Takeaway business serves up global street food while customers can’t go on holiday
A CHEF made redundant during lockdown has started a business providing people with a taste of the holidays they are unable to experience at the moment.
After losing his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Wayne Zeeman, 44, put his experience as a chef to use and began his own takeaway business from home.
Wayne spotted a gap in the market as there are few takeaway restaurants in the Pentyrch area.
“Because people can’t go on holiday, I thought it would be nice for them to have food inspired by these countries,” said Wayne.
Global Bites officially opened for business in August 2020 and has proven very popular with local residents, especially in the last three weeks.
“After Christmas, for unknown reasons, the business has exponentially grown. It’s really taken off,” said Wayne.
Wayne’s wife, Gemma, 38, said: “It’s a funny time for chefs. Cheffing was always a reliable job, whether it’s in a school, a care home or a pub, there was always work to be had.”
“Prior to the pandemic, Wayne was not worried when he wasn’t working because he knew there would be work. All of a sudden lockdown hit and work dried up overnight.”
Originally from Ross-on-Wye, Wayne became a full-time stay-at-home dad to his 14-month-old daughter when he was made redundant.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 13,257 businesses were started in 2020. Many have seen lockdown as an opportunity to put their entrepreneurial dreams into action.
Starting his business from home allowed him the flexibility to work around his family life.
“In March we found ourselves with me on maternity leave and Wayne at home because his contract was cancelled. It was wonderful because we had loads of family time”, said Gemma Zeeman.
Feeling at a loose end, Wayne began putting his business plans into action.
With 25 years of experience in the cheffing, prior to the pandemic Wayne was working in contract catering. He is also the former head chef at the BBC’s Llandaff studios.
Wayne believes his vast experience in the industry has been a big part of his success.
“I’ve worked in lots of different sites. This forced me to be inventive, more focused on creating different dishes.”
He says when working at the BBC, “I wanted to entice them to leave their packed lunches behind”.
According to his wife, Wayne is often up until 2am researching recipes and ingredients for upcoming menus.
When asked what Wayne does in his spare time, Gemma laughed and said, “All he does is cheffing”.
Wayne agreed. “I always find it interesting. Part of the reason we came up with changing the menu frequently is because it keeps me interested. It keeps it fresh.”
Together the couple have travelled the globe, including Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, Russia and Italy. Their travels have provided Wayne with inspiration for his globally inspired dishes with his own twist.
In order for the business to operate safely during the pandemic, Wayne and Gemma have installed a window that acts as a hatch.
Global Bites is committed to being as sustainable as possible. “Everything is either reusable, recyclable or compostable,” Wayne said.
