Latest news with #HolyMoly
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Radio 1 star's hidden health battle as they're supported by Mollie King
EXCLUSIVE: Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson opens up about celebrity encounters and his special bond with co-host Mollie, who's been a pillar of support for him during his struggles with a mental health condition You know you're well-connected when you casually drop names like Robert De Niro and Bryan Cranston into conversation. But Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson has made a career out of interviewing the A-list and hanging out with the stars, so it's little wonder he's got a fair few anecdotes up his sleeve – like the time he discussed water pressure with legendary actor De Niro, or the moment he bonded with singer Nick Jonas over a board game Matt made. When it comes to his favourite celeb, there's one stunning singer who stands head and shoulders above the rest. 'Mollie King is the nicest celebrity I've ever met and I feel so lucky I can now call her one of my best friends,' Matt, 39, gushes as he chats from the Radio 1 studio, where the pair co-host their afternoon show. He tells us that Saturday's star Mollie, who has recently returned from maternity leave after the birth of her second child with her cricketer fiancé Stuart Broad, will be back on the airwaves at the end of this month. And it's clear he can't wait. 'She is just the most wonderful person,' he says. 'We have a weird telepathy going on. I feel like I've known her my entire life.' The pair first met when Matt, who used to work for T4 and gossip site Holy Moly, interviewed The Saturdays years before Mollie, 37, joined Radio 1. 'I didn't really know her, but I'd met the band a few times,' he explained to OK! 'Then she came in to guest host four shows with me. Ten minutes into show one, I was like, 'This person already feels like a sister to me.' "At the end of the four weeks, I basically begged her to stay. And she agreed. And now I would never go back to doing radio on my own. Our friendship is completely authentic, and that's why the show works. Even when she's on mat leave, we talk two or three times a week.' Matt, who has two daughters – Ivy, eight, and Willow, three – with his wife Bryony, has been joined by DJ Jeremiah Asiamah while Mollie's been off looking after her kids, Annabella, two, and four-month-old Liliana. During her first maternity leave, it was Jamie Laing who stepped into her shoes. He, too, became one of Matt's closest pals. Matt watched as Jamie took on the monumental challenge of running across England in an 'ultra marathon' back in March, which raised over £1m for Comic Relief. 'I could never do what Jamie's done,' Matt says. 'He's superhuman. It was the most pain I've ever seen a person in. It was a testament to his mental strength that he did it. It was like watching someone constantly about to keel over.' The radio DJ has nothing but praise for his friend, noting how far Jamie's come since his days as Spencer Matthews' sidekick on Made In Chelsea. 'I can't imagine that being on a reality show and having that all played out on TV was easy,' Matt says. 'I'm glad the world is seeing Jamie as more than just his 'silly' side now. He's the most wonderful human being. He's one of life's good guys.' Matt credits both Jamie, 36, and Mollie with being there for him when he feels low, noting that he talks to his friends when he's struggling with his mental health. He was diagnosed with cyclothymia, a condition similar to bipolar disorder but with milder highs and lows, in his late twenties. 'I have a lot of people in my life I can talk to about my issues,' Matt explains. 'I'll talk to my wife, Mollie, and Jamie. Having a network of people that really know and love me and don't come with any judgement is very fortunate. Plus, I've had therapy and I found it incredibly empowering. Trying to detach the shame from it is so important.' Making music was another outlet that helped Matt cope with his diagnosis. He set about studying music production and making his own songs during the Covid pandemic, which has led him to collaborate with singers such as James Arthur and Example. It has also led to a recent partnership with toilet care experts Bloo, who chose Matt to write a hilarious 'top of the plops' banger specifically designed to mask embarrassing toilet noises. It came after Bloo revealed that 62% of Brits are mortified by the sounds they make in the bathroom. 'My happy place is making songs and the sillier the better,' he says of the song, which is a genuine earworm. 'It was a dream for me, and I am the perfect man for the job because I love nothing more than a chat while I'm on the loo. I'll sit and talk to my three-year-old. She's just finished potty training so poo is a big deal to her.' The song is a big deal to his celeb pals, too. Since sharing the tune's hilarious video on social media, the likes of Will Best, Melvin Odoom and Professor Green have all expressed their admiration for Matt's work. It's clear when chatting about such things that Matt is game for a laugh and open to all opportunities. We get talking about reality TV. Surely a gig like Strictly Come Dancing or I'm A Celeb could be on the cards given his high-profile job? 'I've never been asked to do Strictly and I don't know why, seeing as practically every other Radio 1 DJ has done it,' he laughs. 