Solace, at 12 Smithdown Place on the corner of Smithdown Road and Allerton Road, is the first venture of its own for Tasha Godwin, Eugen Raka and Mark Lavelle, who bring more than 55 years of combined hospitality experience.

The three have worked alongside each other at several Liverpool venues over the past decade and have been looking for the right site to open their own restaurant for some time.

The trio have now taken on the lease of a former fast-food unit and transformed it into a warm, intimate two-floor restaurant.

By day, “Solace at Sunrise” serves brunch, healthy high-protein options and speciality coffee from Liverpool roaster Crosby Coffee. In the evening, “Solace After Dark” turns the space into a small plates venue with a curated wine list and cocktails.

The restaurant is now open seven days a week, from 9am until 10pm Sunday to Wednesday and until midnight Thursday to Saturday.

The funding from River Capital sits alongside significant investment committed by the three themselves, and has funded the refurbishment of the premises, new kitchen equipment, opening stock and working capital for the restaurant’s first months of trading.

Each brings a defined role. Tasha Godwin, who will lead operations and marketing, began her career at Browns Liverpool and rose to Assistant General Manager at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant before managing the refurbishment and launch of Emily’s in Formby.

Eugen Raka, who will run front of house as General Manager, has worked his way up through Fazenda, Miller & Carter, 60 Hope Street and Mason’s while Mark Lavelle, Head Chef, has led kitchens across the city since 2013, including Neon Jamon and Bistro Frank and was a senior chef at Brunch Club & Emily’s

Solace’s launch creates a further 13 jobs, including a sous chef, 4 chef de parties, 2 front of house managers and 6 front of house and bar staff. There are also plans to work with local colleges to recruit apprentices as the restaurant grows.

.Tasha Godwin, co-founder of Solace, said:

The response we’ve received since opening Solace has been absolutely incredible. We’ve been overwhelmed by the warmth, kindness and support shown to us by the local community, and we’re so proud to be part of such a special area of Liverpool. Our vision has always been to create somewhere that brings people together, whether that’s our neighbours, people visiting from across the city, or tourists discovering Liverpool for the first time. We want Solace to be a place where everyone feels welcome, enjoys exceptional food and hospitality, and leaves looking forward to their next visit. We’re incredibly excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to welcome even more people through our doors.

Sue Chambers, Investment Manager at River Capital, said:

“Tasha, Eugen and Mark have spent their whole careers in hospitality, and between them they cover the three roles every successful restaurant depends on: the kitchen, the floor and the running of the business. They have put a significant amount of their own money into Solace and arrived with a clear, well researched plan and a team already in place. Allerton Road is one of the city’s strongest neighbourhood food destinations, and we’re pleased to support an independent business that will create local jobs there.”

Sue Banard, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, added:

Solace is a great example of how the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II can help ambitious entrepreneurs turn their experience and ideas into new ventures, creating new jobs, supporting vibrant high streets and delivering community-focused spaces for local people to enjoy.”

The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investments up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunities for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage financed for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.

ENDS