Maggie May's: Head chef from Sheffield's Dore Grill snapped up by city centre bar after shock closure

Maggie May’s has signed up Francisco Llaca-Menendez and his 20-year-old son Diego Llaca-Valeria, who worked with him at The Dore Grill, as it launches an exciting new menu. They will be cooking up a range of burgers, including an exclusive chorizo burger, along with hand-stretched, stone-cooked pizzas and a range of tapas dishes and globally influenced small plates at the popular soul music venue on Trippet Lane.

There was great shock when The Dore Grill restaurant on Church Lane in the village of Dore announced in early November that it was closing with immediate effect after 36 years, saying that despite its many five-star reviews, too few people were visiting for it to survive. Among the fans saddened by its demise was Maggie May’s owner Gary Sinclair, who told how he called the owner the next day to express his sympathy but also to enquire about its head chef Francisco, who he said turned out to be the ‘perfect match’ for his bar.

Francisco and Diego have already begun transforming the kitchen at Maggie May’s, where they are putting the finishing touches to the new menu. One of the most exciting additions is the chorizo burger, exclusively made using meat from the Eckington-based artisan chorizo-maker Casa Gomez. Classic beef burgers are also available, along with lamb burgers, thai fish burgers, harissa chicken burgers and vegan burgers. The pizza toppings, meanwhile, include some classic flavour combinations with a twist, such as artichoke and fennel sausage, and wild mushroom and caramelised balsamic onions. The range of small plates is still being finalised but Francisco plans to incorporate elements from cuisines around the world, from North Africa to South America.

Francisco was born and raised in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, where he said ‘we play bagpipes, drink cider and it rains more than in Manchester’. He came to the UK in 1990 and planned to stay for six months but met his wife Paola on his first day here and ended up staying for good.

He describes himself as a self-taught chef whose first venture into the dining industry was as front-of-house manager at the Kito’s Italian restaurant in Woodseats when it was opened by his brother-in-law in the 90s. He later moved into the kitchen and he told how his jobs before Dore Grill included a short spell as head chef at Mercure Sheffield St Paul's Hotel & Spa and three years as senior sous chef at Kenwood Hall.

The 57-year-old, who also has a daughter, called Claudia, working in the catering industry, said: “I’m very excited about this opportunity at Maggie May’s. I haven’t been as excited as this for many, many years, and hopefully we'll be working together there for many years to come.”

He added: “It’s not just about the kitchen for me. I’m a lover of soul music too. I’m a mod from the mod revival so for me working here is ideal because they play the music I love, and when you love the place where you work you tend to be more relaxed and do a better job.”