Bexhill: Take a look inside new town centre bistro

The Good Story Bistro is based at 45 St Leonards Road and is part of The Good Story Initiative, a non-profit organisation that was set up at the start of the third national lockdown during the Covid pandemic.

Valeriya Dvornyk, who runs the new bistro, said: “During the lockdown, me and my two daughters, Sofia and Anabelle decided to run a soup kitchen from our house, we called it The Good Story Soup. Two times a week we would go to the local greengrocer’s to get vegetables and then create a flavour.

“I am from eastern Europe so soup is a natural rescue remedy there. You eat soup when you are happy, you eat soup when you are sad and you eat soup full stop all of the time. It was our way of saying ‘you are not alone’ during winter lockdown to the Bexhill community.

“We created a Facebook page where I would post a photo of the soup and say what flavour it was, then we would have a contactless collection box for soup takers by the garage door, as well as a contactless delivery. It just went from there.”

Valeriya said her soup offerings were ‘so well-supported’ by the community, for which she is very grateful.

She added: “I was contacted by people from as far away as Australia, usually by families of people living in Bexhill, asking me to deliver soup to their parents or loved ones.

Valeriya said after the pandemic was declared over and life returned to normal, several charities contacted her, encouraging her to look for a premises in Bexhill to set up a similar operation in town.

She said: “I always had in mind a vision for a bistro with sustainable food and it being an inclusive place, place that encourages craftsmanship and creativity, so it all just came together. The stars truly aligned.

“I started looking for a venue. It was not as easy as I thought it would be because Bexhill is small and I did not want to be based outside of there, as it’s a Bexhill-born project.

“I kept on looking for a venue because I wanted it to be central, so it would be easy for everyone to access. Finally, after many different negotiations, I managed to secure this place.”

The venue, which used to be a shop, needed to be renovated from scratch, she said.

All of the furniture and fittings at the bistro are reclaimed and pre-loved, Valeriya added.

She said: “At the bistro we have a “Hideout”, a room where in the near future we will start all sorts of workshops and wellbeing activities. Please keep an eye on announcements on our social media platforms.”

A soft opening was held before the bistro officially opened last Monday (November 4).

Valeriya said: “We offer lovely coffees and teas here and, as of next week, will be offering artisan cakes. Soup is the core of our bistro and we are still making soups from vegetables sourced from the local greengrocer’s. Breakfast and toasties will be on the menu too.

“Every portion that we sell generates a free portion that goes in the fridge for use by anyone to claim at the end of each day, no questions asked. Just ask for “V’s special.

“We are a non-profit organisation and are here to create a more compassionate community.”