The Beating Heart of KIN+ILK: The Maltings
The Maltings is more than just a KIN+ILK branch; it's the central kitchen for all our ‘grab+go’ range as well as food for Pontcanna, KIN X The Old Bank and catering for events. . Every morning, our diligent team at The Maltings whips up a fresh selection of grab-and-go offerings, promptly dispatched by our trusty 'KINmobile' to various sites.
Beyond ensuring the readiness of our sandwiches, The Maltings team continuously innovates, introducing new creations and seasonal deals to keep things exciting. One of our latest vegan options is the 'Build Me Up Butternut' sandwich, featuring roasted harissa-spiced butternut squash, vegan garlic mayo, pickled pink onions, and rocket – a flavorful and comforting choice, especially during gloomy weather.
Heading the team is Simmie Vedi, with a background in fine dining and pop-ups, check out more about Simmie here. We recently had a chat with Simmie to understand the ins and outs of The Maltings and its significance for KIN+ILK.
Q1. How long have you been working at The Maltings?
I've worked at the Maltings for a year, first as the assistant kitchen manager. I then moved up to manage the kitchen in July, when our previous head chef moved on.
Q2. Who makes up your team at The Maltings?
My team consists of Mark, my assistant manager; Ewa, our all-rounder who does kitchen & FoH; Rhys, one of our shareholders & Joe, our barista.
Q3. Can you give us a glimpse into a typical day at The Maltings?
I'll arrive at the Maltings between 5/5.30am and get a prep list set for the team, check all fridges and paperwork then print out any orders that need to be fulfilled. I will usually start prep as the team comes in, then a short briefing talking about the plan for the day while we set up. We will prep everything we need, then start putting grab+go items together, checking them off our list as we go. If we have events or catering requests, then we'll agree times to prepare and set up for those. Any spare time, we may have a debrief then get on with cleaning and admin. We're fortunate to get on well and have a laugh as we're working - in fact I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in work!
Q4. What's the team's current favourite grab-and-go item?
The one thing we rarely say no to is a toastie. New York Deli is a new favourite, and the Caesar wrap is always a winner.
Q5. From your experience, what's the trickiest part of working at The Maltings?
The biggest pressure point for us is when we're juggling grab+go, lunch service & events on the same day. It can get intense, but if things get difficult for us, we've got a great support system in place.
We're continually amazed by the incredible team at the Maltings!