A Blyth restaurant is set to appear on the new series of Come Dine With Me: The Professionals.
Caboose on Quay Road is one of three restaurants that will battle it out to win a cash prize to share among the restaurant's staff. The restaurant, which aims to bring 'a real touch of class' to Blyth, opened in 2019 and has remained open following the Coronavirus pandemic, despite owner Marc McPake saying it feels the staff have been fighting "left, right and centre," since opening.
Owner Marc and chef Mark Hubble haven't seen the edited version of the programme but are expecting a few flashpoints after "clashes of personality" on the show. But Marc says that they have remained true to themselves, choosing to remain honest rather than playing the game.
Read more: Northumberland chippy and restaurant to appear on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals
Marc said: "It was a very surreal experience, it was four full on days of filming. We'd start at seven or eight in the morning and some days we didn't get finished until one or two in the morning.
"The contestants were all very different and and I think that's the whole point of the show, to bring different people in and see what happens. They were nice, we got on very well but there were some really strange and different personalities going on."
Marc can't reveal the final results but mentioned there were some arguments. He said: "We're really honest people, we're not nasty. But myself and Mark are no shrinking violets either so if there was something to be said, then it was said."
But for the duo, it wasn't about winning, it was about bringing their restaurant to a bigger audience and representing the North East. He continued: "The objective for me was not about the result, we just really wanted to showcase what we have and who we are.
"We really believe we present a really high standard so the objective for us was to get that across as well as having some fun. It's a huge privilege for us to be on national TV too.
"I know this is slightly over-egging the pudding, but we're representing the North East and I think we've done a great job at showing there are some great places to visit, especially up and down the Northumberland Coast. People often reference us as a hidden gem and I think that's great for the region that people can come and explore and find places off the beaten track.
Caboose will be open when the programme airs and there are no televisions in the restaurant, so there won't be any viewing parties - unlike the one that Namaste in Gateshead are hosting ahead of their appearance tonight. However, the pair will be watching it, though Marc will have a cushion at the ready to hide behind, saying: "I t’s actually Mark’s birthday on the day it’s going to be shown so the idea is to invite Mark and his partner round to my house and we’re going to watch it together."
Come Dine With Me: The Professionals started on Channel 4 at 5pm on Monday June 27. The episode featuring Caboose will air on Thursday July 14, with it being made available on All4 shortly after.
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