Café Black in Stamford has been taken over by new owners

A married couple have taken over the café that stole their hearts.

Husband and wife Paul Anthony Burke and Lenka Krsiankova-Burke have taken over Café Black in Stamford High Street, after being customers for many years.

Paul, who has been in hospitality for 30 years including 22 years at The George Hotel in Stamford, and Lenka who is a personal assistant, are both first-time business owners and Paul said they have always dreamed of owning the café.

They want to locally-source as many of the products as possible, and aim to make it a family-run business.

“I think it is really important to support local businesses and customers enjoy it when their food is local,” Paul said.

“We used to come here on our days off work and joke about owning the place as it is the only place in Stamford we would want to own.”

The couple hope to keep the café mostly the same but are looking to update the menu to provide ‘good and honest food’.

Paul said: “It has always been the best independent café in town with the best food.

“We want to keep things the same around here for a few months. However, we have plans to change the menu and open every day.

“In the coming year, the caféhas a lot of potential to step up.”

He added that although many of the staff are young, they are passionate about the café and said there has been a lot of local support.