A quality café, specialising in street food, has opened at the award-winning Malton Enterprise Park in North Yorkshire.
The Blu fig is run by the York City footballing legend Andy McMillan and his family.
It is serving the 300-plus occupiers at the thriving business park, next to the A64 York-Scarborough Road, as well as the town of Malton.
The Blu fig, situated in the heart of the park, has 16 covers, with tables outside for the summer and a full takeaway service. Opening hours will be from 7.30am until 3.00pm.
Andy, who made almost 500 appearances for York City between 1987 and 1999, explained: “This is a tremendously exciting venture for myself and my family. We are working in partnership with our friends Sean and Sue Harrison, who own and run Malton Enterprise Park and we all believe that a successful café is exactly what the park needs.
“A key to the future success of the Blu fig is the hiring of talented and experienced Yorkshire chef Andy Lodge, whose previous posts have included successful spells with the Army, popular restaurants in the South-West of England and London, and, most recently, at the Yorkshire Spa Retreat, near Helmsley. His speciality is street food.
“I feel as passionate about this project as I did about playing for York City back in the day. Malton has a reputation as the food capital of North Yorkshire and we believe the Blu fig will enhance this reputation even further. “
Andy Lodge commented: “This is a very timely and important project for me. I have been given a blank canvas to create a menu which is both nourishing, tasty and imaginative. The Blu fig isn’t going to be some formulaic café, it’s going to add something very special to one of the most successful business parks in North Yorkshire.
“The location is superb. The hundreds of workers at the park will no longer have to bring their own food to work, or drive into Malton for their breakfast or lunch. They will have a fabulous café and take-away service on their doorstep.
“I am a proud Yorkshireman, so much of the county’s wonderful produce will be a key ingredient of my dishes. These will include an English breakfast special in a tortilla wrap, steamed Bao buns with Chinese style crispy pork belly, Korean Fried Chicken and Pulled Brisket with sweet chilli and soy on a flatbread.
“At the same time, there will be a wide variety of hot and cold drinks, traditional sandwiches, pastries and cakes. So, there’s something for absolutely everyone.”
The opening of the Blu fig is the first phase of a new Health Hub at Malton Enterprise Park, which already includes a 24/7 gym will soon feature six new padel and pickleball courts, which will also be run by the McMillans.
Sean Harrison explained: “We are very proud of what we have already achieved at our business park, creating hundreds of new and sustainable jobs. What the park has lacked, until now, is a quality café and restaurant to service everyone who works here. The Blu fig, with its exciting and nourishing food, is the perfect solution.
“The site’s success is due to the excellent occupiers, which include large and small businesses, both of which are equally important to the business park. It is also important to pay tribute to our long-standing contractors and sub-contractors and our workforce, who have all played a key part in the site’s exceptional growth.”
