Street Food Archives

August 24, 2024August 24, 2024

Black Eats Fest returns to Woolwich Works with weekend of flavour

South-east London venue set to host street food and shopping event on September 14 and 15

Image shows Black Eats founder Jackson Mclarty at Woolwich Works, a man with a full beard and tightly cropped dark hair — Black Eats founder Jackson Mclarty at Woolwich Works

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Black Eats was born from a hobby.

Working at a marketing agency, Jackson Mclarty enjoyed lunches and dinners with clients.

Outside office hours, he liked visiting restaurants, bars and cafes – posting his favourites to social media as many do.

But that changed in 2020.

“During the pandemic, we had the George Floyd incident in the US and the Black Lives Matter movement that emerged,” said Jackson.

“I was trying to support local, black-owned businesses as much as I could with my own personal spending.

“But I thought that, if I could encourage other people, then that would have a greater impact.

“So that’s why I created Black Eats as a directory – a place to educate and share information with people on where to go.

“I wanted them to know that they didn’t have to order online, that they could just go down the road and get food from a local supplier.

“We started with 100 restaurants in August 2020 – it seems such a long time ago now.

“At the time the Government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme was offering 50% off and we launched a marketing campaign for the 45 businesses listed on Black Eats that were participating.

“That provided an incentive for people to visit those restaurants – we were saying: ‘Go on, try something new, get out of the house’.

“There was no financial benefit for me, I wasn’t gaining anything – it was just about educating people, which is the first step for anything.”

Image shows a man in a hood cooking food at Black Eats Fest — Black Eats was formed to support black-owned businesses

so what then for Black Eats?

The next step – building on the directory – was telling more people about it. Jackson increasingly used social media to promote black-owned hospitality businesses and generate an audience.

Today that stands at more than 70,000 followers and a directory of just over 500 restaurants.

However, the online presence was not an end in itself. Jackson had added a second string to Black Eats’ bow in 2021 by entering the world of live events.

“With the first Black Eats Fest in Hackney, I was going into unknown territory, I’d never run anything like that before,” he said.

“I hadn’t even put up a gazebo. All I had was an audience – customers – and a concept.

“It was a massive risk, but I had a vision of what I wanted to execute and I was going to find out how to do it.

“At that first event, we had something like 25 traders and 2,000 ticket registrations across the weekend.

“That’s quite small compared to where we are now, but it felt impressive.”

Solid growth and success then saw two things happen.

Firstly, Jackson was able to leave his day job and focus full-time on Black Eats and, secondly, crowds of up to 15,000 people meant the live events needed to expand beyond Bohemia Market’s capacity to accommodate the footfall.

Image shows a tray of ribs from a recent festival in Woolwich — A tray of ribs at a recent festival

the right location

“For what we do, we had to look for a very particular space,” said Jackson.

“For us, having food of the correct quality means having an outdoor space so dishes can be cooked fresh.

“When you come to Black Eats Fest, you’re going to see the barbecues, the jerk pans and the fryers – all these different delights from different countries made right there.

“Woolwich Works is perfect because we have the courtyard, but there’s also indoor seating just in case we get attacked by rain.

“We never push the venue to full capacity, because we want the festival to be a place people can move around easily, so that they can try four or five different things over the four hours.

“There is real warmth in a carnival atmosphere where people are shoulder to shoulder, but this is a food festival and we want guests to be able to get around more easily than that.

“There’s so much to try.

“Back in June we had a Zimbabwean barbecue, a couple of jerk chicken vendors, a couple of Nigerian vendors, Guadelupean cuisine, Ethiopian cuisine and so much more.

“There are bars serving cocktails, one stall was doing drinks in pineapples and the cane juice was flowing.

“However Black Eats Fest also goes beyond food – there’s a whole cultural celebration.

“We have black-owned businesses selling everything from skincare to clothing, art, educational books and sunglasses.

“We try to be as diverse as possible, because we don’t want our visitors to see 10 of the same thing and the brands don’t want to be competing.

“It’s about people interacting with their customers – that’s what we really love.

“The whole point is to not be like a typical market or event where people come and it’s just transactional – a financial relationship.

