Craig Marc has thanked the Llandaff North community for helping him return to his roots
LAUNCHING Llandaff North’s Chapter 22 Patisserie has reconnected chef Craig Marc with people he has not seen for decades.
The 35-year-old chef opened the Station Road patisserie on Bonfire Night after creating cake ideas in the back of the shop for nine months.
Mr Marc, who has been a chef for 17 years, had been working in London but moved back to Cardiff because he missed his family.
“I’ve been trying to find something to get my teeth stuck into since I’ve been home and nothing really fitted really until I started this because it was something I was passionate about,” Mr Marc said.
Opening the patisserie has been hard work for the chef but he said that working in Cardiff “feels right”.
“Being over the road from where I went to infant school it kind of … it just fits. I feel like I’m back home so I feel like I found my feet again,” he said.
“A lot of my old friends live around here as well so they’ve all popped in, people I haven’t seen for decades.”
The community has rallied around Mr Marc during the launch of his new business.
“I’ve had loads of help from my following on Facebook,” Mr Marc said.
“I’ve put the whole thing out there you know and asked for help and people and different businesses have shared things they know which might help me so I’ve had loads of help.
“They’ve all had their input and I value that.”
The chef named the business after the year 2022 and called it his “new chapter”.
Mr Marc had visions for a store nine months ago, but it only launched at the beginning of November because of delays out of his control.
“I think the nine months happened on purpose to give me a chance to build a good clientele, practise what I was good at and not good at.
“If I had gone in straight away and opened up then I probably would have been making a lot of mistakes when the shop opened.”
Although the chef is wary about the cost of living crisis, he believes there is still be a market for his cakes and desserts.
“It’s the scariest thing. I’ve put everything I’ve got into this so you never know how long it’s going to last,” said Mr Marc of the cost-of-living crisis.
“But it’s the same with the pandemic, people have got money to spend you just have to market your business and yourself to the right audience.”
Mr Marc has high hopes for the future of Chapter 22 Patisserie but wants to focus on running the new shop first.
“In the back of my mind obviously I’d love to have big contracts, open a second patisserie maybe or have an industrial unit where I can start supplying the shop and other contracts.
“That’s the bigger goal but I’m trying to stay humble at the moment to just make sure the shop works before I think bigger.
“So I think every step, one step at a time. Not thinking too big but whatever happens, happens. It’s all part of the journey.”
