SERIES TWO – EDITION ONE
In edition one of our ‘Faces behind the Business’ series two, we caught up with Dan Cameron & Josh Lundon, both aged 28 and directors of SKAUS; a local independent store and cafe.
When did you first get into the industry?
We both started work in hospitality from early ages. I got my first job pretty immediately after my 16th birthday glass collecting / KP’ing and Josh went through catering college from a similar age then moved into kitchens straight from there. Shows our age when we can say we have over two decades of experience now between us!
How long have you worked at SKAUS and what are your job roles?
Josh is our Director / Head Chef and I (Dan) am Director / General Manager. Josh looks after the back and I look after the front basically! We worked together in another Liverpool site for a few years and became best mates from there pretty much. We both had similar goals growing up, and that was opening our own place, so it was a match made in heaven really. We set the company up in January of 2017 and started running pop-up dining events around the city. We then moved into a residency at Baltic Market followed by a few other residencies around the city which led to us taking the catering operations contract at Camp & Furnace and ultimately finding our first permanent home on Allerton Road. We briefly appeared on BBC Two’s ‘My Million Pound Menu’ too which you can now watch on Netflix if you fancy a laugh!
What is SKAUS ethos?
Our ethos is quality and locality. We do our best to source our products and produce locally where possible and support the local economy as much as we possibly can. The atmosphere and design of the site and the menus also act as a nod to Scandinavia which is pretty evident on entering. If you’ve ever been to any of the Scandi countries the way of life there is really chilled and it’s something we think everyone could do with in their life, particularly right now!
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to anyone looking at working in your line of work?
The best advice we can give somebody looking to move into this kind of business is to be adaptable, believe passionately in your concept, and always take on board feedback and advice, it’s invaluable sometimes!
What do you love most about Liverpool?
We honestly love everything about Liverpool. We’re both born and bred here. The people here are so supportive and protective of their own, it’s something we’ve experienced first hand over the years and especially over the last 12 months. There really isn’t a better place in the country for incubating and growing small businesses, no matter the industry!
If you could describe your business in 3 words what would they be?
Local, seasonal & Scandi-inspired.
Follow @skausliverpool or visit www.skaus.co.uk
Are you a business in the Liverpool City Region and want to feature in our Faces Behind the Business series? Contact us now by emailing hello@explore-liverpool.com or get us on WhatsApp on 07568 532 537
