The InKERBator returns! Last year we launched the inKERBator scheme to mentor new street food businesses and keep a hot fresh bed of talent pulsing through our lunch market fleet. To date, we’ve helped 30 new businesses find their feet through it.
Here’s the first batch of newbies who we’ve taken on board for 2018. Find them trading at InKERBator Tuesdays, KERB West India Quay (and some at King’s Cross) every week STARTING 6 FEB. But before you do meet them here:
Bringing you regional street food from Osaka, Japan’s FOOD Capital (after Adam fell in love with the food there, especially the okonomiyaki) – meet Becky and Adam who launched ‘Oishii Yatai’ last year. The name translates as ‘Yummy Food Cart’. (These wooden yatais found on the urban streets of Japan and are descended from food stalls established outside of Buddhist shrines from the 5th century). Look out for their one it’s beautiful – designed and handbuilt by them.
Signature dish: The bacon and bonito okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake)
Trivia: This year Adam and Kate started a ‘Okonomiyaki for Oceans fund’ – putting 100% of our profits towards projects helping to stop ocean plastic.
Name a street food trader: Eliot’s worked for them. This boy’s been in the business since he emailed Yum Bun’s Lisa for work experience five years ago and he’s been picking up skills and tips since. Last year he set up his own business: ‘Eat Lagom’. Lagom is a Swedish word meaning balance, or ‘enough is as good as a feast’ and, drawing on his Scandanavian roots, Eliot calls what he does”live-fire cooking”: balanced, seasonal, ingredient-lead dishes, always prepared over wood, charcoal or smoke.
Signature dish: hot-smoked pastrami bun w/dill-mustard slaw and chopped pickles
Trivia: Eliot has a 6 month old whippet pup called Nova who he’ll be bringing to the Quay every Tuesday so look out! He’s also, though he might not look it, a quarter Eliot Chinese.
We’re inKERBating an incubator! Some of you may have seen that Miami Pink Kitchenette Kart already pitched up around London. Well, now they’ve joined KERB. Kitchentte support young unemployed Londoners get work in street food and so we’re incredibly excited to be backing this. Look out for their East End sandwiches, cooked by trainee chefs.
Signature dish: Always changing, but at the moment it’s the Vietnamese fried chicken thigh bun, with pickled cabbage, mint, crushed pea and carrot slaw.
Trivia:‘ Kitchenette Karts’ is a social enterprise spun out of Kitchenette, the kitchen incubator. Read more about them here, and check out their brilliant ‘Steak in the Economy‘ – a report on why food entrepreneurship is so important to the economy – and how best to support it.
Launched off the back of an unhealthy obsession with cheese (don’t we all have one) and an inspiration trip around North America a few years back. “I fell in love with their grilled cheese sandwiches and the street food scene over there. I couldn’t get it out of my head I just jumped in and it was the best thing I’ve ever done” – Henry
Signature dish: The Spicy Boy. A melty wonder consisting of Cheddar, Red Leicester, jalapeños, Sriracha and crispy shallots
Trivia: He once did the ‘Baggio Seven’
A Pie Party – at King’s Cross only, Fridays
We know you’ve all been craving one: a new sweet trader! Meet Claire and her delicious pies. With a crazy sweet tooth and obsession for street food (you’ll see her down at KERB Gherkin weekly scoffing the lunches), Claire decided it was time to start her own baking business just three months back (she juggles another job too), and she spotted a gap in the market for creative pies.
Trivia: Claire loves peach pie so much she claims to have eaten a whole pie in one sitting on a few occasions. She also does heavy weight training 6 days a week to try and counter the effects of all the street food she eats!
Signature dish: Cookies & Cream Pie. Shortcrust pastry base, fudgy brownie layer, topped with a vanilla cream cheese layer with lots of crushed Oreos folded through, topped with more Oreos and a square of Hersheys.
COMPLETE newbie to the streets, ex-chef turned business owner, Tom has longed to get back into the catering game. Having worked at some impressive places in London he has brought one of his (and the nations) favourite ingredient to the street, TRUFFLE! He blew us away with his truffle office tasting last month (those beef shin truffle nuggets) – and now he’s actually starting his business.
Signature dish: Beef & smoked bacon burger with raclette, crispy shallots, fig jam & truffle mayonnaise
Trivia: When Tom isn’t in the kitchen, he can be found on his sofa, watching series after series of Catchphrase. He is so good at it, his friends even call him Mr Chips!
Oz set up Zephyr in 2016 with his other half (Sheena) above to bring Southern Californian food to London’s streets. He fell in love with it while working in LA for a while (obsessed with the food trucks Eggslut, Free Range and Kogi over there) and left his day job in film editing to start this.
Signature Dish: The Zephyr. A cloud-like brioche bun layered with Tamworth pork, sliced avocado, Mexican slaw, over easy egg, griddled cheddar and honey Sriracha mayo with optional fresh chillies and pink onions
Trivia: Both Oz and Sheena love the surfing culture and ‘Zephyr’ comes from the name of a surfboard shaping company based in Santa Monica in the 1970’s.
Liberty Kitchen is a social enterprise working in Pentonville Prison to give men a chance for change by providing training, relevant qualifications, jobs and opportunity. Men work with a professional French Chef using high quality ingredients sourced by leading London suppliers. Any profits from sales go back into the project. Janet and Danny are part of the Liberty Kitchen team which developed the first Ball no Chain meat, fish and veg ball range in Pentonville Prison.
Signature dish: Green Lanes veg Kibbeh meat balls
Trivia: Both love food! Janet’s passion for street food comes from travelling the world savouring all sorts of snacks; Danny’s from his Granny who taught him all the flavours of Caribbean Cuisine.
Ghanaian street food with a twist. Chalé was founded by Alicia Ama in 2014, to bring flavours from her family origins of Ghana, Togo and Guyana to London’s streets. “Chale” basically translates as “let go / hell no / let’s eat!” and Ghanaian food to Alicia “is all about flavour, colour and being completely stuffed” so come down to the Quay and let them stuff you!
Signature dish: Peanut butter chicken stew
Trivia: Despite having peanut butter as their signature dish Alicia is allergic to peanuts! Another danger related one – Alicia had Malaria when she was three but miraculously survived.
Join us on 6 Feb 11.30-2pm at KERB West India Quay for inKERBator Tuesdays to meet them all.
Full lunch line-up here.