“We want people to come here and feel fulfilled. Right now, those coming to Black Eats Fest will find around 15 food vendors and plenty of other businesses.

“It’s about coming and having an experience.”

Image show women enjoying drinks at Black Eats Fest at Woolwich Works' Fireworks Factory venue — Woolwich Works has space to eat indoors and out making it weatherproof for traders

expansion and growth

While the popularity of Black Eats Fest itself seems assured, its parent organisation is also in fine fettle.

Black Eats – alongside championing the businesses in its directory – has also diversified into supplying traders for events and this year sent businesses to some 10 festivals in two weeks, including the likes of Wireless and UK Black Pride.

“Running events around the UK would be the next step – we could do my home town of Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield,” said Jackson, who has relocated to Woolwich from north London.

“We need to find the right spaces and balance of traders, but that would be great.

“Then we’d love to look at major European cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.”

From there, who knows…

Image shows Every Fish Bar, serving up food at a Woolwich event — A wide range of traders feature at Black Eats’ events

key details: Black Eats Fest

Black Eats Fest returns to Woolwich Works from September 14-15. Each day features two sessions – from noon-4pm for families and from 5pm-9pm for over 18s.

Tickets cost £16.50 and are available on Black Eats website.

Previous events have sold out, so stay sharp.

Find out more about the event here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023

Canary Wharf: How Karapincha is bringing Sri Lankan flavours back to the Wharf

Twin sisters Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal are set to open a grab and go branch in the Tube station

Karapincha’s freshly made Kothu Roti with lamb

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There’s spice, fire, zest and vigour in the eyes of Karapincha founders Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the food.

The twin sisters are a force to be reckoned with, boasting CVs that name-check JP Morgan, EY, Nomura, RBS, KPMG, Six Degrees Group and many more.

Accountancy, project management, finance, entrepreneurial verve – it’s all there. So why give up flourishing careers in finance to launch a hospitality business?

“Ever since we came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2011, we knew we wanted to create a business,” said Vasanthini.

“Some people think that with Indian or Sri Lankan food that you have to sit down and have a meal, but that’s not necessarily the case – you can convert these cuisines to grab-and-go.

“We’d been thinking about the idea and had done some test marketing at an evening market in Shoreditch – we cooked up some food with our family and it was really nicely taken up.

“We were able to sell more than 100 portions – people really liked it.

“Then our mum and dad got sick and we couldn’t concentrate on starting something immediately.

“In the meantime Hoppers, a restaurant in Soho, started up and I thought: ‘Bugger – they’ve got my concept’.”

Undeterred, however, and with a faith that their time was yet to come, the duo bided their time before an introduction in Canary Wharf led them in a fresh direction.

“A colleague at JP Morgan introduced me to The Limehouse – a bar and restaurant run by Fuller’s on Fisherman’s Walk,” said Dharshini.

“They loved the food, but weren’t sure whether to go ahead until suddenly everything became OK and we went to sign the contract.

“It only gave us three weeks to get going – we didn’t have a name, any staff, crockery a menu or anything in the kitchen. Luckily we work well under pressure.”

Their determination won through with the twins pulling everything together to open in 2018, bringing their version of Sri Lankan cuisine to Wharfers in a 180-cover restaurant.

“Fuller’s was a really good partner for us – there was so much learning to do,” said Vasanthini.

“We had a really good partnership, learning the hygiene systems and how to organise our operation.

“They rebranded the place to match our colours – they really supported us and helped us to start up.”

The Limehouse, along with its neighbour, The Merchant, didn’t reopen following the pandemic, however, with Fuller’s deciding to leave the Canary Wharf estate.

However, Karapincha survives – running in sites at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant And Castle and Old Spitalfields Market – and Vasanthini and Dharshini are set to bring the brand back to Canary Wharf – albeit in a different form in the Jubilee line station.

Karapincha is expecting to start trading in mid-July.

“We’re going to be the first hospitality business to open in a Tube station where the kitchen will actually be cooking food,” said Vasanthini.

“Being in the station, we’re going to take the full opportunity to trade from morning until evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner – it’s a grab-and-go concept.