'Mollie, Jamie, Melvin, they've all had a go. I'd never say never if they did ask, but if I were to put myself forward for one reality show it would be The Traitors. It's the best thing on TV. I can't wait to see the celeb version. Oh, and I'm waiting for the call-up to be a judge on the next series of Britain's Got Talent. I have zero qualifications for the job, but you know, if everyone else was busy...' Matt could just call up his old boss, Simon Cowell, if he wanted in. He hosted the X Factor spin-off show The Xtra Factor Live back in 2016 alongside Rylan Clark. However, it doesn't sound like he's particularly close to Si these days. When asked if he still checks in with him, Matt replies, 'I mean, I didn't really check in with him when I was presenting his show! He's sort of like the Wizard of Oz – he's there, but not. He's behind the screen somewhere. So no, I haven't seen or heard from Simon Cowell, but I think I'd be low on his priorities.' So what's next for Matt? 'I'm writing a musical,' he says excitedly, though he's staying tight-lipped on what it's about. 'I'm also working on something special with Mollie. It's one of the most unique podcast ideas ever.' Again, Matt won't be drawn into giving away details, but one thing's for sure, if Mollie's involved, you can guarantee he'll be smiling. Matt has teamed up with the UK's number one toilet carebrand, Bloo, for its Block Out With Bloo listen to the track, search Matt Edmondson Block OutWith Bloo on SoundCloud.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Coffee-rubbed bison, wild-rice pancakes at this Tacoma dinner with Native chef
On Memorial Day weekend, Holy Moly Bar will host chef and artist Ramon Shiloh for a one-night-only, multi-course meal that promises to offer a unique opportunity to explore indigenous cooking in Tacoma. The pop-up dinner ($120 including tax, tickets available online) is scheduled to run 6-9 p.m. on Sunday, May 25 at the Sixth Avenue bar, which owner Matt Coppins revamped into an impressive '70s-themed haunt last year. Drinks, including the bar's daily menu of classic-leaning cocktails, beer and wine, will be available for purchase. The first course, called Firewater, features yaupon tea, 'a sacred plant used by Southeastern indigenous peoples for energy, purification, and ceremony,' as the menu explains. Sip alongside juniper sticky corn with flamed vodka. 'Together, they reflect two opposing philosophies: one of altered states, the other of natural order.' Each dish offers a story, which is part of Shiloh's goal as a chef and especially with this dinner, which he is calling 'Food for Thought.' Shiloh has friends in Tacoma and has visited frequently in the past year or so. They stopped by Holy Moly earlier this year to celebrate a birthday. 'That little space was really beautiful,' he recalled. 'I had this idea — going directly to arguments that I've always wanted to make in my food. I draw stories out of my food, and I like to present it that way. With a traditional menu, you don't really get an understanding of what is behind those ingredients.' The second course will feature coffee-braised bison paired with whipped white beans and sage, sweet potato purée, root vegetables and hominy, dressed with molasses gravy forged with bison tallow. A third dish honors the sea and its inextricable relationship with the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest: cedar-smoked salmon and roe, fried clams, squash, berries and toasted hazelnuts. To finish, dessert offers sweet potato and wild-rice pancakes with smoked pork, an ancho-blueberry sauce and herbed butter. Although Holy Moly is usually bar-service only, staff will set up for a full-service experience Sunday night. The dinner is something of a Tacoma comeback story for Shiloh, who describes himself as a multicultural chef of Black, Filipino, Creek and Cherokee descent. He currently resides in Portland, but he had relocated to Tacoma in 2021 after he was tapped to lead a native foodways residency program at ALMA — two years before the venue abruptly closed when its financial backers pulled funding, leaving the building on Fawcett Avenue empty ever since. The program never came to fruition for earlier and more tragic reasons, as Shiloh was struck in a crosswalk by a car, just blocks from ALMA not long after he arrived. The resulting concussion meant he had to stay out of the stressful setting of the kitchen. 'It was a big blow to my journey,' he said in a phone call this week. As he battled a challenging recovery process, he eventually returned to his art, but he longed to get back to cooking. Instead of pursuing a full-time position, he has opted for the private-chef side of things through varied projects and special events. That's where the upcoming dinner comes into focus, he explained. 'I felt that at some point, I'm gonna come back to Tacoma and do some work,' said Shiloh. The Turnipseed family at BJ's Bingo and Gaming in Fife commissioned him for a mural inside Ms. Jane's Fine Dining, their revamped restaurant that aims to highlight Native ingredients. He will spend some time there leading up to the May 25 dinner, which follows many months of menu-testing and planning with Coppins on logistics. 'To me it's everything that I wanted to do at ALMA, just in this little space,' he continued. Serving this food and the accompanying story in a bar was also intentional, he said, to support a conversation about alcohol 'and the myth around what it means to Native communities.' He will serve a similar menu at a summer pop-up in Edmonds in another intimate setting, Vinbero wine bar, on July 25 and July 26. He also hopes this return to Tacoma will be just the first of many such events, he said. ▪ What: 4-course pop-up dinner focused on indigenous ingredients (no substitutions or modifications), cash/card bar — details at ▪ Where: 3013 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-302-3047 ▪ When: May 25, 6-9 p.m. ▪ Tickets: purchase online via Paper Tickets, $120 plus tax
