Award-winning chef Matt Healy has announced the launch of a gastropub in his hometown of Leeds – his third venture in the city in just a year. The 36-year-old chef and his team Seventh Course Ltd will take over the reins at The Beehive in Thorner, creating a completely new concept.
Matt and his team at Seventh Course have already seen huge success at their restaurants Matt Healy x The Foundry, which opened in the city’s South Bank area in May last year, and Grön Kafe in Oakwood, which opened in September.
The news comes after Matt Healy x The Foundry was named Best City Centre restaurant at the hotly-contested Oliver Awards. The restaurant also won Newcomer of the Year at the Yorkshire Life Food and Drink Awards, and was named Britain’s Best Roast Dinner.
Horsforth-born Matt said: “This is such an exciting time for us at Seventh Course and we’re so proud of the success our existing restaurants Matt Healy x The Foundry and Gron Kafe have achieved in a short time.
“We’ve been working on our business plan behind the scenes for several years now, and to see it come to fruition is fantastic. The people of Leeds have been so supportive, and it’s their feedback and encouragement that motivates us to keep pushing ourselves.
“We feel really passionately about contributing to the Leeds dining scene and continuing to push the boundaries to improve the offering for diners across the city.”
He added: “The Beehive is obviously a well-known name in north Leeds but we’ll be changing it up, shifting the concept towards a gastropub feel within a beautiful village pub, serving simple pub classics with a modern twist and hopefully creating a welcoming, friendly venue that will become a hub of the community. You’ll be able to catch up with mates over a pint or pop in for a nice meal with the family.”
The Beehive will re-open with the Seventh Course team at the helm this summer. Yorkshire-based Nanu Soda have been appointed to carry out the interior design.
Matt shot to fame in 2016 when he was runner-up in MasterChef: The Professionals – with two-Michelin-starred judge Marcus Wareing famously describing one of Matt’s sauces as ‘one of the best he had ever tasted’.