Who's Who in El Cerrito: Graham Barclay Simpson

Name:  Graham Barclay Simpson

Age: 52 — "But make sure to add that I look much younger."

Occupation: Owner of Kensington Circus Pub and Restaurant

How long have you lived in El Cerrito? 16 years

What do you like about the city? Actually I didn't even know El Cerrito was a city, but it's a city, isn't it. I like it because it feels like a small town and it doesn't feel like a city. And I like the view from my house where I live, 'cuz I live in the hills, so I can see the whole thing. And I do like our local coffee shop — family-owned, a bit like my business as well, and not corporate, and close-by. Good coffee, I must admit.

Would there be anything you would change about El Cerrito? I'd improve the part of El Cerrito that's on San Pablo Avenue. I don't think that's quite good enough. The buildings could look nicer, and my favorite building in El Cerrito is the one that used to be the old lumber yard that got moved by Mr. Vital. Yea, definitely think the part of El Cerrito where the avenue is running through could be better. The building I'm describing, you might want to go and look at it, is probably San Pablo's nicest building in El Cerrito. It's where Nibs cafe is, not on the same side of the street but across from there. But I love the hill, it's nice looking and it's got its wildlife and it feels like a smaller town to me.

So you own the Kensington Circus Pub. Tell me an adventure you've had doing this. Opened the pub, this place, in 1988 to play darts, drink beer, meet girls, things like this. It didn't do that well for two years, then it started doing quite well. Then it became well thought of by the young families with children. We had the play area and so business got back there and it became well-known locally. But it was no good for playing darts by then, or drinking beer or meeting women, more of a family pub.

And it has been a bit of an adventure because quite a lot of restaurants don't last that long, do they? I think the average is seven years, if they make it through the first year. It's been a success of sorts.

Any more pub questions?

One last question. What's your favorite dish here? The one I eat the most is probably the burger, but my favorite favorite, depending on diet and things like that, probably the fish and chips, even though that sounds like a cliche, but it is! It's our biggest-selling dish by far I think.