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The rise of Brass Monkey: From DIY chest freezer to ice bath leader
When Dan Bosomworth returned from an annual Wim Hof excursion into impending COVID lockdown, the Yorkshireman converted a chest freezer in his garage into a silicon sealed, rudimentary ice bath as a "meditation and therapeutic tool" for daily practice. Hailing from a marketing agency background, Bosomworth soon hit upon a 'what do people want, give it to them' mentality in a then untapped, cold plunge market. His company, Brass Monkey, was launched in 2021 and is now an ice bath leader in the UK consumer and commercial market with an anticipated turnover of £7m thanks to patented ice creation technology and hand-built products. Read More:'People said it was impossible but our Holy Moly dips are now selling millions' However, the self-funded start-up initially met with a frosty response. 'Our biggest challenge was how to get expert advice," says Bosomworth. 'In 2020, going to a refrigeration engineer saying we wanted to build an ice bath and needed some help and advice on components and chilling, people hung up on us. 'But we came across a guy called Bob, who was in the middle of handing over his refrigeration business to his son. He said he would help us figure it out and helped build our first 500 cooling engines.' Bosomworth launched Brass Monkey with his brother Dale before another brother, Dean, who was based in Speyside, Scotland suggested creating a cheaper price point using barrels. 'He spent many months figuring out which surfboard resin would work best on a reconditioned whisky cask,' says Bosomworth. 'It was then how to connect a water chiller.' Brass Monkey is a premium, software-led company, with their cold plunge barrels and home ice baths costing nearly £6,000 and £12,000 respectively. A third range in the commercial space is where Brass Monkey evisages 80% of future business lies. 'We never came at it with a drop shipping mentality which is now flooding the ice bath market,' says Bosomworth. 'We wanted to make sure we were generating ice and we wanted premium materials. 'It plays to the spirit of the company, which was founded on the simple idea of when we are challenged we're changed. It means we have to elevate our game repeatedly.' Read More: 'We put our life savings into Crimpit — our viral toastie tool is loved by millions' The company, which employs around 50 staff, uses cloud based software, meaning that it can control every product on the market through Wi-Fi. 'We can see performance and see when there are cooling or flow rate issues as well as foreseeing problems," says Bosomworth. 'If we want to sell into another market, we can't assume things will go well and we have to assume problems, so let's not make our lives difficult by travelling to deal with problems.' The mission of the company, the founder says, is to liberate access to cold water. 'Who invented ice baths? he adds. "If you go back through time it was popularised en masse by the Greeks and Romans, who had frigidarium [cold room of a Roman-style bathhouse].' And the cold water benefits? 'If you look at the responses that we have physiologically on a hormonal level, there's a 250% increase in dopamine and our biology is primed for it.' Brass Monkey's investors have also seen the benefits, with Bolton-based equity firm Pitalia Capital putting in a seven-figure investment and founder Anil Pitalia, a cold plunge advocate, even trying one of the firm's ice baths on the workshop floor. The capital has helped Brass Monkey move into a 10,00sq ft space near Wetherby, with production shipping £650,000 worth of ice baths in a good month. Bosomworth admits that the start-up's challenges have come 'whenever we wandered from our values', not least when they decided to buy chiller components from a third party. Read More: 'Studying chemistry helped me sell millions of oat milk bottles' 'It was a six-figure commitment for a lower price point rather than making it in house,' he says. 'Sensors failed and it was shoddy construction. We are still writing off the cost today.' Their success has also seen a 'painful response' from the market with replica copycats in the last few years. 'It was a case of rather than fight with the masses, do we elevate and push on over a plastic product?' The premium and luxury set-up of the company also means that Brass Monkey's products are prohibitive for a lot of consumers. Thus, the company's move into the commercial space has proved beneficial as gyms move into wellness options. Brass Monkey is rolling out a monthly rental proposition for independent gyms as a regular income generator, while it has inked deals with Canary Wharf's Arc, a social contrast therapy club, David Lloyd Clubs and Village Health & Wellness Club, as well as Virgin Active in South Africa. Nearly four years on from exiting his DIY cold plunger, Bosomworth is now part of an industry which is projected to reach $550m (£413m) by 2031. 'There was no evidence to say this was a good thing,' he smiles. 