Donnie Montgomery August 19, 2021

HENDERSONS WELCOMES CHEFS BACK

Legendary vegetarian restaurant Hendersons will re-open this September on Edinburgh’s Barclay Place. Whilst the interior refurbishment continues, owner Barrie Henderson has recruited two former chefs to head up the kitchen at the new venue.

Head chef Paul Kayne was in charge of the kitchen at Hendersons Vegan whilst, Senior Chef Nives Arosio was in charge of cooking at Hendersons Salad Table. After stints working in other vegan and vegetarian kitchens in Edinburgh, the pair have returned to Hendersons to develop menus that will reflect a modern approach to the vegetarian and vegan dining experience.

Barrie Henderson, grandson of founder Janet Henderson, announced plans to re-establish the family business earlier this year following pleas from former customers, devastated by news of the closure of the city centre restaurants last year.

Barrie said:

Paul and Nives were the secret ingredients that allowed the old Hendersons thrive, and I couldn’t be happier to welcome them back. We’re currently working on refreshing the menus to include new dishes whilst tweaking some of our classics to make the all-day dining experience at the new site both approachable and affordable. We’re conscious that many of our returning customers will be eager to see their favourite dishes, but we’re also getting creative with exciting additions like smaller, more tapas-style dishes and our bakery offerings.

Paul worked at Hendersons Vegan for 4 years, developing vegan dishes that focused on naturally nutrient-rich wholefood ingredients, bucking the trend of using meat substitutes. This was a big success with the clientele, with ‘the vegan’, as it was affectionately known, being a favourite hang-out for vegan (and non-vegan) celebrities like Woody Harrelson, Ian McKellen, Chris Leibing and Akon when they were visiting Edinburgh. His creations included black bean pudding sliders with beer batter bun, apple pickle and homemade ketchup, and celeriac gnocchi with whisky date sauce (pictured).

Nives was with Hendersons for 8 years, working as Head Chef at The Salad Table for 4 years, and Head of Pastry for 3 years prior to that. Before coming to Scotland, Nives wrote a well-known vegan cookbook in her native Italy: La Cucina Etica Regionale. A mother to 2 lovely daughters, Nives specialises in desserts and makes fantastic vegan cakes.

Opening 7 days a week, the new Hendersons will serve food and drinks throughout the day with diners equally welcome to visit for coffee and cake, drinks and snacks, lunch or dinner. Breakfast will be introduced at a later date.