The most recent addition to the local food hall scene, Kommune, has brought excitement to an area of the city centre that has been in need of renovation for some time now. The old Co-op department store in Castle House, closed for over a decade, underwent a £3m revamp and has united independent food traders, retailers, and creatives on the ground floor where you can enjoy a wide variety of world cuisine, purchase a book or zine from La Biblioteka, select a take-home craft beer from Hop Hideout, or browse The Viewing Room art gallery. Upstairs a tech hub will serveas a social working space and an incubator for startups, putting faith in the symbiotic relationship between communal dining spaces and local creatives.
Food Hall, a relatively older kid on the block, was one of the first city centre spots to combine dining and local community support – with a firmly entrenched ethos centred on the belief that everyone should have access to fresh food and company. Since opening in 2015, the volunteer-run cafe operates a pay-as-you-feel policy, and as well as providing a welcoming space for social eating – not to mention superb coffee – the organisation actively involves itself in a range of initiatives to promote cohesion and tackle important issues such as homelessness, inequality and exclusion.
Since coming under the charge of Events Collective three years ago, Sheffield Food Festival has strived to celebrate the inclusive, wide-ranging dining experience facilitated through the boom in street food events and community-focused food halls. Bringing thousands together through a mutual appreciation of food and drink and providing a vast platform for socialising between friends, family and strangers alike, the aim is ultimately one of using good food to create a closer sense of connectedness between people and the spaces they live in.