“We’ll be doing some things that are different here to our other sites because of all the offices nearby so that people will be able to come into work and eat our food.”

What won’t change, however, is the twins’ approach to the core flavours Karapincha champions.

“If you ask me where I would like to dine in London, the answer would be our place, because it’s nice comfort food,” said Dharshini.

“It reminds us of home-cooked food, just like our mother made – that’s what we always wanted.

“We didn’t want complicated, fancy stuff.

“We use a central kitchen to supply our sites, but everything is home-cooked style. We make everything we serve from scratch including the mayonnaise and the ketchup.

Karapincha co-founder Vasanthini Perumal

“It’s about conscientiously, carefully making food that is good for your health – exactly as you would if you had people coming to your house for lunch.

“That’s how we train our staff – they’re a lovely bunch who look after each other like family and a happy kitchen means a happy customer.

“When they buy it, people should not feel that our food is from a shop.

“We also cook in front of customers so they know they are getting something fresh.

“For example, the boys will make the paratha in the kitchen every day and we never freeze food or bring anything from elsewhere – it’s all made by us on a daily basis.”

Having had the teaser photos on the previous pages, it’s now time to talk about the food. Karapincha is proud to serve a selection of potent Sri Lankan dishes, all with the twins’ personal twist.

Front and centre is the Kothu Roti – a stir fry made with chopped roti bread, vegetables and eggs, flavoured with Sri Lankan curries and sliced up with energy as it cooks on the griddle.

Vegan, chicken and lamb versions are all available.

Then there’s the traditional Sri Lankan lunch of rice with curry, or how about a flaky folded paratha to dip in a rich coconut-laced sauce?

Failing that, there’s always the devilled chicken and fried rice or lamb rolls to fall back on – which all pack a punch.

When the twins first opened in Elephant And Castle, they were advised to tone down the spice a bit.

Suffice to say they ignored the advice and quickly built up a line of hungry fans eager to feel their tongues fizz from the pepper.

“The name of Karapincha comes from the curry leaf used in Sri Lankan cooking,” said Dharshini.

“It’s all about what we like to eat – what we grew up eating and the stuff our mother taught us.

“We use her recipe for curry powder, which contains 12 ingredients in specific quantities and we import them from Sri Lanka and grind it in our kitchen.

“The island is known for the best cinnamon in the world.

“But there are some twists too – if you go to that country, you won’t find our pineapple pickle served at any of the roti street food stalls.”

The twins also promise twists on bacon and egg for breakfast at the Canary Wharf store alongside porridges and even a high tea box to tempt office workers looking for afternoon refreshment.

But then, perhaps this kind of thing is to be expected from a pair of founders who, upon discovering a local mine was up for sale in Sri Lanka, bought it and turned their hand to exporting silica quartz to Japan and Korea, growing the operation to support 100 employees before selling it to mining giant Nippon seven years later.

“It’s really fulfilling to have started Karapincha,” said Vasanthini.

“We’re really happy. We wanted to do something in the UK, so we put this in motion and it’s been functioning for four years.

“It’s a journey and now we’re looking to take it to the next level and to operate a franchise model.

“We are slowly growing and we want to get bigger – at first within London. Canary Wharf will be our flagship now that we’re catching up after Covid.

“It’s also about the team – the people who work for us are a family.

“They’re so good, really brilliant and they never give up – and they need something to grow into.”

Chicken curry with paratha from Karapincha

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

November 15, 2022November 15, 2022

Canary Wharf: How Kerb’s West India Quay operation has gone social

Street food business sets up not-for-profit to help traders start and grown their operations

Wandercrust founder Gavin Dunn is running Kerb Social Enterprise

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

Buy a meal from a street food trader at Kerb On The Quay and you will be doing much more than filling your stomach, from now on.

A year ago, Kerb made a radical change.

After nine years of running markets across London that championed food startups – including the popular West India Quay spot – the business decided it needed to do more.

So it set up a not-for-profit social enterprise arm and hired Gavin Dunn, founder of pizza company Wandercrust and graduate of its own Inkerbator programme, to run it.

