HOSPITALITY
Food for thought - Sally Marshall has revealed plans for a new restaurant on Yarm High Street .
WORDS : JULIE BURNISTON PICTURES : TOM BANKS
THE HIDDEN GEM
The Marshall-Robertson Group has combined ambition , talent and hard graft to become a true hospitality success story
Sally Marshall is on a roll . The former dance teacher is on the brink of opening her third restaurant in four years , inspired by and in conjunction with son Toby Marshall-Robertson .
With country pub / restaurant the Ship at Redmarshall near Stockton packing in the punters and the Prickly Pear Bistro at the TAD centre in Middlesbrough achieving cult status , it ’ s time for the family ’ s biggest challenge yet – a themed restaurant called Marshall ’ s that will open in Yarm this August , based in the beautiful old Union Arms building close to the clocktower .
“ Marshall ’ s is the one that ’ s challenged us most in terms of our creativity ,” admits Sally .
“ It ’ s a 1920s-themed cocktail bar and restaurant which we ’ re really excited about . Toby has created a fictitious character called Dr Marshall who studied medicine and is trying to heal people . He went around the world in a hot air balloon and by train and sea gathering ingredients and information .
“ Toby has used this story to create his menus , plus we ’ ve worked with the most incredible cocktail guru who has listened to the story and designed cocktails taking inspiration from different countries .”
For Sally , the location of the new premises couldn ’ t be better . “ The footfall is phenomenal ,” she said . With staff in 1920s outfits , beautifully presented Asian-inspired tapas dishes , that cocktail list and even a hot air balloon outside , Marshall ’ s promises to capture the imagination .
Though it may seem risky to launch a business with the pandemic still around , Sally has always been remarkably optimistic about her ventures . The Prickly Pear , a hidden gem of a bistro , was opened in October 2019 , and just as it was getting busy , had to close .
“ We couldn ’ t believe it ,” said Sally . “ But with 55 staff across both businesses I was determined that not one would lose their job – and they didn ’ t .”
With ample parking and a captive audience of businesses at the TAD centre , the Prickly Pear has risen from the ashes of lockdown and is beloved by those “ in the know ” for its calming ambience , great food and lovely coffees .
Though all three businesses are diverse , Sally sees a common thread running through each .
“ You know it ’ s a Marshall-Robertson ,” she laughed .
The family certainly have a unique story to tell .
Thirty-year-old Toby was a child prodigy in the kitchen – a fact Sally stumbled on while trying to help him through a troubled childhood .
“ He really needed a purpose , so when , at age 11 , he told me he wanted to be a chef and would have his own string of restaurants like Jamie Oliver , I thought okay , let ’ s show him what fine dining is really like .”
Taking him to the Ozone restaurant at Seaham Hall because he loved Asian food and it had a kitchen where customers could watch food being prepared , Sally saw Toby was mesmerised .
“ He was certain this was what he wanted to do , so I spoke to the head chef and got him some work experience . A week later I was told he had something really special and the restaurant would like to mentor him . By 14 he was often in charge of the kitchen .”
Six years later , mum and son were in business together running street food events selling Toby ’ s Asian cuisine .
From there , Toby had his first kitchen at the Ship in Redmarshall , where he devised a secondary menu containing 35 different parmos – the clients loved it and remained supportive throughout the recent difficult months .
“ The amount of trade we are doing and customers who have braved the weather to come and support us is incredible and we ’ re so thankful ,” said Sally .
“ We hope that the wonderful , resilient people of Teesside will continue to enjoy our restaurants as life gets back to normal .”
theshipredmarshall . co . uk thepricklypearbistro . co . uk Facebook : @ marshallsyarm
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