The man in the body of the Kirk, owner Simon Findlay and his partner Ruth Graham are creating a little gem in the 'Heart of the Town' that is the 'Queen o' a' the Borders' Hawick. Simon has vast experience behind him and many awards, his previous restaurant experience The Old Forge at Newmill on Teviot, won runner up in the Best Evening Meal category in the south of Scotland by British Beef in 1994. He also has various other bow's and experience's to add, like when he had a spell as a freelance chef, which was his own business 'Occasional Catering', where he had a great pleasure cooking for the Duke of Westminster, Her Grace the Duchess of Roxburgh, Prince Andrew and the late Princess Diana to name a few.

   He started away back in 1982 at a small place called 'The Old Smiddy' in Melrose, where he worked for his Aunt and was soon noticed very quickly by Jim Hill who was an olympic swimmer for Britain and owned the Philipburn House Hotel in Selkirk, and in 1986 he left there to go to his first Head Chef job at Mansfield House Hotel, which at the mear age of 20 years old, some felt this was to young and too soon, but thanks to the Ian and Sheila McKinnon he was able to grow and extend the level of food to a la carte meals, bar meals and Marquee Weddings, which was the start of where the McKinnon family is now with the hotel. In 1988 Simon started his travels abroad in La Palette Restaurant in Spain, Zermatt in Switzerland and Kitzbul in Austria, then moving slightly closer to home in Biarittz in France.  He then returned to Scotland in 1991 to Burts Hotel in Melrose, then moving to his own catering business 'Occasional Catering', with that tried and tested, in January 1994 his biggest challenge came when he was Chef/Proprietor of his own restaurant 'The Old Forge' at Newmill in Hawick, he got a huge reputation, in many good food guides, such as Taste of Scotland, Hidden Places, whose author was Angela Rippon and Egon Ronay. Due to falling seriously ill with meningitis and his first daughter being born and other family matters, he was forced to sell the restaurant and was off work just short of a year.

  When he did return, he came back with a bang, he landed a job as Assistant Head Chef at the Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge, Windermere, with a brigade of 21 chefs, the hotel restaurant 'John Ruskins Brassierie' was 2 rosette standard, as well as conferences and tours, with some days catering for 450 meals a day. In 1999 he was head hunted by an Italian concept restaurant, situated in Kendal, Lancaster, and Barrow, owned by John and Paul Wormall, where he was Chef/Manager. He enjoyed the change of pace from hotel to restaurant and when he was approached by owner of Custom House, Barrow, Zo Rollings, to work as Chef/Manager, he decided to move, so in 2002 he now worked in a cafe bar, with function suites, net zone and lazer zone.

  Simon then decided it was time to move back to Hawick, he had a short lived experience, but interesting one all the same at the Bank Restaurant, which was quickly followed by a move to the Mayfield Bar and Restaurant, where Simon made his mark being back in his home town. After which he took time away from the catering world to run his and Ruth's Network Marketing Business which they still run along side Findlays.

So the story continues............