Bellota: Inside the New Chef's Table Experience in Bury St. Edmunds
- James Massoud
- Jun 18
- 7 min read
At Bellota, a unique Chef’s Table experience in the heart of Bury St. Edmunds, husband-and-wife duo Ruben Aguilar Bel and Gabriella (Gabi) Fogarasi bring their world-class expertise to the table. Ruben’s career spans prestigious kitchens like Akelarre and Petrus, while Gabriella’s pastry skills, honed at Murano and One Aldwych, perfectly complement his cooking. Together, they’ve created an unforgettable dining destination where creativity, collaboration, and local produce take centre stage. In this exclusive piece, Ruben and Gabriella share in their own words the inspiration behind Bellota, their shared philosophy of food, and what they hope to offer guests who walk through their door.
Background and Influences
[Ruben] I have always been fascinated by cooking, even as a little kid. Food was very important in my house and my mother and godmother were excellent cooks. I would watch intently as they cooked and was apparently a good learner. I was able to open my first restaurant at the age of nine when I could finally reach up to the kitchen counter. After school I would make pizza for my brother and sister – totally from scratch – and sold it to them for 35p each!
Akelarre had a major impact on my philosophy and the way I run my kitchen. I came from a noisy, chaotic and very ‘old school’ kitchen and was amazed when I entered it at Akelarre to see such serenity. There was hardly a sound except for the head chef’s whistling all day long! Everything was well prepared and organised and we were able to work in peace and concentrate. Those are essential criteria I believe in if you want to produce excellence. This is the atmosphere I try to create in my kitchen; I want to give my staff the best environment to excel. It also creates a positive pressure on me as I must be well focused and confident to set the example. Too much temperament and shifting of direction inhibits creativity and quality in my opinion. Akelarre also taught me so much from a technical point of view – one thing I still carry with me is the preparation of pork secreto in terms of using a reverse sear- first in the waterbath and then in the Ox Grill. The chefs at Akelarre were masters in terms of preparing fish. They were uncompromising about the freshness and quality of the fish, and endeavoured to do as little as possible to let the natural flavour shine through. I maintain that reverence for fish. I also enjoyed a special benefit by spending three months in their development kitchen where they were always reaching for new techniques and ideas. That really encouraged me to explore new possibilities and to think creatively.
Another big influence on my cooking was my stint at Antoniet Restaurant in Moraira (Alicante) where I developed my reverence for rice from Doña Paquita. She told me that the only way to learn to cook rice properly was to practice hundreds and hundreds of times until the rice speaks to you; you must be able tell how the rice is cooking from the sound of the boiling water! My mother was an excellent cook and I watched her prepare rice as a child, so maybe I had a head start! Rice is still probably my favourite food and when I cook at home, that is my go-to meal. Of course, it must be the right rice…. Spanish rice!
Gabi
My entry into the world of pastry was a happy result of a slightly sexist comment! After training at Budapest Hospitality School, I was working in Hungary at Iberostar, a Spanish restaurant, working in the main kitchen. I was the only female in the kitchen. When we abruptly lost our pastry chef, the head chef said "you are a woman, so you can do the pastry." In a very short time I came to the realisation that actually I enjoyed pastry more than what I had been doing. That was at the height of the molecular cooking craze. I could make strawberry caviar and all kinds of other crazy things, but really was quite uneducated regarding classic pastry skills… l barely knew how to soak gelatin! So, when I moved to London, I looked for a position where I could learn the basic techniques. The position at Murano was perfect. Their desserts are simple, beautiful and tasty ,which remain my main objectives for my desserts, too.
At Bellota, we are mostly doing tasting menus, so I try to make my desserts as light as possible. I appreciate that after a tasting menu a heavy, rich dessert is not what people are looking for. Of course, I follow seasonal fruits for the desserts and look to combine sweetness, tartness and texture (crunch) as key elements to my desserts. Whenever possible I try to add a Spanish lift to my desserts, for example the Albequina (olive oil) mousse on our current menu.
Working Together
Gabi and I are really enjoying working together. We have done it before, and it works very well. We have great respect for each other and share the same philosophy regarding food and hospitality, and have a similar cooking style. Both of us take pride in finding our own way and try not to copy current trends or fads. We very much collaborate when it comes to designing the menu. I’d say we ping off each other in terms of the creative process. I’ll suggest something, then Gabi will add some sort of twist, and we go back and forth until we are both satisfied. For example, our popular Raviolo started when I was making a sofrito and Gabi suggested that with a few vegetables it would be good filling for a Raviolo, then came the idea to grill the vegetables and to use Spanish Manchego instead of Parmesan and so on. Most of our recipes are evolutionary in that sense.
Open Kitchen Concept
[Ruben] My business partner is a bona fide ‘foodie’ and has previously been an investor in some restaurants. When she and I discussed doing some sort of collaboration she mentioned how much she enjoys open kitchen restaurants such as Kitchen Table, Behind and Da Terra. She also remembered fondly the days of Nuno’s Loft and how much people enjoyed the whole experience. We thought why wouldn’t that concept work in Bury St. Edmunds? There are some operational challenges to that format, but some significant benefits also. I have to say I have been overwhelmed with how good the reception has been. People walk into the restaurant a bit hesitant and maybe sceptical, but by the end of the meal everyone is friends. It is so rewarding to see the buzzy vibe and then the silence when they are eating a dish, it almost seems choreographed! I think we have not only broken down the wall between the kitchen and the guests but also the wall between strangers. It is wonderful to see people coming together.
Local Suppliers
[Ruben] We have some excellent local suppliers that are a pleasure to work with. Paul Fitch supplies our line caught sea bass and John Hills advises me about what the best local catch will be so I can devise the menu accordingly. I am aware that there are many other high quality local producers around and I look forward to discovering and collaborating with them. I should also say that a significant amount of our produce comes from the garden of my business partner. She is also experimenting with some tomato seeds from my grandmother, so that will be interesting to see how that turns out.
Restaurant Design
[Ruben] The fundamental theme for the design at Bellota was transparency. Hence everything is exposed, including the back kitchen. We are not a big corporation so we also had to be very mindful of costs – every element had to serve a purpose. The oak bar is indeed a single slice of a tree from the Jura, France. It looks beautiful and impressive, but was also extremely cost efficient. The overall ambiance should be relaxed and comfortable, I wanted people to be able to drop their shoulders and kick back to enjoy the experience. There are of course subtle references to my home town of Teruel, Spain – especially the colour scheme.
Role in Hospitality Sector in Bury
[Ruben] Bury is gaining more and more traction in terms of being a foodie magnet for Suffolk. There is a wide variety of restaurants, and we offer yet another and distinctive type of experience. The great thing about hospitality is that we can work collaboratively and not in direct competition. I look forward to working with the other restaurants in town to further enhance Bury’s stature as a foodie destination. Bury benefits greatly from an organisation, Bury in Development, which supports local businesses and does quite a bit to coordinate efforts within the hospitality sector. We have received tons of support from them and are extremely lucky and grateful.
Aspirations
[Ruben] At the moment my aspiration is to establish Bellota as a successful and sustainable business in Bury St. Edmunds. I want to develop the reputation as a place to go to have an amazing meal coupled with a unique social experience. I am delighted with our initial effort and the enthusiasm of our guests. Now the challenge is to maintain this high standard. I am very optimistic as I have a great team with Gabi my wife and also my sous chefs, Mark Oakley and Jack Grestock. These guys have worked with me for nearly three years and are both very talented and committed, I expect great futures for both of them. Teamwork is so important in this business, it is really essential. We are small but tough and determined!
