Find a Foodie judges shortlist entrepreneurs

Thirteen of the best South West food entrepreneurs have been chosen, by a panel of regional food experts, to go through to the next stage of Exeter’s Find a Foodie search.

Launched by the team behind Exeter’s Queen St. Dining, ‘Find a Foodie’ is set to discover the next big thing in the region’s thriving food and drink sector. 

The winning enterprise will have the opportunity to join the West Country’s most exciting culinary hub and receive an impressive support package, including a 3-month free occupancy of a kiosk in Queen St.   The winner will also receive expert business, marketing and mentoring support.

Queen St is looking for an entrepreneur with great energy and drive, an enterprising idea, signature dish or innovative food product. The idea, behind the search, is to help an exciting entrepreneur on the road to leaving a lasting legacy and to enable a fledgling business to share in the success of the region’s most hotly anticipated dining destination.

The entrants, shortlisted to go further in the search are Simushi, Naturally Bread, Pickle Shack, M.Welch Catering Services, Lola’s Wings, The Stubborn Calabrian, Just Hummus, Let’s Tacobout It!, Big Bakes Bakery, Rollin One, Fravocado, Gourmet Doughnuts, Richenza’s.

The shortlist was decided last Thursday, at the Express and Echo office, by an especially selected expert panel of business and food industry judges. The Judges are as follows:

Becky Sheaves - Western Morning News Columnist & West Magazine Editor
Matthew Garlick - Santander Business Manager
Jay Allan - Director of Hillside Foods
Gordon Richardson - Express & Echo Business Editor
Karen Skerratt - Exeter Street Food Managing Director
Matthew Watts – PKF Francis Clark Marketing Manager

The successful entrants will now showcase their menus and products, and compete against other, in two taste tester rounds at the Queen St. Food Markets on Saturday 6th August and Saturday13th August, between 12pm and 3pm. The general public will have the opportunity to try the delicious food offerings and vote for their favourites. The public votes will then be combined with the judges’ to decide the winner.

Guildhall Manager Andrew McNeilly comments: “The standard of local entrepreneurs, entering the search, has been exceptional. The panel was bowled over by the number of innovative ideas and amount of enthusiasm exhibited by the entrants. It was very difficult to choose a shortlist, as all of the entrants made a huge effort with their submissions and we are grateful to them all for their participation. We are now keen for Exeter residents and visitors to have their say, when the entrepreneurs take part in the Food Markets in August.”

Queen St. Dining, due to open later this summer, will feature an eclectic mix of exciting brands - the majority of which are new to the South West. The line up is as follows: Absurd Bird, Comptoir Libanais, Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), Grillstock, KuPP, The Stable, The Terrace and Turtle Bay. The dining quarter will also introduce new wonderful and welcoming open air spaces designed especially for food events, markets and entertainment.

Queen St. is the latest exciting development in Exeter’s home-grown food revolution. In addition to having a great mix of independents and national brand names, the city also boasts the annual Festival of South West Food and Drink, the brainchild of celebrity chef Michael Caines OBE. Devon’s food culture is growing in popularity, gaining regional and national recognition for its choice of unique food producers and well know chefs and eateries.