Cheltonian Review: The Storyteller Everyone’s got a Story toTell
Everymonth The Cheltonian will look to feature a number of Cheltenham’s Restaurants… thismonth Columnist LloydParsons paid a visit to The Storyteller.
Thismonth the Cheltonian took to one of Cheltenham’s stalwart restaurants that has been hosting patrons for years and whereasmany other restaurants havecomeand gone, the Storyteller remains. Celebrating 20 years of residence in Cheltenham, the Storyteller has becomea firm favourite amongst the community, sowewent to find out what the story is behind one of Cheltenham’smost resolute establishments. The original Storyteller opened in
Norway in 1990, as a 244 seater restaurant, and its influencecame fromSante Fe inNewMexico, basing most of the dishes on the cuisine there. The Storyteller itself is one of the symbols of theNavajo Indians whoare native to that area of the United States, so the restaurant, its menuand style all share the same point of origin. The restaurant in Norwaywas eventually sold and the next chapter of the Storytellerwas tomove to Cheltenhamwhere it was reborn using the samestyle, but bringing a slightly adaptedmenuin order to deliver a little extra flare. Ivan Larsen is the
Manager of the Storyteller and has been
42 AUGUST2017 THECHELTONIAN During a great visit to the
an integral part of the business since its conception. Ivan’s mother owned the Storyteller previously and his journey of succession is paved in every part of the restaurant fromwashing up as a young man, to clearing tables, then becoming awaiter, whilst developing his ownculinary knowledge as a chef elsewhere, before returning to the Storyteller to take themantle as the Restaurant Manager and finally buying in to the business a few years ago.
Storyteller for dinner, I asked Ivan to talkmethrough the idea behind the restaurant and what it is that he and his staff intend to create for their guests? “We aim to provide guests with a unique experience.A professional yet laid back service.We have an extensive fresh cooked menuthat offers something interesting for everyone fromribs to kangaroo, salads to pasta, fajitas to risotto, with fresh consistent cocktails and a vast wine list”. As you’ve just read, the Storyteller
is famous for its offering of unusual meats including kangaroo and bison, sowe asked the Chef to talk us through themenuand where all of this comes from– “The kangaroo is the onlymeat not sourced locally, it’s raised inAustralia. The bison however is raised in a farm in Wiltshire, so that comes fromjust round the corner. The emphasis behind the menuis to create individual and unusual dishes that aren’t found anywhere else in Cheltenham. All our dishes have an individual twist and it’s somethingwe’re very proud of”. We always have two questions for the chef – What’s your favourite thing
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