We have a host of plans for the space here at House Proud with big changes on the horizon. A section of the restaurant is currently closed off and is due to be renovated into a bakery/sandwich bar. The customer area for this addition will double up as a cookery school, where Ciarán, as well as guest chefs and bakers, can host a series of bread classes, courses and other events. These changes will be funded by a Crowdfunder, and that’s where you come in.
Live now on our site are bookings for the cookery school. You can purchase vouchers for a host of classes, such as a sourdough masterclass, all day baking, or even Ciarán’s sourdough skills course. All sales will go directly towards to the renovations of the space with plans to launch the cookery school in late February 2026.
Ciarán has set a lofty goal of raising £25,000 to complete this project, but it’s actually the first of three. There is so much potential for The Focacceria and The Hundredth Monkey Bakery at their home on Boucher Road and there are two more phases of the renovations planned, again funded via a crowdfunded through this site. Phase 2 is a renovation to the restuarant area, including lighting and a new entrance to allow access separate to House Proud, giving scope to run the space in the evenings as a restaurant proper. The third and final phase is fully behind the scenes, there is a large production kitchen on site and with a cookery school, bakery/sandwich bar and now fully functioning restaurant, this area will be rethought and designed to be seamlessly act as the heart of all the divisions of the The Hundredth Monkey Bakery.
Crowdfund FAQs
How do you support it?
First and foremost by continuing to be loyal customers and advocates of The Focacceria. Coming back, telling your friends, family, colleagues and anyone who will listen is always the biggest help any small business like ours can receive, but to directly support our goals and the crowdfund ask, buy the vouchers, merchandise and other items on this site all directly funds our planned renovations and upgrades.
Why a crowdfund?
Crowdfunding is something Ciarán has constantly toyed with, but getting asked about bread classes on a weekly and sometimes daily basis it felt like the best way to bring about the changes required was to finally launch one and use our community to deliver the upgrades through essentially a presale of tickets.
What happens if the crowdfunder either exceeds or fails to meet expectations?
The Focacceria and The Hundredth Monkey Bakery both happened essentially by accident but with a healthy dose of resilience and perseverance. A cookery school, bakery/sandwich bar, fully fledged restaurant and newly renovated production kitchen will all happen, whether or not any or all of the crowdfunders fail to reach their goals, more time, more innovation and certainly more resilience will be required, but these goals will all be realised, just hopefully with your help. Should the crowdfunding fall short, all of the offers within it are fully deliverable, whether one ticket or 1000 tickets are sold, any merchandise, vouchers and any other offers can and will be delivered.
Who should support this project?
This is not an ask for donations. Our customers and wider community as well as those with an interest in cooking and baking classes are most likely to support this project.
