Ana is a home cook and self-proclaimed hot sauce queen with a passion for Macanese, Portuguese, and Chinese cuisine. Growing up in Macau, Ana was exposed to a rich tapestry of flavours, textures, and spices, which have influenced her culinary style and inspired her to experiment with new combinations and techniques. Her innovative and flavourful dishes combine traditional ingredients and techniques with modern twists, resulting in an exciting culinary experience that has collected rave reviews and loyal fans. She is also a passionate advocate for food sustainability, ethical sourcing, and empowering women in culinary entrepreneurship.

Ana Ortiz is a chef and co-director of Fire Made (previously, Country Fire Kitchen) which she runs from Somerset with her husband Tom Bray; the pair design and produce fire cookery equipment for chefs, restaurants, and consumers worldwide, as well as running experience days and training in all things asado. Ana grew up on the Galapagos islands and her earliest memories of cooking are in her grandfather’s beautiful fire kitchen where they would prepare feasts for all the family; they were a large family as he had eight daughters, two sons and twenty grandchildren. They would slaughter an animal on the farm and the family would gather to cook a nose to tail meal over fire. As a young child Ana would get involved helping to stuff the morcillas and this period of her life ignited her passion for cooking and entertaining. Ana’s joy for cooking over fire was further fuelled by her father who became obsessed with Argentinian asado from his travels around South America with work and it soon became a Sunday ritual for the family. It was this passion for fire cookery which inspired her and husband, Tom, to start Fire Made in 2016 having moved to live in England. Ana loves nothing more than to host and wanted to bring the way she and her family cook and enjoy food, to the UK.

Born in Singapore to a Nyonya mother and British father, Andrew and his family moved to South London when he was young. Missing the food culture from his birthplace, Andrew's passion for cooking grew in the absence of affordable street food in the UK and thanks to his mother's excellent home cooking. At Christmas, Andrew's father would always smoke the turkey in a kettle grill, nurturing a love for barbecue at a very young age. Over the years, Andrew taught himself to cook an expanded repertoire by watching YouTube videos and explored the world of food with his unceasing appetite. In 2022, he started doing supper clubs and events on the side of his day job. Under the alias of the Drunken Prawn, Andrew's priority is to share his love for Southeast Asia through bold, unapologetic flavours and ensuring his guests are made to feel like family.

MacDuff 1890 source top quality cattle, sheep and pigs from a selection of trusted farms across Scotland. They supply tender, succulent and ready-to-cook meat, from ex-dairy beef to mutton, to high-end butchers and top-end chefs across the UK. MacDuff only source cattle with the highest welfare standards and that are pasture fed. All their farmers have in-depth knowledge of animal welfare and rearing which means the animals have the best quality of life possible. All their beef can be traced all the way back to the farm it came from giving their customers the reassurance they know exactly where their meat is coming from. They select from a range of top quality Native breeds including the Luing, Shorthorn & Hereford and are passionate about the conserving of Scotland's rare and Native breeds; currently proudly sourcing 5 breeds that are either at risk or a high priority here in the UK and hope to grow this even further. All primal beef cuts at MacDuff are matured on the bone. This contributes to the richness and succulence of the meat – creating beef like that our ancestors eulogised over. With MacDuff you get beef prepared, like it was in days gone past, which melts in the mouth.

Andy has been on the BBQ scene for ten years cooking his way around the UK alongside some of the finest fire chefs around. Andy specialises in Texas BBQ and Modern Mexican food fusing his passion for British produce working with small suppliers and farms.

Anna Higham is an award-winning pastry chef and baker who is opening the highly anticipated Quince Bakery later this year. She is the author of The Last Bite, all about her love of produce driven, seasonal desserts. She spent the last two years at The River Cafe as their first Executive Pastry Chef and was previously Head of Pastry for Lyles and Flor.

Danish / American chef Anna Sogaard worked her way up in the Nordic food scene after completing her training in Copenhagen. After moving to Manchester to open acclaimed restaurant Erst as sous chef, she moved to London to take on her first head chef role at the soon to open Bistro Freddie. Bistro Freddie will open later this summer in Shoreditch by the people behind Crispin and Bar Crispin.

Anthony (Murf) Murphy is one of the founding members of The Beefy Boys, Back in 2011, Murf and his four school friends started cooking burgers and BBQ in their back gardens for friends and family. Little did they know, they were about to embark on an exciting culinary journey that would take them all the way to the World Burger Awards. In 2014, The Beefy Boys won second place at the World Burger Awards in Las Vegas, cementing their reputation as one of the best burger joints in the UK The Beefy Boys have since competed in the World Burger Awards five times, showcasing their Burgers in Orlando, Alabama, and Dallas. In 2023, Murf swept the board at the UK National Burger Awards, winning both the Signature Burger of the Year and the coveted title of Burger Chef of the Year. In the last few years The Beefy Boys have opened sites in Hereford, Shrewsbury and Cheltenham as well as touring their American Food truck across the UK.

