The Pub that Changed a City

"You won't make this about me, will you? I was just the landlord." On September 30, Carl Finn handed back his keys to The Church, a brave, soul-filled pub that changed our city. It did pop-ups before pop-ups were a thing, it introduced New Orleans to Birmingham, it changed what we imagined a Saturday night could be, and from our first pre-opening lock-in to our final night on Hockley's greatest terrace, Carl's tenure at The Church has been one long personal series of Cheers. But let's not lament the departure of our favourite pub landlord, but bump virtual fists over his team's legacy, because it turns out The Church has produced an uncanny raft of great independents that will continue to look after you.

One week after getting the keys to the dilapidated Great Hampton Street pub, Carl had turned its back room into a pop-up (pictured, top). There were no tills and sometimes seemingly no electricity — your bill was chalked up on a board using a system we never fully understood. Carl invented cocktails on the spot, the best recipes recorded in a book, which formed the opening menu at The Church. From there, Burns Night, Mardi Gras and French Resistance Night followed, where we all donned Second World War gear and hid under the tables when the air raid siren sounded. There was a mass New Orleans-style funeral around the streets of the JQ, with its very own trailer, and a brass band to signal the end of the Secret Dining Society Carl had been perfecting his trade with. People loved it. "It was a different time" says the Stirchleyite. "The independent scene was pretty much non-existent in Birmingham, and we stuck proper cocktails and ska music in an old Hockley boozer." And it turns out, The Church served more than just its punters — "It was there to assist with what everyone wanted to do at that moment: we had the best opening team I've ever worked with."

Head chef Niki Astley was part of that team, introducing jambalaya and po' boys to the city. After less than two years in charge of the kitchen, he moved on to launch a restaurant of his own: Two Cats, which opened on Warstone Lane, bringing Baltic cuisine to the JQ. Fast forward to today and you'll find Niki's skilful Asian fusion food in the form of Salt & Earth and its permanent residency at 1000 Trades.

Also in the kitchen at launch, and living above The Church, sous chef Ben Morgan who went on to open Kanteen in the Custard Factory, doing a big trade in brunch and lunch — think super fresh tagines and all the cake.

On drinks, from the end of 2013, the maker of the best espresso martini in the world ever. Bar manager and all round lovely guy Amanjot Johal, launched 40 St Paul's, servers of the best gins in the world ever (and winners of Icons of Gins best bar 2018). And Aman'll still make you an espresso martini if you ask really nicely.

The inordinate number of launches that can, in some form or another, be traced back to The Church, didn't end there. Just a year after its official opening, a side project emerged. Dom Clarke — a regular in the kitchen at special events at The Church — left Stirchley bakery Loaf to open a restaurant with Asian food sorcerer, Lap-Fai Lee. Dom went for a few beers with Carl, and two hours later it was decided they'd all open a bakery called Peel & Stone in partnership with The Church's brewery, Everards. First under the JQ's railway arches, where Thanksgiving complete with a whole goat was a standout night, then at the end of Harborne High Street, where baklava croissants arrived on the Brum scene, Peel & Stone's commercial arm got so busy the team eventually had to give up their shopfronts.

Dom stepped away from the bakery to launch the pride of Stirchley: CanEat. The unassuming cafe is putting out some of the most interesting brunching we've seen, and from Lap's Asian suppers, to kebab nights with the Original Patty Men, to an imminent Thanksgiving throwback to The Church's annual celebrations, their pop-ups are completely brilliant. On cakes? Jodie Lennon who, guess what, originally joined Peel & Stone as an apprentice. 

Further extending the Peel & Stone dynasty, and therefore The Church's lineage, isSalcooks — a joint effort from Sally White and Rute Jesus, formerly head chef and pastry chef at Peel. The pair offer Portuguese-inspired lunching, right where the JQ bakery used to sell you your lunch. And Portuguese custard tarts. Really good ones.

Bringing things right up-to-date, recent head and sous chefs of The Chuch, Neil McGougan and Keith Holland, are imminently opening bao bar, Tiger Bites Pig, on Stephenson Street — bao, rice bowls, beers and sake are what to expect, and it looks ace.

On the subject of The Church's incredible success rate, Carl thinks the reasons are pretty simple. "People I worked for were careful never to show me how their businesses really operated", he says "but we were always totally transparent on how The Church worked, giving people the tools to be brilliant while they worked for us, but also to go off and launch their own projects." For Carl, the catering industry isn't something you get into for the money but to be creative: "You can't trap people, they need to be allowed to move on and satisfy their inner monologue. We didn't get in the way of people — the rest was them — this really isn't about me." 

Pictures: Jack Spicer Adams (Carl at the pop-up)

Graphic: Common Curiosity