“I’ve always been really passionate about the ethos of Kerb – of breathing life and vitality into otherwise quiet areas of London and supporting a really diverse ecosystem of great foods from around the world,” said the 49-year-old, who is managing director of the company Kerb Social Enterprise.

“When I saw the job on LinkedIn, I felt pretty well placed to apply.”

Kerb already knew Gavin had experience with street food and his own consultancy in business development and HR, but its managers were impressed to find out he also had an extensive background with social enterprises and charities.

Gavin said it meant his experience perfectly matched the extremely niche role.

“There’s not that many food-based social enterprises so, not to blow my own trumpet, but I knew as soon as I saw the role it was quite nailed-on for me,” he said.

The first step in creating the new company ecosystem was “engaging” and, over the last 12 months, Gavin has worked to find more charity partners across four areas – youth unemployment, ex-offenders, refugee support and homelessness.

The aim is to discover hidden talent among the most disadvantaged communities in London to join its programmes and help diversify the street food scene.

“That early stage of the ecosystem is really important to me,” said Gavin.

“I went through the Inkerbator programme but was absolutely fortunate enough to have been able to afford my own pizza truck.

“I had a certain level of privilege to be able to set up Wandercrust while running my consultancy.

“I’m well aware that early stage presents such a barrier to individuals in being able to pursue their dream of running their own food businesses.

“We’re reaching out to these charities to see how we can remove those barriers, work with them and offer support to get them onto our Inkerbator programme and trading at our markets.

**Meatstop founder Benjamin Page began barbecuing aged 11. He now serves burgers, made from the finest ingredients and graduated from Kerb’s Inkerbator in October**

“That’s where we are really plugged in to parts of London that we otherwise would have overlooked in the past.”

The new era, which dawned as Kerb began celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022, relies heavily on its West India Quay market.

It restarted in March and is now where all Inkerbators must cut their teeth every Wednesday from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Full Kerb members trade at the site every Thursday from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

So far this year it has produced 23 graduates, including The Yeast Brothers, who have now opened their own restaurant in Deptford.

The last cohort graduated in October, so the Wednesday market is paused for now, but will return in 2023 with a fresh set of traders for Wharfers to try.

“We take a lot of time and care to make sure the businesses that come through the programme have the best experience possible and we can rely on West India Quay for that,” said Gavin.

“Canary Wharf is the home of London’s markets, and street food markets are the original business incubators, where people shared ideas and practices.

“It’s really nice to have brought it back to Canary Wharf this year and long may it last.

“We choose to do it there because of the crowd. The customers love it and recognise its value and you can feel it at an Inkerbator market.”

The Woolwich resident still remembers the buzz of trading there for the first time in 2016 with Wandercrust, which now trades in Greenwich.

“There’s nothing like it really,” said Gavin. “It’s excitement but you are anxious and you can still feel that at Inkerbator markets now.

“It means I know exactly how new businesses owners coming on to the programme feel.”

He also knows first hand the world of opportunities the programme can open up.

“One of the main benefits I found at Inkerbator was just this development of a network of like-minded creative, food-loving small businesses. It enables that collective spirit,” he said.

“It feels incredible for me to now be responsible for it and help rebuild it after the pandemic.”

**Sadish Gurung, left, and Subash Gurung, both worked in IT before launching Nepalese food business Filili which serves up Momo bite-size dumplings, below. They graduated in October**

Kerb, which also runs markets across London and a successful event catering arm with food service group Compass, shut down most of its activities over 2020 and 2021.

During that time it received 750 applications for Inkerbator.

Its team research and chat to each one, but also scout and approach businesses to invite, to ensure they are finding the best.

Those offered a place go through the coaching stage of the ecosystem, followed by six weeks of trading at West India Quay.

Once the incubating stage is complete and traders have graduated into full members, the accelerating stage kicks in.

Many go on to trade at the Thursday market at West India Quay and Kerb also offers regular networking events to its 100-plus members, some of whom have been with the business since its inception.

“It can be a lonely place, being a food business owner,” said Gavin. “So being part of a collective really helps to get everyone’s creative juices flowing.”

Becoming a social enterprise was a big change but Kerb was already working with charities such as Food Behind Bars to find potential members.

