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Above photo and information taken from Dover Mercury 11 March 2003.
THE best lesson Christine Gabriel learnt
was to give up her job as a teacher and follow her dreams.
Christine and her husband Roger are the new owners of Blake's restaurant
and B&B in Dover.
After 13 years teaching English and drama at Dover grammar school for
boys Christine felt the time was right for a change and the couple
bought the Castle Street property in January this year.
Christine says: "I needed a change from teaching. I finished my training
in 1978, and had taught all ages since then.
"I used to see the same issues coming round again, and there were
constant pressures, such as Ofsted inspections."
Originally Christine thought about opening a book or a coffee shop. The
Blake's building was the first property in Dover she looked at. She fell
in love with it, and decided to keep the restaurant and B&B set-up.
The business seems to attract former teaching staff; one of the bar
staff is an ex-teacher. Christine's husband taught at Dover grammar
school for boys for 11 years and now works in the Dover Discovery Centre
as an adult
education regional manager.
Some of Christine's former pupils have also
visited.
Christine describes her manager role as being "a jack of all trades".
She said: "I check that everything is in place for opening and
what the chef's specials are. I greet customers during opening hours. But I can also
end up trying to sort out plumbing issues if they need tackling."
She adds that her husband Roger often ends up
working behind the bar when he visits during
his lunch break.
Christine says the best part of her role is
meeting interesting customers and chatting to
them. One customer has even recited Keats in
the downstairs bar.
She also likes the fact that her hours mean she can get up slightly later in the morning. Her
working day usually runs from 10am to around 11pm.
Her plans for the building include opening the garden and adding more
vegetarian items to the menu.
Friends and colleagues had mixed reactions to Christine's new venture.
"Some said we were mad, while others said go
for it," she says.
The thing she misses most about teaching are her pupils and the laughs
they had.
Christine and Roger live in St Richard's Road, in Deal. They have lived
in Deal for nearly 25 years and have two children, Mark, 22, and Sophie,
18.
Sophie hopes her mother's change of career will come in handy for a
summer job during university holidays.
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