social enterprise

Create: where good food and people matter

On Yorkshire Day a national award winning Yorkshire social enterprise announces the imminent opening of its first ever restaurant in Leeds city centre on Friday August 5^th 2011.

Create’s flagship restaurant is designed and overseen by Executive Head Chef Richard Walton-Allen who has more than 20 years’ experience in the food industry, including 12 years as Executive Chef at Harvey Nichols. A multiple award winner, Richard was named ‘the best chef in Leeds’ by the 2011 Oliver Awards.

In a fresh, contemporary setting over two floors Create offers a menu of modern British food, bringing the best flavours of every season to the table to provide diners with a unique and memorable experience. Using the best of British ingredients - most sourced from our fair Yorkshire county – and the best local talent, the Create restaurant experience ensures you get the best food and the best service.

But the Create restaurant is about more than just great food. Every year we train more than 100 people who need a fresh start, helping them to make the journey into a job that provides not just income, but dignity and hope.

Create is a ‘for more than profit’ company. That means Create runs a great business, but every penny made gets ploughed back into training, work experience and jobs for people who have been homeless, marginalised or vulnerable.

Create launched an external catering company in 2007 and has gained a great reputation for quality food and service. Food businesses are the backbone of the company, providing a wide range of entry level jobs and allowing the trainees to learn and work alongside expert staff. So often, the people Create help have had it all and lost it. Create believes in their potential and has proved over the years that when given a chance, they show more commitment, loyalty and drive to work than the average jobseeker.

Create’s Employment Academy offers a 12-week personalised work programme in a safe, supportive environment. It works because it gives people a framework in the real world of work. Trainees benefit from quality training, hands-on work experience and the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications. Perhaps most importantly, trainees find a place where they belong and a group of people who will support and believe in them.

Create trainees will now get an opportunity to work alongside Richard and his expert team in this bold and proud new venture and be further inspired by the varied career opportunities available in the world of catering and hospitality.

“We believe that our restaurant is unique in Leeds not just because of the great British food and fantastic service but because at Create we believe in doing business for the best reasons,” says Richard.

Alistair Ponton, Managing Director Viewpoint, found that

"67% of social enterprise exhibitors at the Footsey Trade Fair view The Big Society as an opportunity to reverse the negative effect of the government cuts in public expenditure.

"In a snapshot survey of social enterprise exhibitors at the leading Social Economy event on March 3rd, conducted by Viewpoint Research CIC, it was also revealed that 73% of those surveyed have been affected negatively by the government's programme of cuts.

"But despite two-thirds of respondents seeing The Big Society as a potential opportunity for their business, a further 20% said they were unable to answer as were not sufficiently aware of what The Big Society represents, with another 13% convinced that it would not help their enterprise."

The SEYH Award Winners for 2011 are:

Start-up of the Year: Hudswell Community Pub Social Impact of the Year: Doncaster West Development Trust Social Entrepreneur of the Year: Damien Handslip (Paperworks) Social Enterprise of the Year (Joint Winners): Fresh Horizons and Barnsley Community Build

SEYH Awards were sponsored by Create Social Impact of the Year sponsored by the Social Enterprise Support Centre Social Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by Goodwin Development Trust Social Enterprise of the Year sponsored by Key Fund

Photos of this event and others can be found on our Flickr Photostream.

As part of our next stage of development we have developed a paid membership package with a range of benefits for regional social enterprises and an associate package for other individuals and organisations.

The package details can be found here.

More membership benefits can be found here

Contact Alex Sobel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on 0845 257 8027 for more details.