“We’ve worked with a guy called Marcus who had the idea of setting up a Caribbean pie and mash business,” said Gavin.

“I first met him in Brixton prison and now he’s working with us to gain work experience to help get him work in hospitality, but also to hopefully one day get onto our Inkerbator programme to set up his own street food business.”

It also works with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) and one of its founders is on Kerb’s advisory board.

One of the most popular traders at the Quay is Oshpaz, which was set up by Uzbekistan refugee Muzaffar Sadykov after he was referred by TERN and completed Kerb’s Inkerbator programme in February 2019.

Transforming into a social enterprise means the company now has more money to invest in its work with these charities as there are no shareholders or dividends.

“If you buy a bowl of plov from Muzaffa, not only will the the money go straight to him, but any pitch fee he pays Kerb is reinvested back into supporting early stage food businesses to help them grow through the Inkerbator,” said Gavin.

Kerb partnered with both charities and new partner homeless charity The Connection at St Martin In The Fields, to launch its first big move for the new social enterprise in the summer.

It partnered with McCain for initiative Streets Ahead offering free workshops to 100 less advantaged people.

“We’re already seeing individuals that The Connection has worked with referred to us and we’re supporting them either into work or talking about how they would go about setting up their own food businesses,” said Gavin.

**Jan Manrique from RiceON.LDN serves Korean bulgogi and graduated from the Inkerbator in March**

“We’re always looking for new partners and more support and we would like to do a lot more because there’s so much food talent out there and individuals that would love the opportunity to do it.

“But there are still a lot of barriers in the way, which we’re working really hard to remove.”

Gavin said next year was going to be a big one for Kerb.

“There’s loads of things in the pipeline that we’re excited about,” he said.

“Not least, working with all of the charities I’ve mentioned and removing those barriers to entry into food entrepreneurship for individuals who are just leaving prison or have refugee status.

“It really does feel as though we’re in a unique position – we’ve got so much to offer.”

He added: “I’m passionate about supporting small, independent businesses and have yet to come across a business that is better at doing that than Kerb.

“It’s a privilege to be able to be the person doing this for Kerb.

“It’s had such success over the first 10 years and I’m determined to make the next 10 years equally as successful and ground breaking.”

He hopes West India Quay will continue to embrace its new traders as they diversify and hopefully extend the number of days they trade there next year.

“We’ve had such amazing support from the customer base,” said Gavin.

“It hasn’t been as busy this year because with hybrid working not everyone’s in the office all the time.

“But what we have seen is real support from people who want to make sure that we remain there.

“People tell us they plan their days in the office around market day and some people come over and order 30 different meals to take back and make it into an office event.

“Kerb’s remit has always been to breathe life into spaces, to bring some colour, diversity and flavour to an area that might otherwise be less vibrant.

“I really think we’ve done that at West India Quay but also in the wider Canary Wharf area. You see so many more small food businesses there now and I like to think Kerb played a small part.”

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- Laura Enfield is a regular contributor to Wharf Life, writing about a wide range of subjects across Docklands and east London

April 16, 2022April 16, 2022

Wapping: How Pop Skewer is serving up a taste of Brazil underneath the railway

Marina Simoes and Marcio Yokota opened their kiosk after both losing their jobs during lockdown

Marcio Yokota and Marina Simoes of Pop Skewer – image Matt Grayson

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

Underneath the grey stretch of railway tracks in Wapping lies a surprise. Well, more than one, actually.

Venture off the beaten path of Cable Street and you will find Brazil’s most popular street food on offer at Pop Skewer.

Succulent beef on sticks, halal chicken and sausage are freshly barbecued and served up on the side of the road, just like in South America.

The compact kiosk was opened by Brazilian couple Marina Simoes, 46, and Marcio Yokota, 53, after they both lost their jobs during the first lockdown.

They had never worked together, but decided to use their skills and take a chance on their new venture.

Marina said: “We were both doing something completely different before.

“I was working in property sales and then started temping because I knew I wanted to do something else but never thought of opening my own business.

“My husband was working in a coffee shop as manager but because of lockdown we were both at home unemployed, so we said: ‘Why not work together?’.

