On a normal day at Cafe Tabac, Elaine Clarke would see a cast of the city’s actors and writers huddled around a pot of tea - tinkering with the words to a new film or book.
“Everyman Bistro and Cafe Tabac, that was the hub,” Elaine tells the ECHO, speaking about the two institutions that have had a strong hand in shaping a large part of Liverpool's modern cultural identity. Elaine herself was central to maintaining the “hub” at Cafe Tabac, taking over the business from her aunty Rita at the age of 23 in 1990, but she has also played a central role in making Ropewalks and Concert Square the “destination” it has become today.
Three decades later she has now been recognised for her contribution to the city with the award of an OBE in the new year honours list. It’s an accolade she says she’s “overwhelmed” to receive and one that draws together a life’s work at the heart of the city’s hospitality sector.
