Meet Rhomeo, Manager of The Plough
“I am ambitious to do things well,” says Rhomeo. “I want The Plough to be the best pub in Hampshire, and I’m committed to doing everything I can to help our team get there.”
Born in Angola and raised in London, Leonilson de Jesus Antonio is enjoying the challenge of getting to know the pub, his team and the Longparish community. Known in the music world by his stage name Jo Rhomeo, to us at The Plough he is simply Rhomeo.
A passion for food
Rhomeo has lived in the UK since 2003. After school in London, he took a degree in Electronic Engineering at Portsmouth University. But his job as a software engineer didn’t bring personal fulfilment, so he set out to explore his passion for food.
“As a single parent, my mother worked all hours. She and my Grandma taught me to cook from the age of seven. I loved to help them out as they prepared tasty Angolan and Portuguese dishes, with fresh seafood and wonderful stews – it really inspired me to cook and eat well.”
Rhomeo progressed through barista, bartender and supervisor jobs, working his way through to general manager and gaining a keen understanding of pub and restaurant life. Now at The Plough he is eager to work in partnership with our head chef, Billy, to bring delicious pub food to our customers.
Love for Longparish
“I felt the warmth in this place the minute I walked in,” smiles Rhomeo. “It’s clear that people genuinely want it to succeed as a welcoming village pub. I’m a people person, and enjoy meeting neighbours and welcoming customers. I hope that by working together as a team we can really bring The Plough to life.”
Rhomeo believes that The Plough and The Cricketers can work together too, helping each other out when possible, and giving villagers and those from further afield a great reason to enjoy Longparish.
Passionate about food, music and football, Rhomeo is also excited to find that the Longparish football pitch is effectively in his back garden!
Music Man
Rhomeo’s grandmother encouraged his interest in music from an early age, taking him along to her church choir practices. “When I was seven, I sang a solo to the whole church. I was so nervous until my Grandma gave me a big thumbs up – from then on, I have loved performing!”
It was the start of Rhomeo’s musical journey. He sang at school, but to the frustration of his music teacher he preferred to be out playing football. He joined a band as a vocalist before developing his own, unique sound as a solo artist. Rhomeo has featured widely on BBC and local radio, and has a large following on social media (see links below).
Rhomeo was happy to hear that Longparish has its own village choir, which rehearses in the River Room at the Plough – the choir has already invited Rhomeo to join them!
