The Deli Down the Bay

By Zoe Richards, UK

He’s one of the UK’s most successful hairdressers, and now Ken Picton is set to unleash his creative talents in a new direction. As he launches Picton & Co., an artisan bar and deli in his home city of Cardiff, we went to find out how he’s making the transition from cutting to cooking…

Ken Picton is a name widely known in hairdressing circles. With a career notching almost 40 years, he’s worked with global haircare brands, scooped trophies for his creative work and business acumen, and today runs a 6,500 square-foot multi-award-winning salon in Cardiff’s prized location of Mermaid Quay. It’s a CV most hairdressers could only dream of, but Ken still has more tricks up his sleeve. This Spring, he launched Picton & Co – a retail and immersive eating space that comprises a bar, deli, and cookery school..

To some, it may feel like a departure from his hair ‘roots’, but far from it. Very much at one with the salon, Picton & Co is located in the adjoining space, with a door connecting the two businesses. To Ken, it couldn’t be a more harmonious venture.

“We’ve always been a forward-thinking salon where it’s about high-quality service and a high-quality environment,” he says. “For a long time, we had an in-house chef and an extensive refreshment list for the clients. It’s all about experience-led hair, and in a way that’s the path that I’m trying to emulate with the deli – experience-led food and retail.”

“It’s been something that I’ve been hankering to do for probably in the region of 20 years,” Ken explains. “My wife and I fell in love with delis when we first ever went to New York and visited Dean & DeLuca. I think it was from that moment on, her and I become obsessed with wherever we would go. Especially with me travelling with work - I always find myself either in a fantastic bar or deli.”

Ken had always kept a close eye on the retail unit adjoining the salon and had tentatively discussed taking it on two or three times, but it never quite happened. During Covid - when salons were so devastatingly affected – Ken’s passion for food was reinvigorated and as luck would have it, the space became available shortly after. Based in Mermaid Quay - Cardiff’s very own cosmopolitan hub

- it’s a location that has seen his salon thrive for the past 24 years. “My original salon, which I opened at the age of 21, was based in Cardiff City Centre. It was called The Zoo, and it had a really kind of cool, urban vibe. When we wanted to expand, I made a decision to come down to the bay. A lot of people thought I was mad - I probably was at the time - but we’ve turned the business down here into a multi-award-winning salon.” It’s no mean feat that it’s defying the economic climate and is still THE go-to salon in the area, despite tough times.

Ken clearly loves the surroundings, but what is it that he thinks makes Mermaid Quay quite so special? “It’s got a huge history and culture,” he says. “Cardiff was built around the docks and now it’s right next to the Millennium Centre. It gives a bit of a holiday vibe and it’s a focal point. A local thing in Cardiff is people will say ‘I’m going down the bay’, so that’s how we refer to Picton & Co. - The deli down the bay.”

It’s taken just over a year to refit the space, during which time Ken has finessed the brand and concept he’s been ‘cooking up’ for so long. But as with any big project, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. “The unit was a mess, we had to

take out 19 tons of rubble,” Ken explains. It had three ceilings, which had to be replaced and a whole lot of structural elements that needed fixing. Given the challenges, the end result is sensational – a floor-to-ceiling glass frontage that occupies one entire corner of Mermaid Quay, and a space that undeniably has the real wow factor.

Inside, no detail has been overlooked. “Basically, the idea of the deli and its tagline is ‘delicious things to eat and drink,” says Ken. “We have some really unique things about it. It has a 360-degree centralised bar, where people can sit and mingle. It’s a deli by day so it’s got fresh cheese and charcuterie counters. We stock local produce such as artisan sausages and bacon as well as beautiful specialty produce from Italy and Spain. The idea is we sell what we serve and serve what we sell.” Pretty much everything, down to the Jancis Robinson wine glasses the team will pour your Gavi into, is available to buy.

“We offer a great brunch menu throughout the day,” Ken enthuses. “And then in the evening all the modular retail gets moved away and it becomes small plates or sharing plates cooked over fire with show-stopping dishes such as Côte de Boeuf and whole Turbot on the menu”. Picton & Co is proud to use a local bakery and sources items like chutneys, jams, and charcuterie from within Wales. “There’s a real local element to the fresh produce,” Ken says, “We’ll be serving up Pembrokeshire oysters and one of my long-standing clients produces Kombucha teas just outside Cardiff, so we’ll be stocking those too.”

Of course, you can expect amazing foods from further afield like the Jamons and Iberico hams. “We will be very seasonal, and our menus will change and adapt as we go,” says Ken. There’s a modern, grab-and-go element to the deli counters. Ken’s team makes fresh sandwiches every day, as well as their own sausage rolls – an absolute treat, by all accounts. “We also make our own marmalade and ketchup in-house to accompany the produce,” Ken tells us.

At our time of talking, Picton & Co has been open a week and while Ken is delighted with the results, he is also juggling life at the salon and nursing six fractured ribs. Not the ideal inauguration! But with spirits not dampened one bit, Ken is clearly thrilled to finally open the doors to Picton & Co. “You could probably say this is a project of passion,” he admits. “I’ve been so invested in it all for the last year and I’m still unsure what exactly it means for me as an individual. But I guess what I really want to see is that Picton & Co. becomes its own standalone and the clients enjoy it. And also, you know, hopefully, the deli will bring a whole new world of customers to the salon as well.”

Ken’s clients have been extremely supportive and keeping a keen eye on progress. “Most of my clients have been on the journey with me,” Ken laughs. “To be honest, my team have been talking about it non-stop so as a result, the clients are already really engrossed in it. Everyone wants to chat about it.”

As to how Ken divides his time, he admits, “It’s going to be an interesting one, that I will say!” But part of the plan is the deli will service all of Ken’s salon clients as well. “My clients can access the full menu, wine list and cocktails –I see it as further elevating the salon experience.” If Ken’s enthusiasm and passion are any benchmark for what the people of Mermaid Quay have in store, this is a side hustle that looks set to shine. For now, Ken’s main mission is navigating his two worlds - merely a doorway between the two, switching his scissors for a chef’s apron as he goes.

@kenpictonsalon @pictonandco

Collection Credits:

Hair: Ken Picton

Make up: Megumi Matsuno

Fashion: Anna Latham

Photography: Andrew O’Toole