Paul Foster | Kickstarter

Paul Foster is on a mission to make his lifelong dream come true by opening his own restaurant called Salt, that focuses on ‘modern British’ food. With a target fund of £100,000 through Kickstarter, and with less than a fortnight left, the head chef is certain he will make his total.

Using Kickstarter is a popular way to fund creative projects, but you have to make your idea stand out in order to gain pledges. Paul explained: “It’s hard and it’s very stressful because it’s up and down. There will be a few hours where it’s really good, then it goes quiet for a few hours and there’s no real pattern of time, and it’s really strange. “I thought weekends would be easier, but they tend to be the slower days, but mid-week tends to be the more active.” Paul is expecting a higher level of pledges this Friday as it will be payday, and so far he has nearly hit the £27,000 mark. Starting up a restaurant can usually take a while to earn back investors’ money, and that is why Paul turned to Kickstarter. Paul continued: “You need people who believe in it, or have experienced the trade before. So going to the banks is out of the question with the rates and the instant return that you have to give.” There is always support from others within the industry, which Paul has found, he said: “It’s crazy the amount of support we’ve had, it’s been brilliant. Some of the top chefs in the country have got their weight behind it as well, which is fantastic and it can only help.

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“It’s been quite flattering really as everyone just wants to give the time to just share it or pledge, or just try and promote it, put it through their contacts, spread it verbally.” Opening a restaurant is the dream for many chefs, Paul said: “The main thing is complete creative freedom as welll as being your own boss, helping to promote yourself and your product, and make it your own. “I have worked in some fantastic places, but the ultimate for me is being my own boss and doing my own thing.” paul foster craft guild

Paul always knew that he wanted to be chef since he was 10 years old, he explained: “Food is one of those things that everyone has in common, and it just means so many different things to everyone. It can create experiences, and I appreciated that from a really early age.” With the topic of the chef shortage, Paul felt that his future restaurant would not be as affected as he is starting small. “I’m going to be very hands on with it," said Paul. "Especially from the start. It’s about going the extra mile yourself. When I was learning, I was working all the hours available, and when I was off work I was reading cook books, researching, doing stages, because it’s a passion and you can’t put that into someone.” By Ashleigh Rigden