Merlin Labron-Johnson exceeds his crowdfund target for Osip move
At the time of writing the chef has raised £138,886 from 391 backers. Hosted on Kickstarted, the crowdfund - which offers gifts and experiences rather than equity - will remain active for the next eight days.
“Two weeks ago, as I nervously launched our kickstarter to get us over the line in building our new home, the fear of rejection / failure almost prevented me from going ahead with it. Having never done anything like this before, it was difficult to predict what level of response we would get and whether or not people would be supportive of such an endeavour,” the chef wrote on Instagram yesterday (15 October).
“I am totally overwhelmed with gratitude to all those that shared, pledged and sent nice words of encouragement because you helped us reach our target so quickly and I can’t quite find the words to describe how good that made me feel.”
Osip 2.0 is billed as ‘a more ambitious evolution’ of the original Osip concept, which launched in the upmarket town of Bruton in 2019 and is currently ranked 24 on Restaurant’s list of the top 100 places to eat in the UK as well as holding a Michelin star.
Located about five minutes’ drive from Bruton in Hardway, the second iteration of Osip will feature a garden, living space and bedrooms.
Due to open next year, the new restaurant with rooms will take the form of a country auberge, the chef says.
Originally from Devon, Labron-Johnson’s cooking CV includes Albert 1er in Chamonix, France, and In De Wulf in Belgium.
In 2015 he worked with restaurateurs William Lander and Daniel Morgenthau to open Portland on Great Portland Street in London, which won a Michelin star nine months after opening.
