Cottam has raised a total of £65,385 from 314 supporters over 21 days to fund the opening of Emba, smashing her original crowdfund target of £45,500.
The initial target money has been put towards an overhaul of the riverside site at Leeds’ Mustard Wharf development, which Cottam launched as The Owl in 2022, including the installation of a central bar and a separate open kitchen space complete with a charcoal grill.
Thanks to additional funds raised, Cottam will now also be able to put in a ‘proper sound and speaker system’, as well as an upgraded outdoor setup with ‘comfy seating, fire pits, and freestanding lighting’.
Writing on the crowdfund page after hitting her original target, Cottam said she felt ‘totally overwhelmed in the best way’.
“The support so far has been incredible,” she added.
Officially opening today (1 May), Emba is inspired by Cottam’s travels to Stockholm.
“They had this new genre of eating and drinking venue and they would call it a gastrobar,” she explained.
“And they’d have fantastic beers, great wines, and they’d be really serious about the food.”
Diners at Emba will be able to choose between a selection of snacks and sharing plates or opt for a five-course set menu.
Snacks will include a range of fire-toasted breads with toppings such as crab rarebit; beef tartare with green olive Dijonnaise and lemon; anchovies and confit garlic; and bone marrow, butter and parsley.
Sharing plates will include a corned beef hash with confit egg and brown butter potato; pork schnitzel with mushrooms and buttermilk sauce; and ribeye streak with smoked bone marrow and mushroom sauce.
“Emba is more than just a new venue,” Cottam continued.
“It’s a return to my roots and a leap forward at the same time. It’s a place where I can cook the food I truly love to eat, surrounded by a team I believe in and a community who values warm hospitality and appreciates and know high quality food and drinks when they see them.”
Cottam revealed last month that The Owl was to close after its head chef, Mark Owens, announced he was leaving the restaurant to pursue a new opportunity.
Cottam and Owens first opened The Owl in Kirkgate Market back in 2019 before relocating it to Mustard Wharf three years later.
In September last year Cottam also closed her flagship tasting menu restaurant Home after seven years trading, citing soaring costs and low consumer confidence as the reason behind the decision.