Ipswich has long been a town that people find themselves returning to. Owner of On The Huh café, Richard Podd, shares a familiar story. After growing up in Ipswich, he left home to study at university. During one memorable year working in the French Alps for the ski season, he discovered a passion and talent for cooking.
A career in cooking
Over the next 20 years, Richard kept returning to his passion for cooking. Despite an offer to pursue engineering after university, he made the conscious choice to follow his culinary calling instead. He rose to Head Chef positions at several establishments before returning to Ipswich in 2015.
Opening On The Huh
A handful of years later, after cooking his way around town and falling back in love with Ipswich, Richard took the plunge and decided to open his own cafe. Driven by a genuine passion for homemade food and local produce, running his own eatery felt like the natural next step for this ambitious man who truly cares about food.
On The Huh opened their doors in December 2019, focusing on homemade food with quality local produce. Sitting at the beginning of St Peter’s Street, it's a gorgeous cafe open 6 days a week. Famous for its luscious cooked breakfasts and its monthly Sunday roasts – they always sell out, so advance booking is absolutely necessary!
Locally-sourced and homemade
Richard's passion for food runs deep. He lovingly makes his own bread for sandwiches, toasties and breakfasts, even going so far as to create his own baked beans from scratch.
All meat comes from M&M Butchers in Stowupland, which exclusively sources from local farms. It's this commitment to local produce that Richard carefully balances with keeping prices sensible for his customers.
Loyal customers
Whilst chatting with Richard, a regular customer interrupted to sing his praises, saying "this is the best cafe in the world," and it is this kind of heart-warming loyalty that an independent business fosters, when someone so clearly dedicated is at the helm.
While his cooking skills are unquestionable, Richard was refreshingly honest about the challenges of running his own business. He recalls spending hours on YouTube watching videos on how to make posh coffees – a time he says was well spent, as he's now a proudly extremely proficient barista.
Changing role from chef to businessman
He lamented how, over the last few years, his time cooking has decreased. Instead, he has been wearing many hats, grappling with the less familiar aspects of the business, like marketing. Running a small business is often like juggling many different-shaped tasks, and learning on the fly. He regularly works 60-70 hours a week and has admirably faced down any new task with sheer graft and determination.
Whilst On The Huh does have a social media presence, we had a very interesting discussion about digital saturation and how this has impacted both the creators and consumers of promotional content. Richard instead focuses on building community relationships and traditional print media to promote the cafe when he has a new or special offer running.
Consistency and quality
On The Huh is a really friendly and welcoming cafe that forgoes gimmicks and prides itself on creating quality meals at a sensible price, with a sharp focus on delivering consistently good, honest food. Open 6 days a week and situated in The Saints, it's situated perfectly for that stroll between town and the waterfront.
The bottom line
As we hear so often when talking to indie business owners, Richard's journey proves that sometimes the best businesses are born from genuine passion. In an age of corporate chains and quick fixes, On The Huh stands as a testament to what happens when someone who truly cares about their craft decides to share it with their community.
For Richard, success isn't measured in the number of franchises or profit margins, but in the regular customer who calls his café "the best in the world" and the Sunday roasts that sell out month after month.
