National Tell A Story Day – The Story Behind Eat Cambridge

We love hearing about what’s inspired someone to create a brand and get it off the ground. And what better day to hear a brand story, than National Tell a Story Day. We are celebrating this great day by hearing Heidi Whites story about what inspired her to start Eat Cambridge. Thank you Heidi, for sharing your story with us.

What inspired you to start Eat Cambridge?

A few years ago there was the quiet rumbling of a fantastic independent food scene emerging in Cambridge and, along with two other enthusiastic lovers of local food and drink, I wanted to create something special which would showcase that scene to the wider public. We felt there was something missing: the city didn’t have an annual food festival like other places do, and our small, burgeoning producers and hot spots were mainly off the beaten track and would often be missed or forgotten in favour of chains. We were determined to do something about that and I wanted to bring better quality, more interesting food and drink to the forefront of the city, and to show people how amazing it was to be connected with the provenance of ingredients and to be face-to-face with producers.

Have you been a life-long foodie?

I think so, yes, even before I became so passionate about spending my time seeking out only the best, independently produced food and drink. I’ve always loved eating out, and when I travel food and drink experiences play a big part in the schedule! I have always liked to cook my own meals from scratch (and for my family now too), and this comes from lots of home cooking as a child.

Has food always been part of your childhood?

Definitely. There’s a big focus on mealtimes and celebrating with food in our house. We always had homemade meals growing up; lots of freshly baked bread, homemade cakes every few days, and plenty of camping holidays and picnics which involved bringing and making our own food!

What is your greatest foodie moment so far?

I was so proud to be awarded the first ever “Food Hero” award at the Cambridge News Food and Drink Awards back in 2015, and every day I continue to feel incredibly proud of what I have achieved by creating food Park (and bringing a street food scene to Cambridge). It’s changed the food and drink landscape of the city.

What is the one foodie adventure you’d still like to take part in? I would love to learn more about wine in the future; in particular, I have always
wanted to live and work on a vineyard and learn about the winemaking process from start to finish. I used to picture doing this somewhere exotic, but I’ve recently fallen so in love with English sparkling wines that I might just find the opportunity a bit closer to home one day!