When Victor Vassallo welcomed an English visitor to his restaurant in Malta, little did he realise how the meeting wouldimpact on his, and his wife Victoria’s catering careers.
The visitor was Steven Bell, managing director of Bell’s stores which had been sold to the Sainsbury supermarket group last year.
Seeking new challenges, Steven had bought Chapters, the Stokesley hotel and restaurant, and he was looking for someone to run the operation. After sampling the food and ambience of Victor’s establishment, which had been voted one of the best restaurants in Malta by British Airways Flight magazine, Steven realised this 44 year old Maltese restaurateur and his talented wife, were the ideal team to revitalise Chapters.
So Victor and his wife Victoria leased out their restaurant and came to England. It is proving to be an inspired choice and Victor’s expertise is already in evidence in the transformation of this establishment. In a fourteen days refurbishing blitz costing £100,000, the Tapas Bar, installed by the previous owner, was removed and replaced by a comfortable and tastefully decorated Bistro with its own individual menu. At the rear of the building a stylish newly carpeted restaurant was opened, and under Victor’s direction the kitchen area was totally revamped. “There were some who thought such a transformation could not be achieved in such a short space of time, but we proved them wrong” he grinned. The kitchen has now been taken over by his wife Victoria, who trained in Malta under two Michelin – star chefs, an experience which paid handsome dividends, for soon after Victoria set up their restaurant she was voted Malta’s ‘best chef’ in a British Airways poll.
General Manager Victor, a self-confessed football nut, who played full- back for Luxol in Malta’s premier division, supervises front of house and the training of his 23 staff. His holy grail is ‘consistency.’ Acutely aware that in the catering business you are only as good as your last meal, he rightly points out: “Many restaurants open in a blaze of glory, the secret is to maintain that initial success time and time again.”
He has set his sights high at Chapters, and his reasonably priced but interesting menus together with a sensibly priced wine list, reflect this intention. Already after just a few weeks, his approach is paying dividends. “The feedback we are getting from those customers who have eaten here, is most encouraging.” he says.
Steven Bell is excited by the prospect of owning a first class hotel and restaurant and is impressed with the progress that has been made in such a short space of time. “Chapters is a first class freehold investment. It is a wonderful old listed building with tremendous character in a fantastic setting and we intend making it the place to eat and stay.”
With the restaurant and Bistro up and running, Steven Bell who lives locally in Great Ayton, will shortly be turning his attention to the ongoing refurbishment of the Hotel’s 13 bedrooms and has enlisted Antonio Camilleri to support Victor administer this side of the business.
