Meet our neighbours

Hey Chuk, welcome to the best coffee shop in the world. I'm Karina the baker and founder and this is Laura your barista and manager How did it all begin? We started 4 years ago behind the little market stall at Maltby Street Market, its an amazing market you have to check it out. We started as a little bakery. I bake everything from home and we just bought along our little gazebo and little table, bought along 5 cakes and that's how it started. Year by year we built our menus

I’m here in Tooting Broadway with Remi, chef and owner of Smoke and Salt. Let’s go back to the beginning, How did you get into cooking? I did a chemistry degree, then worked in the city but it wasn’t for me. I took a year out and went to work for my aunt at her catering company in Nigeria. Then I went off to America, trained there before moving back here in 2013 after 4 years of cooking in Boston. Met Aaron my business partner at The Shed in Notting Hill. Since then we have b

First of can I say this place is gorgeous. How did it start? Quite by accident actually. I was in Balham for 12 years and used to do tapestries. I had an agent in beads. I couldn’t find any jewellery that I liked, but I’d make my own as I had some beads left. I went to New York and I had a woman tap me on the shoulder and said “oh my god, I I love your earrings” I said I made them, she happened to be a buyer for Barneys. I then got this order, and my mum and I would literally

I’m here with Johny at Gallery Midnight on Ritherdon Road, Balham/Tooting. The first question, where did the midnight come from? Depending what mood I’m in there’s a few different stories, do you want the truth? It’s my middle name. I was born at midnight, my parents couldn’t decide which grandfather to name me after. Born at one minute to midnight and my dad said “no, Midnight is his middle name.” Jump forward 25 years, I’m in Chamonix, everybody gets a nickname. My friend w

How did Ricks come about? We’ve been here about 25 years now and going from strength to strength. We made it through covid. I was just thinking I want to do it for myself. I was walking past and saw it was to rent, so I just rented it like a madman. Was it simply a case of I’m just going to name it after myself? It was. We built the kitchen. Its evolving all the time, it looks great now. It ’s got a very cosy, intimate vibe. Not initially, but it does now What vibe were you

How did Blueprint come about and how did you get “into” coffee? I’ve been into coffee since I was 14, it’s been a long journey. Back in the day I was scrubbing dishes, washing pans, from kitchen porter to then a barista, then I worked in coffee shops whilst at university. The guy I worked for was terrible at admin and needed someone to run his shops and it was something I was good at. Eventually he invited me here as an owner and we decided to make a brand together, 21 Grams,

I will let these guys introduce themselves Hello, my name is Kemilia and I am one of the co owners of Mud. My name is Femi and I am the Head Chef here at Mud in Tooting. How did you come up with the name Mud? How did it begin? Mud existed here as a business before we came in 2019, and we thought it’s a funny name and it works, we will stick with the branding. Food has always been a massive part of our lives growing up. So when this unit became available we said let’s go for i

How did you come up with the name? The origins of the bar are that I was in a corporate job for 15 years and I wanted to do something more challenging and rewarding whilst at the same time give something back to Tooting. I came up with some awful names at first, including St Nicks! I’ve always liked Goldfinch. What do you love most about being part of the Tooting community? I love the fact that Tooting is a really friendly place, not just our customers but also the other loca