New sandwich shop opens in Stratford with owners looking to fill some big shoes

A STRATFORD couple who’ve opened a sandwich bar in Union Street say they have “big shoes to fill”.

Adrienne and Sam Owen, who’ve lived and worked in the town for 12 years, launched Kusina Kitchen on Monday.

The pair, who’ve taken over the shop that was Chadd’s, offer handmade sandwiches, paninis, cakes, cookies, sausage rolls, jacket potatoes and soups.

After signing the contract to take over the unit in mid-June, they gave the takeaway a glow-up with a fresh coat of paint.

Adrienne, who started as an apprentice at MOR Bakery and studied hospitality and catering at Stratford College before qualifying as a chef, said: “I worked under a brilliant head chef, Tara Hopper at MOR who taught me everything I know.”

After she left MOR, Adrienne went on to learn bookkeeping and customer service skills.

Sam worked at the Box Brownie coffee shop in Henley Street for almost nine years, so the couple both have plenty of experience between them.

At Kusina Kitchen, Adrienne is in charge of the food, while Sam will be serving customers.

Adrienne added: “We’d always wanted to have our own little café and when Chadd’s closed in December and the unit was empty, we immediately started wondering if we should throw our hat in the ring.

“This is perfect for us, as it’s small enough to dip our toes in, is already well-known by locals and Union Street is a really buzzy location.”

The couple, who have a 15-month-old son, were regular customers of the sandwich shop and got to know owner Carole Chadd and her colleague and friend Jan Krime who worked with her for 23 years.

Carole hung up her apron after deciding to spend more time with her family and do some travelling.

Adrienne added: “Chadd’s is something of a sandwich institution in the town, so we hope we can do as well as Carole’s done over the 24 years she’s been there.

“We know we’ve got big shoes to fill but Carole’s said she’s really pleased for us and that means a lot.”