A gourmet couple who left Crickhowell because they couldn’t find a permanent place to trade from are “coming home” after being offered a new shop in the converted Corn Exchange pub.
Darryl Evans and Michelle O’Donnell-Evans started selling their luxury brownies from Crickhowell’s Market Hall in 2013. Their home-baking enterprise proved a huge success and they started looking for a shop to trade from but they couldn’t find a suitable premise.
Michelle said: “We love Crickhowell and desperately wanted to stay. We explored every nook and cranny but couldn’t find anywhere feasible in the town centre to trade from. In the end we made the difficult decision to set up elsewhere, away from our family and friends. It was hard but we’ve visited regularly and always said we would come back if we could. When we heard about The Corn Exchange we knew this was our chance and wanted to be part of this really special project.”
Darryl and Michelle were prominent members of Crickhowell’s Totally Locally movement and helped promote Crickhowell’s uniquely independent High Street before they left. Now they are bringing their range of luxury brownies back to Crickhowell, along with several specially selected gourmet coffees and teas. In January 2018, they will launch their vegetarian and vegan brunch-style menu. And the shop will also showcase their increasingly popular brownie wedding cakes, brownie towers and brownie wedding favours.
Darryl said: “Our brownies were very popular in Crickhowell and many people have kept in contact with us since we were here. Since the chocolate shop left town, we feel there is a gap in the market for luxury sweet goods and a growing desire for vegetarian and vegan cuisine.”
The couple also want to turn Odonnell Bakehouse into a hub for the thriving arts community in the area. Darryl said: “Crickhowell is a very special place and we want to help the town to flourish. In time, we want to do themed tastings with seasonal foods, using the fantastic local produce that is available, and hold events to give up and coming artists and musicians a venue where they can be viewed, heard and enjoyed by as many people as possible in Crickhowell and the surrounding areas”.
Darryl and Michelle will take the largest unit in The Corn Exchange, which is now owned by 250 mainly local shareholders. Managing Director of Corn Exchange Crickhowell Ltd, Dean Christy, said: “We are delighted to welcome Odonnell Bakehouse back home to Crickhowell. Their brownies were immensely popular when they traded from the Market Hall and it is a measure of their success that they now want a shop to trade from.
“The conversion of The Corn Exchange has created new retail spaces and new opportunities for great small businesses like theirs and they, in turn, are planning to offer a platform for up and coming artists and artisans to display all that is best about Crickhowell.”