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MasterChef semi-finalist Francesca Keirle has been full of praise for the people of Caerphilly after opening her restaurant, Geshmak, over the weekend.

The former school teacher first opened Geshmak in Newport two years ago, but decided to “jump” at the opportunity to move to a bigger premises on Clive Street, Caerphilly, earlier this year.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer about the move, Fran said: “We had a few hiccups as you often do with these things, but I’d been looking for a larger space for a while and when this came up we had to jump at it.

“We weren’t really ready to be totally honest. We did a lot of the work renovating things ourselves, and even until the morning of the opening day it was like a building site.

“I’d describe it as beautiful chaos. In the end though, it went about as well as we could have hoped for.”

Caerphilly Observer attended the launch night of Geshmak – which translates as ‘delicious’ – on Friday March 22, and spoke to Fran who said she was “overwhelmed” by the reaction of people in Caerphilly.

Fran continued: “We’ve been so excited to open in such an up-and-coming area, and the people have really shown up to offer support online and in person.

“The street is a great location and we’ve had people in and out giving us cards. We can’t wait to welcome more people into our family here at Geshmak.”

Fran’s leap from teaching English into the culinary scene didn’t begin until six years after her run in MasterChef. She explained how food had always been her passion, but found it difficult to make that first jump.

“I come from a large family and food has always been at the centre of our social events but until a few years ago it was nothing more than a hobby.

“I’m quite adventurous by nature so I thought why not, lets try MasterChef. The experience was great and it gave me the confidence I needed to think about cooking as a way to support my family.”

Fran explained how teaching was wearing on her, so decided to take over a small vegetarian cafe in 2021 before finally opening Geshmak on Charles Street, Newport, in 2022.

“Newport was great but we’ve got exciting times ahead here in Caerphilly.”

Geshmak will initially open between 10am and 5pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and between 10am and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.