We're looking for staff...

The Spark Cafe Bar and Events is looking for staff. Please see the job descriptions below for more details.

PERMANENT FULL TIME VACANCY FOR A CAFE BAR CHEF

DESCRIPTION

We are looking for an enthusiastic Cafe Bar Chef. Duties will centre on food preparation and cooking using locally sourced, good quality ingredients. As food is homemade and cooked to order, the successful candidate must have the necessary skills to prepare and make dishes from scratch and present them to a high standard in a timely manner.  The successful candidate will also be expected to adhere to high standards of kitchen hygiene and safety. In addition to this, duties may also include catering for special events and functions.

We are a small team who work together closely and as such additional tasks may be assigned as and when necessary.

HOURS

Approximately 40-45 hours per week, over 6 days and with some split shifts - the successful candidate must be flexible.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate should be qualified to at least NVQ level 2 or equivalent and have a current level 2 food safety certificate and/or have the necessary experience to fulfil this role.

SALARY

On application

HOW TO APPLY

You can apply for this vacancy by handing in your CV or by emailing your CV to info@thesparkcafebar.co.uk.

Applicants should also attach a covering letter explaining why they feel they are suitable for the role.

September's Open Mic Night

On Thursday 29th, we held our second Open Mic Night and again, there were some great performances. Take a look at a video of The Offbeat - a Lichfield band aged between 15 and 17. Amazing talent.

Workshops kick off....

The Spark has hosted our first workshops over the past few days. There's more to come in October - we're hosting two Art and Stitch workshops, including one for children during half-term, a songwriting workshop and a cupcake decorating workshop. Visit the Socialise tab of our website for more details. But in the meantime, take a look at some pics from Kirsty Smith's Hand Felted Flower Brooch Workshop. There was lots of fun and laughter and every brooch was a work of art!

The Strumtroopers take The Spark

A great night on Thursday night as The Strumtroopers entertained us with their unique style. With an array of ukuleles and a pair of bongos, we were treated to irreverent versions of songs both old and new, from Abba and Soft Cell to Lady Gaga. We hope they'll be coming back next month, but in the meantime, take a look at the clip to see them in action.

The Spark's first Open Mic Night

On Bank Holiday Sunday, The Spark held it's first live music event in the form of an Open Mic Night. Our stage was christened as musicians of many genres came to show us what they can do, all contributing to the chilled-out vibe with their acoustic sets. In fact, with the atmosphere, food, wine and music, it felt more like we were in a side-street cafe in Paris, rather than the centre of Lichfield! The night finished with a set by Chloe and Tom from Chloe and The Tomcats, who had been gigging elsewhere, but made it back to treat us. Thank you to everyone who came - look out for the next date which will be towards the end of September.

Launch Night

Monday was our Launch Night and we were pleased to see the place full for the first time. The fizz was top notch, as were the canapés prepared by our chefs, Gavin and John. Rich Spencer from LichLIVE took some fabulous pics - take a look!

The team behind The Spark

One of our main principles is to create a warm and friendly neighbourhood hang-out where people of all ages can meet and socialise. So, with that in mind, it's time for you to get to know the team behind The Spark!

Della and Sejal  first met whilst working as teachers at the same school. They decided to go into business together to try something different. After pondering what they could do, they realised they could combine the things they already enjoy - eating out, coffee and socialising. Della's interest in cooking and Sejal's in arts and crafts meant that they had lots of ideas to consider. And so, The Spark was born and, having gone through many revisions, the concept was rounded out to the one you read today.

When you pop in make sure you say hello!

The countdown begins....

Today in two weeks time, we will officially be open! Tuesday 16th August is our first day of trading and in the lead-up, we'll be letting you know more about us and what we will offer to Lichfield.

In the meanwhile, if you haven't walked past us yet, here's what we look like with our new sign.

14 days to go!

Our website goes live

We hope you like it - check out www.thesparkcafebar.co.uk. It was designed for us by DevMac Systems in Burton and was exactly what we were looking for.

We'll be posting a lot more in the next few weeks leading up to our opening, so keep an eye on the website for updates.

The first day of the building works

Back at the end of April, we started renovating 19 Tamworth Street. The premises previously housed Millets (the outdoor supplies store), so we have a lot of work ahead of us to turn it into a cafe bar. Thankfully, we've got lots of great people working for us, including our friend Rob, who's been beavering away and can be seen below on the first day when all the ripping out began. We've made progress since then - the kitchen is nearly complete and the bathrooms are well on the way too.

Welcome to our blog!

Here you'll find news, previews and pictures of all the goings-on at The Spark. We'll be posting regularly, both when we're open and in the lead up to the big day, so keep checking back to see our progress from building site to Lichfield's newest independent cafe bar!