Laurie Macmillan was just 14 when she began working in kitchens. Despite dreaming of becoming an art teacher, her passion for cooking - and strong work ethic - was passed down from her mother who she says never failed to put a home cooked meal on the table, despite juggling a full-time job with four children to feed.
Laurie’s passion for the industry grew in her mid-20s while working at the four-star Balbirnie House Hotel near Markinch and Glenrothes in her hometown of Fife.
And after helping to open The Scullery in the trendy Finnieston area of Glasgow in 2014 with husband-and-wife team Kathleen Sheridan (former manager at the Ubiquitous Chip) and Scott Burgess, Laurie came to the realisation that cheffing was an all-consuming job and decided it was time to take the plunge and start a business venture of her own.
A year later Cafe Strange Brew was born and, despite serving out of a tiny unit on Pollokshaws Road, word of her freshly baked eggs, Stornoway Stack and unrivalled cup of coffee quickly spread. With increasing demand, the business outgrew the premises within a year - moving to a bigger space across the road - and Laurie and her dedicated team have been ‘Keeping Shawlands Strange’ ever since with customers queuing around the block daily for arguably the best brunch in town.
Her second cafe venue Mesa opened in Dennistoun in 2019, followed by Sweet Jane Bakehouse in 2020. Lockdown struck and proved fortuitous for the business and they were faced with the decision to expand or sell on, they did the latter and Sweet Jane now operates over multiple units. Mesa was passed over to one of its staff in 2024 and continues to thrive.
With a fondness for Glasgow’s Saltmarket, Laurie secured a unit on King Street last April and opened sandwich shop Sister Midnight, which like Strange Brew, has become a brunch hotspot for its vibrant menu and supersized portions.
Now, Scottish News can exclusively reveal the 42-year-old award-winning chef is working on a new “top secret” venture which will take her back to her roots in the Kingdom of Fife.
We sat down with Laurie for a chat about her success, her greatest influences and her love for the Glasgow food scene…
Tell me about yourself and your career so far and where you get your passion for cooking from
I never set out to be a chef. I had dreams of being an art teacher. I also did hairdresser training, dabbled with music journalism and worked in record stores. But I always drifted back to kitchens where I seemed to excel. I maybe never even realised how passionate I was about food until I really started to take cooking seriously. I was lucky to grow up with home cooked meals everyday as my mum juggled being a full time nurse and mother to four ungrateful children. Little did I know then what a gift it was so be served home cooked food daily. So, I guess the desire and passion came from my mum. And I realised this was an all-consuming job so if I was going to do it for the rest of my life, I needed to do it for me.
Cafe Strange Brew is considered one of the best brunch spots in Glasgow, what do you think the secret to its success is?
I think consistency. I have always felt it’s important to be an owner operator. Some of my staff have been with me for eight years and are the backbone of the whole thing. I never, ever expected the restaurant to be where it is now.
How would you describe the food and what is your signature dish?
The food is simple but done well, staple breakfast items, generous portions and always fresh. The Benedict or the Stornoway Stack for sure.
How do you handle kitchen pressures during a hectic service?
There isn’t really any other way than just get your head down and pray for it to be over quickly. Sundays are particularly spicy - our busiest day of the week by far. Our kitchen is tiny and we are all well-versed in dancing around each other to avoid accidents. But ideally we would have more space which would definitely help the vibes for sure.
You have many business ventures on the go at the one time, how do you handle the stress and how do you unwind?
In a bizarre way, I think the stress is me unwinding. If I don’t have another project to daydream about I can get quite low and lack motivation. I need a fire under me to feel at ease.
What is your favourite place to eat or visit in Scotland and who do you take inspiration from in the industry?
The Glasgow food scene is tremendous and everchanging. I really admire the Scoop Restaurants Group. Every venue is immaculate with such concise concepts. There are too many great places to mention in Glasgow just now which really discourages me from cooking at home! I’m obsessed with The Real Wan - just too good. If I’m getting out of Glasgow, I’m dreaming of Inver on Loch Fyne. It’s genuinely like a dream come true and I love the breakfast. If I’m heading to see my folks in Fife, I can’t resist a visit to Balgove Larder. My big sister and her husband have a beautiful hotel in Fife, so a visit there for an occasion dinner is out of this world. And there is something so special about Balbirnie House Hotel.
Cafe Strange Brew has had many famous faces through the door, can you name a few, what were they like and what did they have to say about your food?
Alan McGee, Bobby Gillespie, Kevin Bridges, Alan Cumming, Karen Dunbar, Marcia Gay Harden, Ebon Moss Bachrach, The Blossoms, Paolo Nutini, Earl Slick, Tom Daley, Limmy, that’s all I can recall at the moment. But aye, all bang on, just normal people you know. I didn’t ask them about the food, I was too busy being hysterical!
What advice would you give to young chefs or business owners starting out?
For chefs, eat out whenever you can. It really is part of your job - and a nice part. It’s important to see trends and see what people are doing. And, for business owners get inspired. If you don’t, you get stagnant. Be prepared to put the graft in, really put the graft in. A short working week for me is 60 hours, and then I have all the admin and wages to do at home on top of that. Too many people go into business with unrealistic expectations of what your working week looks like. But hey, that’s just my experience, maybe I’m doing it wrong.
What are the biggest issues facing the hospitality industry today?
For me it’s the VAT and the rising costs of everything. Profit margins are almost non-existent. Everything has to be ran so tight. You can be the busiest place in the hood, but with the VAT and rising costs, the math isn’t mathing. I hope the government will bring the VAT rate more inline with Europe, but I won’t be holding my breath on that one.
You have a top secret venture in the works, what can you reveal about it and what can people expect?
It’s very much in its infancy right now, and not a done deal. There is a lot of negotiating to be done, funds to be pulled out of thin air, but if the stars do align, it might be a little boutique hotel with restaurant in Fife.