'But we needed to be at the top end and the one people talked about. We wanted to become that brand, like Dyson is now with hoover. That was the instinctive goal.'I got out of the chest freezer one day and the name hit. If the url was free I would then buy it. The name and logo are some of the things people labour on but it was one of the easiest things we did. I spoke to an Israeli designer and sent him a rough scribble and the logo was designed with the monkey calm under pressure and it was how to build resilience. That's how it always felt for me in the ice and my job was to keep calm and harness the benefits from it. I wanted a logo which summarised and told that story. It acts as a gaze point to keep your eyes open with the logo sitting at the end of the ice bath. The important part is the nervous system knowing what's happening to it and this is deliberate and having no need to panic. 'My sofa took six months to arrive — so I built a £20m business' 'I paid myself £4 an hour to get my deodorant brand off the ground' 'Want to grow an iconic brand? CEOs have to value CMOs as servant leaders'Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Swiss Butter rise down to secret steak sauce and Lebanese resilience, says CEO
When Eddy Massaad's original Swiss Butter restaurant was destroyed by the Beirut blast tragedy in August 2020, resilience and a community rebuild saw the steakhouse open again 30 days later. 'We're used to different challenges, especially when we're coming out from Lebanon,' says Massaad. 'We got used to being pragmatic and problem solvers, going through any crisis and coming out positively.' Swiss Butter started its expansion in late 2021, opening 10 restaurants within a year, including its first London location. Now turning over a healthy eight figures, CEO and founder Massaad is aiming for 100 locations within five years of his viral restaurant brand and steak frites sauce dining experience. Read More: 'People said it was impossible but our Holy Moly dips are now selling millions' Massaad had turned to the industry out of necessity. Needing to pay for college tuition to study biochemistry, he began to learn about restaurant management, became a store manager and then started in services as a freelancer. In 2010, he launched his own hospitality management services company. 'The first couple of years were very difficult just to prove myself at the market,' he recalls. 'I landed contracts but there were always insecurities in the service business. If I lost one client, I had to scale down my team.' Massaad drafted a three-pronged strategy — to expand to the Gulf area, find a master franchise for one of his clients and build his own brand. The first two failed, the third saw him set up Swiss Butter. 'If I failed doing that, and this is what I'm supposed to be an expert in, then that would be the end of the road and I would lose credibility in the restaurant business,' he admits today. In 2017, Swiss Butter had launched in Beirut next door to where Massaad attended school. 'We imagined the customer experience and planned it backwards and reverse engineered the whole process," he says of the business plan. With it came their "secret" sauce – which has 33 ingredients, including herbs, spices and butter paste – created by Massaad's chef brother and has become the restaurant's hallmark. 'He had his personal challenge to crack that sauce that is over 100 years old. And once he achieved the result, we used to taste it together, tune and adjust it,' says Massaad. By 2015, Massaad took the recipe on instead of his brother selling and the pair later became restaurant holding partners. 'I was on a mission to remodel one of my client's restaurant model to fit the UK market," adds Massaad, "and I learned a lot about what is required as part of the concept DNA to make it in a big city like London or New York. Read More: 'My £20m juice business started in mum's kitchen with an eBay blender' 'I did the planning in detail and this is where it hit me. I wanted the quick service restaurant efficiency. I planned Swiss Butter to combine both the highest efficiency with the full experience and the value of a full-service restaurant.' Swiss Butter has three mains as its menu: steak, chicken or salmon, with fries and its signature sauce, along with two dessert options. Its success so far highlights a growing consumer shift towards "single-item, high-quality concepts". 'We removed all the anxiety that the customer might encounter during the experience and the journey,' says Massaad. 'The big menu is one of the anxieties that anyone can get when walking into a restaurant. It's like watching Netflix (NFLX) and you took the same amount of time trying to find which movie to start.' The Lebanese entrepreneur says a ''no franchising, no shortcuts' outlook has maintained the restaurant quality and brand experience, while consumer-generated content has been its best form of marketing, with the restaurant garnering high visibility across social media platforms. Maintaining consistency, adds Massaad, is also a daily battle for Swiss Butter and admits entering new markets has also been challenging. Read More: 'Studying chemistry helped me sell millions of oat milk bottles' 'The UK start point wasn't easy. Setting up the business, that was the easy part. Finding a location was difficult as landlords will not accept a new brand coming in from outside.' By hook or by crook, Massaad has overcome the hurdles. Perhaps it's down to a 'pragmatic analytical approach' from his biochemistry days to maintain industry standards. Swiss Butter currently has around 570 employees globally, with its Swiss Butter Academy for food safety standards and succession programme marking Massaad's approach to longevity in the industry. 'That's the big vision,' he says. 'To spread our experience to every major city in the world.' Read more: 'I went to a board meeting days after nearly dying but I soon saw my purpose' Meet the CEO responsible for selling London to the world 'Want to grow an iconic brand? CEOs have to value CMOs as servant leaders'Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Swiss Butter rise down to secret steak sauce and Lebanese resilience, says CEO
