Ex-football chef swaps boots for choux
A NEW patisserie run by a chef who’s cooked for leading football teams has opened its doors in Cardiff.
Chapter 22 Patisserie quietly opened earlier this year in Llandaff North but after a big launch it’s now serving overthe-counter treats as well as the bespoke cakes that Craig Marc has been making for the past few months.
Craig made his career as the chef to the Wales youth football teams and to Queens Park Rangers FC – but after growing up in Llandaff North, he’s returned home to open his patisserie on Station Road.
The name Chapter 22 comes from the new chapter Craig is hoping to enter in the year 2022, and he’s off to a flying start.
In the patisserie, he serves up a range of petit gateaux, macarons, cakes, brownies, doughnuts, macarons and more – and business is booming. Craig said: “It’s been amazing, it’s been ridiculous. I think it’s what the village were waiting for to be honest – I’ve just been non-stop and everything’s been selling out.
“I’m doing a mix of high-end and mid-range stuff to try and appeal to everyone who walks past rather than just one price range or a limited selection. I’m still doing bespoke cakes as well but I can’t take as many now.”
After a grand opening earlier in November, Chapter 22 is in full flow.
Craig said the support from the local area has been fantastic: “The response has been amazing. I posted on the local social media pages and the amount of support has been awesome.”
Since Craig first returned to Llandaff North he’s had old friends from school popping in to visit. He’s also got an extremely loyal social media following, with more than 7,000 followers on Facebook and around 4,500 on Instagram.
Earlier this year, Craig told the Echo why he decided to open the patisserie: “I’ve been a chef for 17 years, done some amazing things, and hit heights I never thought I’d hit. But I plateaued a bit, got a bit bored, and thought I needed a new challenge.”
He added: “I started making cakes in lockdown – everyone went a bit crazy over it on Facebook and I was getting orders. It got to the point where I thought: ‘I need to take that risk and start my own venture.’
“So I did. Since I’ve opened up my new shop it feels like I’ve come back to my roots.”
His career took him to Macedonia with the Wales teams and to West London with QPR – where he cooked for his idol Rio Ferdinand and even made good friends with Joey Barton.