Meet the Northern Ireland self-taught baker turning a hidden Belfast furniture store café into a bakery school and more
Award-winning founder of The Focacceria marks standout first year with £75,000 crowdfund to fuel ambitious expansion plans
Belfast man Ciaran McLarnon, who began baking and cooking just before the Covid-19 pandemic, is marking the first successful year of The Focacceria by launching an ambitious new growth strategy.
The plans include the introduction of a baking school, a dedicated events space for corporate groups and extended opening hours for the restaurant.
A crowdfund appeal has officially launched with a target of £75,000, which the self-taught baker says will support three key phases of growth, with work on the first phase set to begin in early 2026.
Ciaran explained: “The Foccaceria has succeeded commercially in its first year which is always the toughest for any start-up.
“I am pleased with the public reaction to our menus and am more convinced than ever that people will travel to find quality because everything
we source and make is of the best quality.”
Ciaran who now employs five people, started teaching himself the art and science of sourdough while living in Glasgow. Returning home to Belfast in 2022, he launched his business in a shipping container on Apollo Road. By 2023, his sourdough bagels had won a coveted Great Taste Award.
When the shipping container site was forced to close abruptly in February 2024, Ciaran posted an urgent appeal on Instagram. Within days, the team at local interiors retailer House Proud had offered him the opportunity to take over their recently vacated café space on the first floor. Four months later, The Focacceria officially opened its doors.
Now considered a hidden gem of Belfast’s food scene, The Focacceria is a bakery, and restaurant, with a focus on Ciaran’s sourdough breads, especially focaccia, serving up firm favourites such as the chicken parmesan and ever popular double beef sandwich, as well as the now legendary chips.
“Using some of our best local produce, The Focacceria is known for its classic Italian/American style sandwiches like the Chicken Parm or Meatball,” added Ciaran.
“Classics aside, the menu changes frequently, but the one constant is great sandwiches made with the best bread.”
The crowdfund will run until January 31 2026, find out more about the crowdfund here: www.hundredthmonkeybakery.com/pages/crowdfunder