When Eddy Massaad's original Swiss Butter restaurant was destroyed by the Beirut blast tragedy in August 2020, resilience and a community rebuild saw the steakhouse open again 30 days later. 'We're used to different challenges, especially when we're coming out from Lebanon,' says Massaad. 'We got used to being pragmatic and problem solvers, going through any crisis and coming out positively.' Swiss Butter started its expansion in late 2021, opening 10 restaurants within a year, including its first London location. Now turning over a healthy eight figures, CEO and founder Massaad is aiming for 100 locations within five years of his viral restaurant brand and steak frites sauce dining experience. Read More: 'People said it was impossible but our Holy Moly dips are now selling millions' Massaad had turned to the industry out of necessity. Needing to pay for college tuition to study biochemistry, he began to learn about restaurant management, became a store manager and then started in services as a freelancer. In 2010, he launched his own hospitality management services company. 'The first couple of years were very difficult just to prove myself at the market,' he recalls. 'I landed contracts but there were always insecurities in the service business. If I lost one client, I had to scale down my team.' Massaad drafted a three-pronged strategy — to expand to the Gulf area, find a master franchise for one of his clients and build his own brand. The first two failed, the third saw him set up Swiss Butter. 'If I failed doing that, and this is what I'm supposed to be an expert in, then that would be the end of the road and I would lose credibility in the restaurant business,' he admits today. In 2017, Swiss Butter had launched in Beirut next door to where Massaad attended school. 'We imagined the customer experience and planned it backwards and reverse engineered the whole process," he says of the business plan. With it came their "secret" sauce – which has 33 ingredients, including herbs, spices and butter paste – created by Massaad's chef brother and has become the restaurant's hallmark. 'He had his personal challenge to crack that sauce that is over 100 years old. And once he achieved the result, we used to taste it together, tune and adjust it,' says Massaad. By 2015, Massaad took the recipe on instead of his brother selling and the pair later became restaurant holding partners. 'I was on a mission to remodel one of my client's restaurant model to fit the UK market," adds Massaad, "and I learned a lot about what is required as part of the concept DNA to make it in a big city like London or New York. Read More: 'My £20m juice business started in mum's kitchen with an eBay blender' 'I did the planning in detail and this is where it hit me. I wanted the quick service restaurant efficiency. I planned Swiss Butter to combine both the highest efficiency with the full experience and the value of a full-service restaurant.' Swiss Butter has three mains as its menu: steak, chicken or salmon, with fries and its signature sauce, along with two dessert options. Its success so far highlights a growing consumer shift towards "single-item, high-quality concepts". 'We removed all the anxiety that the customer might encounter during the experience and the journey,' says Massaad. 'The big menu is one of the anxieties that anyone can get when walking into a restaurant. It's like watching Netflix (NFLX) and you took the same amount of time trying to find which movie to start.' The Lebanese entrepreneur says a ''no franchising, no shortcuts' outlook has maintained the restaurant quality and brand experience, while consumer-generated content has been its best form of marketing, with the restaurant garnering high visibility across social media platforms. Maintaining consistency, adds Massaad, is also a daily battle for Swiss Butter and admits entering new markets has also been challenging. Read More: 'Studying chemistry helped me sell millions of oat milk bottles' 'The UK start point wasn't easy. Setting up the business, that was the easy part. Finding a location was difficult as landlords will not accept a new brand coming in from outside.' By hook or by crook, Massaad has overcome the hurdles. Perhaps it's down to a 'pragmatic analytical approach' from his biochemistry days to maintain industry standards. Swiss Butter currently has around 570 employees globally, with its Swiss Butter Academy for food safety standards and succession programme marking Massaad's approach to longevity in the industry. 'That's the big vision,' he says. 'To spread our experience to every major city in the world.' Read more: 'I went to a board meeting days after nearly dying but I soon saw my purpose' Meet the CEO responsible for selling London to the world 'Want to grow an iconic brand? CEOs have to value CMOs as servant leaders'
