US chef talks cheese, pies and thanks at coast road pub

The 49-year-old, who is originally from New Jersey in the US and lived in Florida, took on the coast road pub with husband Nick two years ago.

The mother-of-two says they pride themselves on providing a calm, dog-friendly getaway but with pies...

The Lletty owners Jennifer and Nick Mann.

What inspired you to become a chef?

I love cooking. I started in fast food in America, and ended up doing every job in a commercial restaurant, from washing up to kitchen manager. I always wanted to be a pub owner and cook, from the mid 2000s it was a dream. Once I found my partner we knew we were all in.

After I moved to the UK, I took on a couple of cook positions in pubs to learn how it's done here.

What was one of the first dishes you learned to cooked

I was cooking for my family at 15, and just never stopped. Couldn't even begin to remember.

In-house made salmon and tenderstem broccoli filo pie.

Tell us a bit about your career so far...

I have cooked in everywhere from fast food to casual dining since the age of 18. Hostess, server, bartender, and managing. Creating menus and dishes when I was 22, and a bit of catering for events before we bought the pub. Everything has led me to this adventure in my late 40s.

What is your proudest career moment to date?

Getting into the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025 before being open a full year. Great Google reviews on our food has been wonderful.

What is your signature dish?

We are a pub that mainly serves a large selection of pies and interesting mash, but I feel that my nachos are a stand out dish.

I cook my own tortilla chips, make my own salsa, ranch dressing and coriander crema for the top. It's different than most nachos I have found in the UK. And they are gluten free and vegetarian.

The large ploughman’s lunch.

What is your favourite dish currently on your menu?

I think our ploughman's are a stand out. Lots of selection, we use cheese from North Wales, as well as our chutneys, which are small batch made and Welsh. Freshly baked bread, pickles, veg, salad and fruit.

But we are focussed as a pie and mash pub. I will have anywhere between 10 to 18 different flavoured pies, for example rabbit, game, chicken and mushroom, steak and ale, steak and kidney, lamb, fish pie, we have vegan pies, Moroccan tagine pie, vegetarian pie with goat's cheese and horseradish.

With our mash we have different mix-ins. You could have pesto, mustard, horseradish or cheese for example.

Then a choice of vegetables and gravies. I make a red wine and red onion gravy, a white wine and cream sauce, and the classic gravy, as well as pie liquor, and all the gravies are gluten free.

Pie and toasted potatoes with veg.

What is one of your favourite places to eat in Wrexham/Flintshire?

I love the Thai Wok Sushibar in Mold. Anytime I can get there, I do. Excellent food, lovely owners.

What is your favourite meal to eat at home?

I go through phases but I make great Tex-Mex food, so right now Birria Beef anything makes me happy.

The Lletty Hotel meatballs parmesan with fresh baked bread.

What do you like to drink with dinner?

Coke Zero. I don't like wine to drink, and prefer my whisky for after dinner.

What is your culinary guilty pleasure or snack?

Buying a few imported good from other countries. Sometimes it's American for a taste of childhood, and sometimes it's South Korea or Japan for specialist ingredients.

Read more: Meet the chef at cosy, dog friendly Flintshire pub

For snacking, Babybel cheese. We have OK cheese in America but moving here and finding all the cheeses has been beautiful. I would rather eat cheese than a slice of cake, although cheesecake is probably a weakness.

Which key ingredient is always in your fridge/cupboard?

Cheese. What's life without cheese?

The Lletty Hotel.

What is your favourite regional ingredient or delicacy?

Did I mention cheese? I know we are quite northern here but Glamorgan sausages are incredible.

Do you do Christmas and/or Thanksgiving?

I usually do both but a little bit differently. Thanksgiving for me is about thanks for what I have, and my family, all being together.

So because my roots lie a bit in southern America, I do all the very American holiday foods, things like sweet potato pie and cornbread dressing.

Then at Christmas I go more British with roast potatoes and the vegetable choices.

Get cosy inside the Lletty Hotel.

Is there a chef you admire?

Gordon Ramsay. Watching his Kitchen Nightmares has really helped me with focusing on the important things. Not trying to do too much but finding a couple of things to do as well as you can. His advice in those shows is very useful for business owners.

What's your career ambition?

To please people's palettes, full, warm, happy bellies and smiles on their faces. I don't need much more than that. Someday, another pub would be fun in a different style but this is our pub and home, and we love sharing it with others.

A pie to suit everyone with a variety of mash at The Lletty Hotel.

What do you think will be the next big foodie trend?

Hot honey has already made it here, and miso being used in different dishes is becoming more common. Perhaps Birria will be seen in more places, and it's already in quite a few.

Does pineapple belong on pizza?

As an American, I would say pineapple has more place than sweetcorn, that makes no sense whatsoever. However, since I've lived in the UK and had sweetcorn on a pizza, I'm a convert.

I wouldn't order pineapple on pizza but wouldn't shame anyone for the choice.

• The Lletty Hotel is open Thursday to Sunday, and for food 5pm-9pm.