Case Study: Fern & Ivy, Treorchy
Transforming an empty commercial space into a restaurant is about far more than choosing the right equipment. The kitchen must work when the orders start coming in, the chefs are under pressure, and every movement matters.
That was the challenge facing WAM Engineering Services when the team was brought in to help create the new commercial kitchen at Fern & Ivy in Treorchy.
Fern & Ivy is an exciting new restaurant and cocktail bar developed with ambitions that extend well beyond its food and drink offering.
Founder and CEO Michelle Coburn-Hughes has created the business with a commitment to reinvesting profits back into the local community, making the new venue an important addition to Treorchy High Street.
For Swansea-based foodservice equipment specialists WAM Engineering Services, the project began in July 2026 with one clear objective: understand the Fern & Ivy vision and design a kitchen capable of delivering it.
Getting the Design Right Before Installation Began
Unlike replacing equipment in an established restaurant, Fern & Ivy provided WAM with a complete blank canvas.
That brought opportunities but also challenges.
When WAM visited during the early stages of development, the team identified several elements of the initial kitchen design where the proposed equipment positioning could have created practical problems once everything was installed.
Drawing on years of experience designing and installing commercial kitchens across the hospitality sector, WAM worked closely with the Fern & Ivy team to refine the layout before those problems reached site.
Kyle James, Manager at WAM Engineering Services, said, “This is exactly why we like getting involved with a project as early as possible. A kitchen can look absolutely fine on a drawing, but you have to think about how chefs are actually going to use it during a busy service.”
“We spent time understanding what Fern & Ivy wanted to achieve, how the kitchen needed to operate and where each piece of equipment would work best. Making those changes early meant we could create a much better working kitchen without encountering costly problems further into the installation,” he continued.
The approach paid off: the new commercial kitchen was completed and handed over in August, on time and on budget.
A Complete Commercial Kitchen Built for Fern & Ivy
WAM supplied and installed equipment across virtually every part of the operation, from cooking and refrigeration to warewashing, preparation, extraction and storage.
At the heart of the cooking line is a new Retigo EVO MAX combi oven, making Fern & Ivy the first restaurant in South Wales to install the latest-generation Retigo oven, and only the second in the UK.
The EVO MAX is joined by Lincat Opus fryers and griddle, Lincat tabletop induction units, a Lincat salamander grill and Sharp microwave.
Kyle continued:
“The EVO MAX is a brilliant addition, and it is great to see Fern & Ivy becoming one of the first restaurants in South Wales to have one, but the important thing for us was the kitchen as a whole,” said Kyle.
“Every piece of equipment has to work with what is around it. Where the chefs prepare food, where they cook, where they plate, where ingredients are stored and how everything moves through the kitchen all matter. That is where good commercial kitchen design really makes a difference.”
Refrigeration includes Williams refrigerated drawers, Gram upright and undercounter fridges and freezers, an Atosa refrigerated saladette preparation unit and an Atosa two-door counter freezer.
A Parry hot cupboard with two-tier heated gantry supports the service area, while WAM also supplied bespoke preparation tables, sinks and wall shelving.
The warewashing area incorporates a Sammic pass-through dishwasher, bespoke dishwasher tabling and sink, a pre-rinse spray hose, and a grease management system. A Blizzard ice machine, Sterling Pro back-bar bottle coolers and Prodis glasswasher were also supplied for the wider operation.
Above the main cooking line, WAM designed and installed a new bespoke commercial extraction canopy complete with extract fans, ducting and filters.
It is a complete kitchen designed as one operation rather than a collection of individual appliances.
“Outstanding From Start to Finish”
For Michelle Coburn-Hughes, Founder and CEO at Fern & Ivy, that attention to the wider project was an important part of the experience.
“Our experience with WAM has been outstanding from start to finish,” said Michelle. “From our very first meeting, we felt confident that we were working with a company that genuinely cared about getting the project right.”
“A special mention has to go to Kyle – his work ethic is on another level. He worked incredibly hard throughout the installation, was flexible when things inevitably changed along the way, and nothing ever seemed too much trouble,” she continued.
That relationship continued beyond the physical installation, as Michelle added.
“What impressed us particularly was the support beyond simply installing the kitchen. Kyle was always accessible, including via WhatsApp, to answer questions and offer advice when we needed it. When you’re trying to get a new hospitality business open, having someone that responsive and willing to help makes a huge difference. The whole process felt professional but also very personal. We never felt like we were simply another installation to get finished and move on from.”
For Kyle and the WAM team, seeing the finished kitchen ready for Fern & Ivy to begin the next chapter made the work worthwhile.
“This was never about arriving with a list of equipment and finding somewhere to put it,” said Kyle. “We wanted to understand the business Michelle and the team were creating and give them a kitchen that would help them deliver it.”
“We are incredibly proud of the finished result and, more importantly, we know the team has a kitchen designed around the way they actually need to work,” he summarised.
Michelle concluded, “We are absolutely delighted with the finished kitchen and would highly recommend WAM to anyone considering a commercial kitchen installation.”
Planning a New Commercial Kitchen?
WAM Engineering Services provides commercial kitchen design, catering equipment supply, installation, servicing, and maintenance for restaurants, pubs, hotels, and hospitality businesses across Wales, the South West, and beyond.
Whether you are opening a new venue, refurbishing an existing commercial kitchen or need expert advice before committing to a layout or equipment package, speak to the WAM team.