“He’s a very good cook, so we thought we’d do something that uses his skills and gives people a taste of Brazil.”

They decided to serve the skewers with another popular dish from their home country – rice and beans.

“In Brazil, they wouldn’t normally be served together,” said Marina. “But we decided to combine them.

“The skewers are everywhere in Brazil. You grab them and eat them on the street really informally on the stick.

“They’re a really profitable business there and, hopefully, we will get the same success here.”

Pop Burger and Pop Sandwich from the kiosk – image Matt Grayson

They also serve up a Pop Sandwich and Pop Burger and daily specials like beef stew with cassava, beef stroganoff, beef parmigiana and, once a month, slow-cooked beef ribs.

“Every Saturday we serve the feijoada, which is black bean and pork stew,” said Marina.

“It’s made with different types of pork meat served with rice, tomato salad, spring greens and the farofa, toasted cassava flour with bacon and something else.

“Forgive me, I forget as I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years.”

A vegetarian running a meat-based business? How does that work?

“To be honest, I don’t like the smell of the BBQ, but I respect everyone whether they are vegetarian or not,” she said.

Marina admits she mostly stays away from the kitchen and sticks to handling other parts of the business.

The couple buy all their food fresh every few days and have items like the black beans delivered from a Brazilian supplier.

“I don’t cook anything, I’m terrible with that,” she said. “Of course, I help put the meals together. But cooking? No.”

Thanks to her, Pop Skewer also serves up plenty of vegetarian options, including a halloumi, onion and courgette skewer, a halloumi burger with courgette and lettuce, tomato and homemade sauce and a vegetarian sandwich in ciabatta bread.

Marina said: “Cooking with a charcoal grill makes such a difference to the taste.

“We have never just aimed to target Brazilians and, so far, everyone is enjoying eating it, which we find amazing.”

A range of dishes are available from the kiosk – image Matt Grayson

It’s not the first time the Bromley residents have taken a leap into the unknown.

Marina, who is of Italian heritage and grew up in Minas Gerais, left Brazil in her 20s on a one-way ticket to London.

She said: “My first job was working in silver service in hotels. I was terrible. Then I started in retail sales and then management and then property sales.”

Marcio, who is of Japanese heritage and grew up in Sao Paulo, arrived in England 15 years ago. He left behind a clothes business and found work in restaurants and coffee shops.

Having grown up 370 miles apart, it took them both travelling 5,900 miles across the Atlantic for their love story to begin on the streets of London.

“We met through a mutual friend and have been together ever since,” said Marina.

Their relationship is being put to the test with the challenges presented by their joint venture.

They built the business in just eight weeks, launching just after the first lockdown, and have faced struggles with supplies during the pandemic, getting word out to customers on a shoestring, and working together in very close quarters.

“Sometimes I want to strangle my husband,” said Marina

“But we have separate areas with me in the front taking orders and the other two guys in the cooking area. Sometimes we do bump into each other and bicker.

“It’s been very challenging having our own business under these conditions for the past year, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Pop skewers are very popular in Brazil – image Matt Grayson

They have also taken on fellow Brazilian Lucas Montagnini and trained him up to work on the grill.

“It was very hard to find someone because of the pandemic,” said Marina.

“He was a friend of a friend who was an engineer in Brazil, but he’d had enough and decided to leave and do something else.

“That’s what we all do when we come to England – something completely different. It’s great and challenging, leaving our comfort zone.”

The Pop Skewer site was empty before they took it over and they rely on Instagram, Google and word of mouth to gain customers.

But business can be unpredictable, with the lunch crowd sometimes arriving at 11am and sometimes not until 1.30pm, which makes it hard to plan.

“It can be really unpredictable,” said Marina.“We are not just building up Pop Skewer but also the location.

“The residents kept us going during the pandemic, but now the office workers are coming back. Hopefully, when the weather gets warmer, there will be lots of BBQ for everyone.

“We really want Pop Skewer to grow and get more customers.

“The past year has been about working hard and not getting much money, so we really want to move to the next level now and become known by everyone for Brazilian food.”

Pop Skewer is located by the side of Cable Street – image Matt Grayson

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