Ben Quinn founded Canteen in 2017. Cooking on fire, serving to the centre of long tables, making connections with community and keeping things positive have always been at the heart of all things Canteen and all things Ben. Together Ben, Meredith and Lily hope to make connections at Meatopia that last longer then the food eaten and lead onto positive changes in the people that share time with them at their fires.

Cooking and raving. Raving and cooking. Partying and pushing to make his dreams come true. Brad Carter’s story ain’t your regular chef story. But then…he ain’t your regular chef. Brad didn’t take the normal route other successful chefs take. There were no stages in Michelin-starred kitchens, no mentors holding his hand and showing him the ropes. He did the hard way, self-taught, rolling with the punches and bouncing back off the ropes. His first job was working as a kitchen porter in his local pub where he soon began to cook and fell in love with the industry. Brad decided to enrol at University College Birmingham, which is known for its high standard of teaching culinary arts. After leaving college he went to work in Menorca which ignited a passion for whole animal butchery and ancient preservation techniques. When Brad landed back in the UK he did the hard yards in local pubs and restaurants before opening his own place with his partner Holly Carter in 2010, just a few miles from where he was born. Recognition for celebrating British produce soon came from the top when they won Good Food Guide Readers’ Restaurant of the Year in 2013 and then were awarded a coveted Michelin Star in September 2015. The restaurant then went on to be named in the Sunday Times Top 100, National Restaurant Awards Top 100 and won the Sustainable Chef of the Year award in 2018 with Olive Magazine & OpenTable Diners’ Choice ‘Fit for Foodies’ Award in 2019. The overall philosophy of Carters is to be a true expression of British terroir within the moment. Brad’s menus evolve on a daily basis and are developed by following the natural rhythms of the season, led by the ingredients available to him and inspired by the producers who work our British landscape. He aims to treat them with the upmost respect and admiration by limiting waste with a strong nose to tail dining ethos. Even artisan products like charcuterie and cheeses (often out-sourced) are made within the restaurant from British ingredients.

Alba is a live fire caterer. Specialising in outdoor cooking, over native wood and charcoal. Bruce Clyne-Watson having spent many years in fine dining restaurants embarked on a world tour. Coming back after a particular stint in Patagonia with a love for asado cooking. After several years on the road with Country Fire Kitchen honing the craft with Tom Bray I started hosting and curating events for m own customers.

Born in the Philippines, raised in Australia, Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya moved to London in 2012 where he decided to swap his suit and tie for chef whites and aprons and has never looked back. Over the last 5 years, Budgie has been championing Filipino cuisine in London and the UK, setting up his acclaimed pop up restaurant Sarap and recently opening Apoy Filipino BBQ in Market Halls on Oxford Street, a street food concept specialising in Filipino bbq skewers. Budgie recently appeared on season 18 of BBC’s Great British Menu, representing London and the Southeast region where he wowed veteran Michelin starred chef Tommy Banks and host Andi Oliver with his unique cooking style showcasing his Filipino heritage.

Basement 17 Tacos is run by Carlos Rivas, hailing from Guadalajara in Mexico. Carlos brings his Mexican heritage to Somerset's green and abundant, tasty larder. Traditional recipes crafted over wood and charcoal, creating fire cooked tacos with whatever is seasonally available. With a particular love for Birria style tacos, a true essence of Mexican culture and flavour.

Charlie heads up the Blacklock Covent Garden, one of the group's largest restaurants. Previously at Caravan for over five years as well as heading up the Mall Tavern in Notting Hill prior to that, Charlie is an expert at cooking over fire, bringing his experience and passion to everything he does.

Over 20 years experience as a chef working in London restaurants and 10 years as a Head Chef. Chris is a produce led chef who focuses on simplicity and the craft of cooking. Chris worked at the institution that was The Villandry Chris was Head Chef at Barbecoa St Pauls for over 3 years Chris was Executive Chef at Barbecoa St Pauls and Picadilly for 1 year Chris has been Head Chef at Sophie's Steakhouse in Soho for the last 4 years.

Christos Karetsos began his culinary journey in London in 2018 at NOPI, where he started as a Chef de Partie and rapidly advanced to the position of Senior Sous Chef. In 2020, he joined Ottolenghi Spitalfields as the Head Chef. Chef Karetsos's creations reflect his deep passion for food, drawing inspiration from the rich culinary traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean. Christos is an invaluable addition to the Ottolenghi cohort utilising his leadership and charisma.

