An experienced café operator rooted in the community is set to take over at one of north London’s most cherished open spaces.
Cosmin Stuparu, who has run the café at Golders Hill Park for the past 15 years, has been awarded the lease for Highgate Wood café, bringing continuity, local knowledge, and new investment for visitors.
This also means all staff across all cafés at Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park will be paid at least the London Living Wage for the first time, demonstrating a shared commitment to supporting those who live and work locally.
Stuparu said: “After 15 years running Golders Hill Park café and working closely with the local community, I’m really looking forward to bringing that experience to Highgate Wood.
“As a family-run business, our focus is on freshly prepared food, a welcoming atmosphere and paying our staff fairly, while creating a café that feels part of the Wood and the local community.
“We’re excited to invest in the café and outdoor space so it can be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.”
Under the new lease agreement, Stuparu plans to invest in the café building and patio area, including the creation of a more welcoming outdoor seating space.
The improvements will enhance the visitor experience while respecting the woodland setting and reinforcing the café’s role as a valued community hub.
The decision follows the conclusion of an open, competitive and independently supported café remarketing exercise, undertaken to replace short-term arrangements that limited long-term investment and improvement in these important community facilities.
Alderman Gregory Jones KC, the City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee chair, said: “Cosmin has been part of Golders Hill Park for 15 years.
“We’re pleased that his experience, local connection and plans to upgrade the facilities as well as his commitment to paying café workers the London Living Wage will benefit visitors to Highgate Wood.
“This decision followed an open, competitive process and was taken to enable long-term investment in the Highgate Wood charity, fair pay for staff, and cafés that remain affordable, welcoming and sustainable for the future.
“Our role as sole charity trustee is to act in the best interests of that charity and the people who use this open space and work in its facilities – and that is exactly what we are doing.”
Highgate Wood is a 70-acre Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and has been managed by the City of London Corporation since 1886.
The site has received a Green Flag Award every year since the scheme began in 1996.
Feature image: Wikimedia Commons
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