Top chef reveals touching Simon Rimmer gesture after shock closure of Greens
03.01.2024 - 19:49
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A top chef has opened up about a touching gesture from Greens boss Simon Rimmer during a difficult time, as he paid tribute to the restaurant's legacy after it announced its shock closure.
The vegetarian eatery in Didsbury, run by TV chef Simon, has shut its doors for the final time after 33 years with bosses saying they 'can no longer make it work.'
Simon, best known for his role on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, and his business partner Simon Connolly with whom opened the much-loved venue on Lapwing Lane in West Didsbury in 1990, cited a huge rent increase and increasing costs as the catalysts.
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Customers and fellow restaurateurs have joined a chorus of dismay at the news. And the chef of another top vegetarian spot in the city, who once worked at Greens, has spoken of his sadness as he revealed the lengths staff went to help when he was in a tough spot.
Eddie Shepherd runs The Walled Gardens, an eight-cover restaurant based in his back garden in Whalley Range, which in October was named in the We're Smart Green Guide's list of the top 100 vegetarian restaurants in the world.
In a post on Instagram, the renowned chef, who was recently named Manchester's chef of the year said: "Very sad that Greens is closing after 33 years.
"I worked there for a couple of years when I moved back to Manchester (about 15 years ago). At the time it was one of only a handful of places restaurants taking plant-based food seriously.
"Something I'll always remember & appreciate is when I moved on to work at another restaurant where I had a really unpleasant