'It will be over there, between that sweeping brush and that pillar," says Anthony Flinn, waving towards a gloomy, cavernous space

He's Anthony Flinn Snr, the father of the man of the same name who is arguably Leeds's top chef, and he's conjuring up a vision of something that sounds fabulous, but at the moment it's a work in progress, in fact it's not there at all.

But it soon will be. One day in November the Flinn family, who rode into Leeds five years ago and transformed its dining scene, will open their fourth restaurant within the city centre.

And this time they are thinking big. What they are creating is not so much a restaurant as a lifestyle.

This venue, which will be called The Piazza by Anthony, will not only have a restaurant capable of seating 125 but a bakery, a patisserie, and a chocolate-making shop selling handmade delicacies.

Then there will be a cheese shop selling 200 types of cheese, a shop selling the kind of upmarket. difficult-to-find ingredients used by chef Anthony in his restaurant dishes, an upmarket cafe and takeaway, and a bar

All the shops will stay open until 7pm, so that Leeds workers can wander in after their office day is finished and buy some of Anthony's bread and perhaps a lemon tart of the very highest quality: Like I said, it's lifestyle.

The venue for all this is the bottom floor of the Corn Exchange, one of Leeds's finest buildings, built by Cuthbert Brodrick who also built Leeds Town Hall.

The Corn Exchange was first rescued from the dinghy, ill-used place it had become back in 1985 when it was renovated and occupied by lots of small, independent shops.

It became a focus for they city's goth crowd with gangs of goths and moshers congregating outside every weekend, until it was recently decided by owners Zurich Assurance to turn it into an upmarket food emporium.

The decision has been controversial and there have been plenty of critics of the plan which has meant the old tenants have had to move out.

But Anthony Snr thinks it is the right move.

"It's a beautiful building and will look fantastic once everything is done. I like the idea that it began life as a place where corn was sold and now we are going to be baking bread in here, it feels like a bit of a link with the past".

The restaurants are a family concern: Anthony Jnr is the chef who trained at El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant that has been voted the best in the world.

Anthony Snr meanwhile is a man with a passion for business who always envisaged creating not just a restaurant but a brand.

His daughter Holly runs Anthony at Flannels, and his son's partner Olga, who is Spanish and met Anthony Jnr during his time working in Spain, is front of house at Anthony's on Boar Lane, which has just 45 covers and a national reputation for fine dining.

In addition, the Flinn family also has Anthony's Patisserie in Victoria Quarter.

The new restaurant will be brasserie-style aimed at the mid market.
Anthony Snr, who lives in a sixteenth century house in Flockton, near Casteford, said: "It was always our intention to build Anthony's as a brand.

The original restaurant will remain as it is, we have to turn away as many people as we serve but we will not make it any bigger because then the attention to detail would suffer.

"But we can grow in other areas. In terms of business, Anthony at Flannels linked us with fashion brands, and the patisserie helps with cash flow because most people spend smaller amounts and often pay in cash. Now we need to get some volume and we can do that in the Corn Exchange.

"It was never our intention to come into the city to make a fast buck but I think in the last five years as a family we have earned respect. We don't pay ourselves huge salaries we don't swank around, but we provide a good service and we are here to do well.

"As soon as we heard the Corn Exchange might be vacant I came to have a look and knew it was right for us."

This is the most space the family has had to work with and the first time they have designed a space themselves. They are creating a perfect, state-of-the art dream kitchen – think the culinary equivalent of a dream walk-in wardrobe – which will be separated from the restaurant by glass so diners can see right in.

There will be a rotisserie for cooking meat and the restaurant will be serving food as simple as sausages and mash, though the sausages will be locally prepared to Anthony's own recipe.

The restaurant will be centre stage, but round the edges, in 13 original arched alcoves, will be the bakery and shops selling, among other things, the bread, cakes and chocolates on the menu in Anthony's restaurants, alongside a cafe and a private dining area that will seat up to 20 people.

The original York stone floor will stay but will be restored to its original colour.

"It's all about giving the building its former glory, not tarting it up beyond recognition. the current climate is difficult but this is the real world and we just have to be good enough, and then we will survive."