Karol Rzepkowski, owner of Victor Hugo Deli, located at Melville Terrace, The Meadows and George Street, speaks to Hidden Edinburgh about how fate brought him back to take the helm at what was once his family’s business.
Tell Us A Bit About Yourself
I grew up in Victor Hugo Deli which was owned by my parents throughout the 70’s and 80’s.
In the 90’s I upped sticks and went to live in the Caribbean with a young family, ended up getting a bit bored so set up a diving / water-sports operation and was privileged to spend each day experiencing the remarkable diversity of life on coral reefs from feeding sharks to swimming with turtles and in turn witnessed first-hand the huge impact humanity was having on sea life and the planet in general.
By the early 2000’s the family was starting to grow up and the need for a more formal education was pressing so on some advice moved to Shetland, an amazing part of the UK with a great quality of life, standard of living and a community spirit you would struggle to find on the mainland these days.
Here almost by accident I got involved in fish farming on a fairly epic scale. Modern aquaculture is mostly about large scale operations, volume production and is a Scottish success story that is not always fully appreciated. It also holds the key to reducing our impact on the marine environment and issues around over-fishing.
Eventually getting old I returned to Edinburgh in 2011 having missed the city and the slight madness of city life. In 2014 I was taken to Victor Hugo by a close friend and business partner and realised it had started to lose its way and that I owed it to the memory of my parents to give it a kiss of life… it’s been the longest kiss of life on record, as I’m still at it!
Why Victor Hugo?
The name came about as a play on words. When my father started the first deli business (in Spittal Street) in the 50’s, he and his business partner named it Victors of Edinburgh Continental Delicatessen after a close friend Victor, owner of a local Italian restaurant, who had recently passed away.
When Melville Terrace opened in the 60’s people assumed my father’s first name was Victor, his business partner was called Hugh so they put both names together and came up with Victor Hugo. We sold the business in the 80’s but remained as landlords, taking back control of the business in 2014 when I returned from living overseas having not visited the business for almost 30 years!
I have spent the past five years reimagining the business and trying to better understand what the public expect from a deli – and of course sampling far too many cakes and sandwiches!
Tell Us About the George Street opening
It had not been our intention to open a second VH Deli however the success we experienced over the past five years made us pause for thought. Edinburgh is a great city to wander around but I always struggled for where to stop for a coffee on a Sunday morning.
We set about creating our vision of a slightly more modern version of VH Deli for the city centre and finally opened in May 2019. Until the lockdown in March, we were delighted with the response from locals many of whom were regulars at Melville Terrace and others who were experiencing Victor Hugo for the first time, along with the numerous visitors to the city.
What we didn’t expect was just how popular our sandwiches would become, in particular our signature sandwich, the grilled pastrami on rye, which seems to have become what we are best known for!
How has the business adapted during and post lockdown?
Melville Terrace reopened in July and is very much a local business, we have been extremely lucky to have a loyal customer base who have supported us throughout the lockdown.
We have had to limit both indoor and outdoor tables to accommodate social distancing and slightly simplify our menu, with sandwiches continuing to be our most popular line.
We also offer a takeaway menu and started a home delivery service which proved popular, in particular with people working from home wanting to share a typical VH lunch during zoom calls.
And we’re very pleased to have re-opened our George Street deli just last week – it had been closed since March due to a very low footfall in the city centre, but these past few months gave us the opportunity to review what went well and what we could improve upon. We are very pleased to have both delis open, time will tell how the city centre is going to change, which it certainly seems it will and how best to adapt VH to the challenges.
What Is Your Favourite Restaurant Or Bar In Edinburgh And Why?
Breakfast: Dishoom
Local: L’Escargot Bleu
Finally for any excuse for a treat it has to be: Martin Wishart, nothing else in Edinburgh comes close. The beetroot and horseradish macaron should be sold by the kg!
What Are Your Top Tips For A First Time Visitor To Edinburgh?
- An early morning stroll through Princes Street gardens, we are so lucky to have this in the city centre, followed by a coffee and breakfast at any of the nearby cafes / restaurants and of course one particular deli.
- Visit to the National Museum is a must, if only to see the stunning interior, one of my absolute favourite buildings.
- National Portrait Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art are both well worth a visit.
- Finally check out the views from Calton Hill… we sometimes forget just how pretty a city Edinburgh is.
Where Is Your Own Hidden Edinburgh And Why?
There isn’t really much left that’s hidden in Edinburgh, however if I want to get away from it all The Hermitage is a great walk and still relatively unknown to tourists.
Otherwise for an alternative glimpse of a hidden Edinburgh, head to the city centre early on a Saturday or Sunday morning at any time of year to find the city that’s hidden in plain view.
A Day In The Life Of Karol Rzepkowski
I’m very lucky as no two days are the same. When I get to the stage that I have a typical day, it will be time to move on, life is an adventure.
I’m getting old, or at least that’s my excuse, so don’t spend as much time working as I used to… I always pop into one or both delis to see all is well in the morning and have a double Espresso, followed by coffee or lunch somewhere in town. It’s good to see what other businesses are doing and Edinburgh has lots of great venues.
Afternoons are usually spent in meetings or if I can get away, some time at home in the office.
Life Motto
You only have one shot at life, make it count…
Although others are fond of telling me I have one mouth and two ears, to use them in proportion.
Website: www.victorhugodeli.com
Address: 26-29 Melville Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1LP / 104 George Street, EH2 3DF
