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DECEMBER 2020
Christmas feature
A decision not to go to a house party in January, 1981 meant that Richard Simpson avoided being caught up in the tragic New Cross Fire. And since then, he – and his family – have been determined to give back to the community. By Dotun Adebayo
SANTA CLAUS comes to south-east London every year, in the form of comedian and actor Robbie Gee.
Yes, Santa Claus is black and he comes bearing tidings of comfort and joy with a little jerk seasoning, thanks to the cuisine of Cummin’ Up restaurateur Richard Simpson, who has been feeding the world for free on December 25 for the last 12 years.
When we spoke he was celebrating the successful opening night of his daughters’ new restaurant – After Hours.
It’s a twist on the ‘taste of the Caribbean’ that this foodie family – black Britain’s premier clan in their category – have been serving up for a generation. I kid you not, there was a queue of people stretching back down the road as far as the eye could see within COVID restrictions, to taste the younger Simpsons’ American-style soul food.
Somehow, this family of restaurant owners has managed to keep their business thriving in the most difficult economic conditions for the food and leisure industry in living memory.
Do they not know there is a pandemic going on? I put it to
the patron of the dynasty that this might not be the best year to be doing the charity thing in serving up a Caribbean seasonal dish of curry chicken, rice and peas and dumpling – without charging for any of it.
“The pandemic is not going to stop me continuing our tradition of feeding the nation for free on Christmas Day,” Richard tells me.
COVERING
“Because of social distancing we have decided to have it on the wide pavement outside our Catford main branch restaurant and to do it as a takeaway rather than our normal annual sit-down service. We’ll have a covering for the weather and electric warmers, too.
“But Robbie Gee will still be there with his Santa hat to help distribute the plates of food and whoever wants a free Caribbean dinner on Christmas Day can join us.” The Simpson family’s ‘do they know it’s Christmas’ generosity is the ultimate peanut punch of human kindness. When I first heard about it back in 2008, I couldn’t quite get my head around it. I thought it would never last. Why would a cooked food entrepreneur with several outlets to his name start giving his food away? Even on Christmas Day?
Was it a religious thing, I wondered, remembering the story he had told me many years ago when we used to spar on a monthly basis.
The story recalls one night in January 1981, Sunday the 18th. Richard was 15 years old and had been to a rave at the venue The Podium on Nine Elms Lane in Vauxhall which was one of the premier black clubs at the time.
After the dance he walked the five miles or so home, as we all did in dem days due to a lack of funds and night buses.
It’s one straight line that walk home, passing through Kennington, Camberwell, Peckham and New Cross for those who know the topography. It was when he reached the fork in the road at New Cross Gate where the road to the left takes you to Deptford and the other to Lewisham, that an aquantance pulled up in a Mark III Ford Cortina (the lick in dem times) and suggested that Richard follow to a party that was taking place just down the road.
TIRED
He would have gone if he wasn’t so tired. So he went home only to learn when he woke up later that morning that there had been a fire at the party and 13 young black boys and girls had died – in the New Cross Fire.
“All your life, experiences influence and inform you in some way,” Richard acknowledges.
“Often you’re not even conscious of it. So semi-consciously or unconsciously the events of that night may well have had some influence on why I want to give something back to the community.
“I still live here and every year the borough holds a commemoration of the fire. I still have a friend who survived the fire but suffered life-changing injuries. But it would be wrong of me to say because of that possible near-death experience I am the way I am. I had always wanted to do something like this. 2008 when we started our Christmas dinners was an important year for us – the year we got baptised.
“That offered a spiritual opening for the family and we were able to bring my dream of serving the community into fruition. I guess my faith is a catalyst, but the event itself is non-denominational.
“We serve food to Muslims, agnostics and non-believers. It doesn’t matter to us if you’re white or black. We serve everybody. But more to the point, I have never wanted my children to get absorbed by the commercial aspect of Christmas.
“I don’t buy into any of that,
I’m just dealing with love – so just come in, sit down and allow us to serve you
I’m just dealing with love – so just come in, sit down and allow us to serve you.
“We’ll have enough food to feed as many people as want to be fed on Christmas Day.”
For Richard and his wife Sharon, whether it’s Christmas or not it is all about family. They are rightly proud of their six children. The four girls have followed in the family tradi-
FEEDING THE COMMUNITY:
Richard Simpson and wife Sharon have been serving up free Caribbean-style Christmas lunches since 2008 – and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they plan to do that this year, too; inset below left, the Simpson daughters, Venice and Melissa, middle, with staff at their new restaurant
tion and have now opened up their own food emporiums in London and in Brighton, and the boys have got one eye on the family business in case they need to fall back on it. But for now, the youngest of the brood, aka Tweeko, is happy being one of south London’s top grime producers from the studio that his dad built for him at the back of one of their restaurants.
A sign of the times, though, is the family’s younger generation targeting their modern age group of customers who don’t have the same love for going out to eat rice and peas as their parents did. They serve American soul food and, who knows, years from now, they may take on their dad’s Christmas Day passion and invite us all down to dinner for free.
