and we would be so pleased if we won, but it’s an honour just to be nominated as one of the final three.
“There could have been in the region of 2,000 entries.”
The modest owner said he was unsure exactly what it was that made the judges choose his restaurant, but said: “I guess we are just good at what we do. We just get on with it really.
“Not all of us are related but we’re like one big family.”
Jon also revealed that the occasional celebrity pops in to enjoy the restaurant but remained tight-lipped about who.
It is the first time Bacchus, which employs 12 staff, has been nominated for the awards, which readers of the magazine vote for and the judges then decide on.
But it is not the first time owner Jon has won the Restaurant Of The Year title, taking home the accolade nine years ago for another of his restaurants, The 39 Steps, in Styal.
Fans of Bacchus also took to Twitter to wish the business good luck in this year’s awards.
Prestbury Parish Council tweeted: “Accolades are falling like rain on Bacchus.
“Fantastic achievement from one of Prestbury’s finest. Congratulations!”
The restaurant also thanked their customers and suppliers which include M and J Seafood, R Noone and Son, based in Manchester, Amato Products and Prestbury Farm Shop, run by former Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson, who played Jim McDonald in the soap.
An awards ceremony will be held at the Carden Park Hotel and Spa near Chester on July 11 with the results published in the magazine in September.
Other categories in the competition include pubs, bars, tearooms, hotel restaurants and food and wine merchants in the county.