The owners of Highland food and drink brand The Bearded Chef will open a second restaurant in Moray next spring.
Kayleigh, 35, and Aaron, 41, Judge launched The Bearded Chef in September 2018.
Starting out as a personal chef service run by Aaron, the business has since grown into offering private dining, cocktail classes and outside catering, and also opened its own restaurant in September 2020.
Known as HQ, the restaurant is based on South Street in Elgin.
But the couple recently revealed their plans to expand further and launch a second restaurant in Fochabers next February or March.
The Bearded Chef 1776
Aaron spotted the building’s vacancy on a local Facebook group in mid-September and the couple, from Fochabers, received the keys in November.
It will be based on the village’s High Street and named The Bearded Chef 1776, as this was the year Fochabers was founded.
The premises is leased and will boast a capacity of 40.
Kayleigh, 35, said: “Our aim is to keep it small and ensure we can keep the personal intimate service our guests have come to expect from us.
“It will have a unique, rustic and homely interior – a blend of mine and Aaron’s tastes.
“I love rustic, old furniture and real wood while Aaron has a more interior designer flair. He’s enjoyed researching and finding new elements people maybe haven’t seen here in Moray.
“We both, however, like to incorporate what was there before and are keen to uncover any hidden gems the building may have.”
There will be three zones in 1776 comprising a cosy bistro, a bar area and a formal evening/private dining area.
The food offering
It will serve the same style of cuisine as The Bearded Chef HQ, which has a capacity of 18 and a team of five that work alongside Kayleigh and Aaron.
The dishes take inspiration from Aaron’s travels that have taken him to various destinations across Europe over the years.
The Bearded Chef HQ is open from 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday (with private dining available in the evenings), 9am to 11pm Friday to Saturday and 10am to 5.30pm on Sundays.
“We change our menus regularly and use local and seasonal products,” Kayleigh, who has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 13, said.
“We pull on all our strengths using Aaron’s four years in Spain for inspiration alongside his years in London, so we also offer authentic Spanish dishes and tapas nights.
“The pair of us have an amazing authentic Indian curry on our menu that stems again from Aaron working alongside fantastic Indian chefs and wanting to learn the real way they like to cook and eat.
“We like to think of our style as good food done well, cooking with real ingredients and honouring them whilst making the most of what Moray has to offer.”
Securing the brand
Kayleigh and Aaron are hoping to employ a team of seven to operate the second restaurant.
It will be open on Monday and Tuesday for breakfast and lunch service, and Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner service.
Having recently relocated to Fochabers, they are looking forward to bringing their food to the village and becoming even more involved in the community.
“The second restaurant, in essence, will secure The Bearded Chef as not just a person but a company,” Kayleigh added.
“Our business is much more than just the man in the kitchen, we have a wonderful team and even more wonderful customers.
“Opening the second restaurant allows us to spread our message about good food, cooking it right, not spending a fortune to be able to do it and using what we have locally.”
To keep up-to-date on the opening of 1776, visit the-beardedchef.com or The Bearded Chef on Facebook.