Nottingham gets a new taste of the Caribbean

After a 30 year career of caring for others through nursing and counselling, Sue Patience has decided to nuture people with food instead, by opening her own cafe within Arnold Business Centre in Nottingham.

Sue, aged 47, launched the Patience Lounge on 30 November this year and the café has proved extremely popular with other businesses on site. She is already planning to expand by offering a delivery service in 2016.

Sue spent 25 years working as a nurse before completing a degree in counselling. She then spent five years working for ISAS – a charity offering support to survivors of incest and sexual abuse. Although Sue loved her job, she had always dreamed of working in the food industry. She already worked with her daughter providing the catering for weddings and functions and decided it was time to make the leap and open her own business.

She says: “I thought if I don’t do it now, while I still have the strength and energy, then I probably never will. It’s about me nurturing people in a totally different way with fantastic food.

The unit at Arnold Business Centre became available and I thought ‘let’s do this’.

Patience Lounge sells Caribbean dishes including curried mutton, rice and peas and jerk chicken, but also offers a range of other options including full English breakfasts and salads.

Sue explains: “My parents are Jamaican. I grew up around mum cooking and I remember the smell of the food and her singing and how happy it made her. I just love cooking and the aromas of garlic, chillies and curry powder. I can cook anything I put my mind to.”

Centre ticked all the right boxes

Once Sue decided she was going to open her own café, she looked at quite a few business premises to find one that was perfect for her new venture.

“I chose Arnold because the unit was the right size – not too big, not too small,” she says.

“The price was also affordable and it’s a great location. There are so many companies around me and people who can come and chill out in the café during their breaks.”

She adds that Business Centre Manager Jamie Douglas has been extremely helpful while she was working to get the café up and running.

The café has been designed to look like a lounge and includes comfortable sofas and a chill-out area.

“I want to create a great atmosphere where people can really enjoy and appreciate food as a pleasurable thing,” Sue says.

“I’m really excited about 2016 – I want to branch out and do deliveries and hopefully the business will grow from strength to strength.”

Arnold Business Centre is a fully-restored hosiery mill, which is home to a wide variety of businesses. With bright airy offices and a great sense of community, it is a great spot for start-up companies and SMEs. To find out more, contact Business Centre Manager Jamie Douglas on 0115 959 8808.