A new food hall in Upper Street announced its line-up of chefs ahead of its opening in August.
Sessions, in the former Rodizio Rico, opposite Islington Green, will be a “hybrid” restaurant with menus designed for delivery and in-house dining by rotating chefs for a limited time.
The first chefs to join the new venture will be Hasan Semay, Jay Morjaria, Zoe Adjonyoh, Richie Hayes and Elliot Kaye.
Founder Dan Warne, the former Deliveroo MD who also founded the popular Brighton food hall Shelter, said: “It’s a really difficult time for the hospitality industry right now, with food founders struggling because of financial barriers and the ongoing challenges from the pandemic.
"The landscape for the food industry has fundamentally changed and is not keeping up with what people want. At Sessions we’re establishing the architecture for food businesses of the future.
“Our vision is to make next-gen chefs and their creations more widely available through a model that’s reinventing how independent food brands can scale.”
Part of the opening line-up of chefs is Hasan Semay who has amassed a large following on YouTube for his lockdown series Sunday Sessions and will establish his first brand, Big Has, in Islington.
After founding London’s first meat-free cooking school Sutra Kitchen in 2013, Jay Morjaria will bring a Korean small plates brand, Tiger and Rabbit, to Sessions.
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen will see Zoe Adjonyoh celebrate West African flavours, ingredients, and cultures in Islington.
Completing the line-up are London chefs Richie Hayes and Elliot Kaye with their classic British restaurant Norman’s.
Sessions was founded in 2019 by Dan Warne and former Soho House finance chief Ian Banks and acts as a platform, both physical and online, to promote emerging culinary talent and brands.
With its new concept combining food hall and delivery, Sessions hopes to help brands access new markets and overcome structural start-up barriers within the food industry.
As part of its mission, Session offers menu development, branding, operational, and marketing expertise to help up and coming chefs achieve nationwide success.
Sessions will open on Thursday August 11 at 77 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0NU.
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