Before moving to Glasgow to open Celentano’s, Dean was the right-hand man of popular chef restaurateur Robin Gill when he opened acclaimed neighbourhood haunt, The Dairy. Dean went on to open Sorella and Darby’s with Robin sharing the same passion of cultivating their own ingredients including beekeeping. Born and raised in South Africa, an interest in food was sparked at a young age when his grandparents would teach him how to bake and grow herbs in their garden. At 19 years old, Dean moved to London to pursue a career as a chef, where he worked in several restaurants and catering roles across the city. It was his role at Lamberts that Dean discovered a real passion for produce, visiting farms to gain a real understanding of quality and where each of his ingredients were coming from. Dean also spent a year with the acclaimed chef Tom Aikens where he learnt the art of plating beautiful food and the invaluable presentation skills are something that have stayed with him. A book, The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz combined with a two-week stage in Copenhagen kick-started his obsession for fermentation and preservation realising such techniques bring out the natural flavours of ingredients and can be used as the building blocks to create differing levels of acidity throughout a menu. All these skills now play an integral role in his Celentano’s today and Dean has set himself apart with exceptional baking skills and as an experimental preserver, grower, and beekeeper.

Born in Ensenada and raised in Mexico's finest cuisines, Diego is part of a generation that is uniting tradition with a contemporary look at hospitality. With a strong focus on nature, his project restaurant – CORAZON DE TIERRA – has spearheaded the farm-to-table movement in Mexico from the Valle de Guadalupe wine region, bringing sustainability to our food scene and has become a node for innovation. His cuisine is sincere, intuitive and spontaneous, he deeply feels our terroir, letting the ingredients express their culinary uniqueness in a beautiful game that shows: culture, simplicity, experience and the pure joy of cooking. An outstanding career of 22 years in the restaurant industry has kept Diego on the edge of innovation by now founding his company - Corazon de Tierra hospitality- which adds to his catalog of concepts a new farm restaurant, a cocktail bar inspired on the japanese kissaten culture, a natural wine bar, a catering company and two seafood restaurants one in the city of Tijuana and one in Venice, Ca. In the peak of his culinary career, coming projects includes a hotel and the re opening of the famed restaurant Corazon de tierra in 2025. Chef Diego Hernández studied gastronomy at the Culinary arts school in Tijuana and was trained by Benito Molina (Manzanilla, Ensenada), Guillermo González (Pangea, Monterrey) and Enrique Olvera (Pujol, CDMX). Chef Diego Hernandez has been awarded with the national award for innovation and auteur cuisine by the national restaurant chamber and Corazon de tierra has been one of Latin America best restaurants award 6 times and has been named one of the best 1000 restaurants in the world by the french ranking Le Liste.

I started my journey as a chef when I was 20 years old. I came to London running from home wanting independence and freedom and I find a way of expressing myself through my cooking. I worked in a couple of restaurants in central London where I developed classic techniques with a modern twist. I had the pleasure to work in one particular open-kitchen restaurant where all the meat was cooked over fire, using different grills, a smoker and just open flames. I also learned to butcher a whole carcass and develop many other butcher techniques. If the meat is prepped right, it will be cooked perfect! Sharing the fire cooking passion with my husband, we decided to start our own company, The Dragon Flame.

Edson Diaz-Fuentes was born and raised in Mexico City. His love of good food started at an early age, and he started to help his grandmother in the kitchen from the age of 5. He realised he was not quite like the others among his friends when he would spend time from a young age observing meticulously how food was made, served and presented. Edson has spent time living in New York, London and Oaxaca City. It was in Oaxaca where he spent time in the kitchen of Alejandro Ruiz, at Casa Oaxaca, learning about the diversity of some of Mexico’s most treasured ingredients and its slow food cooking techniques. Edson set up Santo Remedio in London in 2015 with his wife Natalie to recreate the flavours he grew up with in Mexico. What started off as an idea in New York and later a food stall in East London, evolved into a critically acclaimed restaurant, now situated in London Bridge and a recently opening Santo Remedio Cafe in Shoreditch. Edson’s first cookbook, Ciudad de Mexico, was published in 2021 by Hardie Grant and won praise from Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, who featured it in his cookbook club in 2022. Edson enjoys travelling and particularly enjoys getting lost in markets anywhere he visits. As he is no longer bothered by the English weather Edson now considers himself a true Londoner.

