Bench la Cave to open at Sheffield’s Park Hill next month

Bartender Jack Wakelin and chef Ronnie Aronica’s Bench la Cave links back to the pair’s original restaurant Bench in the Sheffield suburb of Nether Edge. 

For their latest project, Wakelin and Aronica will be joined by baker Dan Ward. 

By day, Bench la Cave will offer Ward’s house sourdough; a selection of sweet treats, sandwiches and a selection of retail products.

In the early evening the venue will transform into a wine bar, stocking natural wines made popular at Bench and craft beers to drink or takeaway. 

There will also be a short food menu inspired by the team’s favourite Parisian wine bars.

“Three weeks into Bench’s life, we were forced to close for lockdown and pivoted from a restaurant to a ‘deli – bottle shop’. At the deli, we served Dan’s sourdough, cheese, charcuterie and tarts; the bottle shop sold natural wine, bottled cocktails, craft beers, and started a natural wine subscription which still runs to this day. This gave us a really good trial run, and it’s something we’ve wanted to bring back since,” Wakelin says. 

Wakelin and Aronica launched The Pearl at Park Hill in September last year,​​ the first bar to open at Park Hill since the closure of the well-known estate’s four original pubs.

“We love how welcoming the community at Park Hill has made us feel at the Pearl and we couldn’t be more excited to bring Bench la Cave to this special place. We’ve found ourselves part of the fabric (or concrete!) of the place already,” continues Wakelin.

Aronica added: “We’ve always been fans of Dan’s bread. We served it at our very first pop ups and when we opened Bench we knew the quality and care that it’s made with would make it a signature of the restaurant, and so it has proved to be. Giving Dan the opportunity to showcase his talent on a larger scale, has always been in the back of our minds so the opportunity to make it happen is something we’re really excited about.”

Bench la Cave launches on 9 February.