LOCAL FOOD HEROES - THE OLIVE TREE
Gail & Raffe Tevola outside The Olive Tree, Elligham
Who are you and what’s the name of your business?
Raffaele and Gail Tevola, The Olive Tree Ellingham
Where are you based, what do you do and how long have you been in business?
We have been in business since November 1999, so 20 years, we are based in the small village of Ellingham on the Norfolk and Suffolk border in the beautiful Waveney valley.
Tell us the story of why and how you started…
We were living in London with our toddler Anton and small baby Giorgie, and Rafe, working long hours in busy London restaurants was rarely at home. So we made the decision that as a family we needed to be together, improving our work/live balance and giving our children a childhood in the countryside of my youth. It started as a vague idea when a good friend suggested we visited a property on the market near Bury St Edmunds, it wasn’t suitable but had instilled the idea, so we started a search, developed a business plan and after a few months had bought a run down pub that even the pubco was reluctant to sell as a business. After six months of really hard graft (by my amazing brother James and his team of local craftsmen), with Rafe still working in London to fund the renovations, sofa surfing as we had sold the house and amazing support from family and friends, we were able to open and life has never been the same!
Raffe making his legendary authentic Italian pizza…
What would you normally be doing at this time of year and how is it different under the current lockdown situation?
Firstly the shock of having to close so abruptly was devastating, two days before one of the busiest and one of my favourite days of the year, Mother’s day. Initially it was overwhelming, the thought of not seeing our fantastic staff, customers and friends, celebrating their birthdays, anniversaries and all the moments which make you strive and continue a business through recession and the constant daily problems which seem to conspire to throw you off course.
In our opinion the best pizza in the Waveney Valley - and further…
What challenges have you faced and how have you met them in order to keep business moving?
We had to adapt pretty quickly to takeaways, the following day after the Friday announcement of closures we were offering takeaway and by the next Wednesday had a menu, hygiene procedures with window service and other measures established. Our customers have been incredible and we really can’t thank them enough, it is wonderful to see familiar faces if only for a brief moment.
One of dozens of pizzas served daily by The Olive Tree.
Have you discovered any benefits or positive effects from this new way of thinking about your business?
The main benefit of the way we now work is the reduction in hours, we are able to spend much more time catching up with gardening and projects at home, it’s such a luxury to go to bed before 12! We are just both really grateful that we are able to work in some form, to still support local suppliers and still provide a taste of Italian sunshine in the Waveney valley!
What are you looking forward to most when this ends?
Really looking forward to seeing the restaurant full again with the hum of contented chatter, clink of glassware, aroma of good food and the love of our Olive Tree family.
Gail & Raffe at their temporary serving hatch with another superb order awaiting collection*.
*it was ours - and, as always, amazing!