This is an attempt to record my journey from an enthusiastic amateur cook, barbecuer and wino to realise a long held dream to be a hospitality professional.
The background.
I’ve loved cooking since I made a boiled fruitcake to astounded applause as an 8 year old. The giddy intoxication of compliments is a powerful motivator to this boy (and don’t get me started on what it was like as a feckless teenager. I can not remember ever having a home barbeque as a youngster but very much enjoyed lighting cooking fires as a boy scout.
Fast forward to 1991, I dropped out of catering school because I was more interested in making money than following my calling. That’s always been an issue, doing things that do not stir my soul because they pay so well. Unfortunately it took me a long time to realise I was trying to shoe-horn my work into who I was rather than the other way around.
I was looking to build a built-in wood fired oven and barbeque into the backyard of my small terrace house. Having to take care of the smoke and buy something that wasn’t ridiculously overpriced and/or under-qualitied was doing my head in. I’d looked everywhere and until I stumbled onto http://www.aromatic-embers.com/ I didn’t think I could get what I wanted.
Was so taken with the ovens I knew this was right. Sorry file too large http://www.aromatic-embers.com/ovens/ovens-and-grills/backyard-series/basil/#lightbox[2632]/2/
I wanted one of these to complement a parrilla I was going to buy elsewhere.
So this one seemed to be the basis of what I wanted. As it was custom-made I could get anything I wanted as long as I was willing to pay the cost. This pic has appeared on my intro thread so sorry for the double up
After a few conversations with Craig I realised that I wanted the kit badly but the cost was still very much in the domestic dis-harmony zone. So I thought, put it on a trailer, go around the festival circuit, make a frame with wheels so I can transfer it from backyard to trailer and I can have my cake and eat it too. As a business the price was less important and as a sideline I could work as hard or take time off as I liked. My plan was a Tapas wine bar popup. Paid the 50% deposit and we’re good to go.
Next, the best laid plans.......