A café opposite the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children is marking ten years of service this week. The team at Penfold’s Kitchen has been described as “community heroes” by one doctor, led by the caring spirit of its owner, Simon Penfold, who goes above and beyond to support the hospital community.
Simon, originally from Dorset, has lived in Bristol since his university years. Now married with children, he originally worked in retail for Snow + Rock but had always dreamed of owning his own café, and took the opportunity when local hospitality group Caffe Gusto was selling its site on Upper Maudlin Street opposite the children's hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary back in 2013.
“It wasn’t all easy," he said. "The first two years I had to sell my house to keep going and then a big Costa opened inside the hospital, but then gradually, we built over the years and our relationship with the hospital grew and grew. They’ve kept us going, really.”