Elliot Cunningham of open-fire concept Eat Lagom is a rising star of the UK’s food scene. Having worked in kitchens including Barbecoa, Yosma, Smokestak and Pizza Pilgrims as well as a stint at butcher’s Turner & George, his expertise around food and meat in particular is both instinctive and well-honed, leading him to create some incredibly exciting dishes in the kitchen at his permanent residency at Hackney Church Brew Co.

Fire cooking has always been a very big part of my life. Growing up back home, my grandmother had to cook everything over open fire in a small barbecue area we had in the garden. I remember taking that old rusty barbecue for every single family celebration and inviting over some neighbours to share proudly the food she cooked. That passion for cooking with fire just grew on me.... I started my journey as a chef in 2005 and I have worked in different restaurants around London with different styles of cooking. Learning the basics and developing modern techniques. Overall, cooking over fire has been my preference and sharing the same passion with my wife we decided to open our own company, The Dragon Flame.

Beginning his career at 3 Michelin starred Ristorante Reale in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Giacomo has since worked in some of the UK's most iconic kitchens alongside culinary legends, including Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche and Core by Clare Smith. He now comes to firebird and is excited to utilise his classical training, as well as take inspiration from his Italian ancestry in our open fire kitchen

Harneet Baweja founded his first restaurant Gunpowder, a restaurant cooking Regional Indian food in Spitalfields in November 2015. Born and raised in Kolkata, Harneet grew up in a big family surrounded by the flavours of his family’s cooking and the city’s street food, with school days rounded off queuing for pani puri. With his knack for business, Harneet went on to study at the University of Kolkata before attending the exclusive Asian Institute of Management. Following his graduation in 2008 he returned to Kolkata to take over the family business, specialising in real estate and hospitality. In 2014, Harneet and his wife Devina moved to London, and were captivated by the city, and it’s vibrant and diverse restaurant scene. Drawing on his previous experience with two solo business ventures under his belt, Harneet wanted to bring the food of his childhood to London. He and his wife set about collecting generation-old family recipes and along with the skill of Executive Chef, Nirmal Save, the team brought those dishes to Spitalfields earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2016. Following Gunpowder’s success, in 2018 Harneet and Devina released the cookbook Gunpowder: Explosive Flavours from Modern India, he then went on to open a second Gunpowder at the prestigious One Tower Bridge Development and then a third Gunpowder at Soho.

Mondo Sando began with Jack and Viggo, two best pals who started slinging subs to those in the know in SE5 over the pandemic. By April 2021 they were based out of Camberwell’s Grove House Tavern, and now they’re running a second site at The White Horse in Peckham. The food is always changing but the goal remains the same - stacked sandos made with eclectic ingredients, bold flavours and a big hit of creativity.

Chef Jake Finn opened his first restaurant, Cinder, in Belsize Village in April 2021 – the very first day that lockdown was lifted and we were allowed to eat outside. After a fantastic year or so he opened his second site in St Johns Wood high street. The food is all prepared and/or cooked over fire in a charcoal oven and is Mediterranean in style. Prior to launching his own place, Jake had worked in some fabulous restaurants including La Petite Maison, Coya and The Ritz.

Founder & MD of Cabrito Goat Meat Limited www.cabrito.co.uk and sister brand www.thenewmeatproject.com. Cabrito has a one-sentence mission statement: to put all billy goats born into the dairy industry into the meat industry. James ‘The Goatman’ built Cabrito single-handedly, from just 4 goats in a field to today’s national network of farms supplying top restaurants across the UK and selling cuts of kid and ex-dairy goat via an online shop . James is the author of 3 books published by Quadrille, Hardie-Grant: GOAT: Cooking and Eating, James’ first cookbook, was published in April 2018. It has been widely acclaimed as genre-defining and won the James Beard Foundation Award for best single subject book and the Guild of Food Writers Award for best single subject. Cooking on the Big Green Egg, was published in April 2021. A best-seller on Amazon cookbooks UK and published in 4 languages. The DIY BBQ Cook Book was published in April 2023. In 2022 James launched a Crowdcube equity share fundraiser, raising £260K that has enabled Cabrito to build their own premises in Gloucestershire . Cabrito Goat Meat won an Observer Food Monthly Award (2014) for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer (2016), Young British Foodies Meat Award (2016) and was a finalist in the BBC Radio 4’s Food and Farming Awards 2017. James has appeared on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch and was on Channel 4’s Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jnr. He is a regular on the events and festival circuit including Meatopia, Taste London, Abergavenny & Ludlow Food Festivals. James supports charities Kids for Kids and Farm Africa through his personal fund-raising efforts and through donations from Cabrito Goat Meat.

In the autumn of 2020 Terroir was joined by Head Chef Jesse Wells. Jesse trained at Bournemouth catering college and then went on to work at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest with Luke Holder. Jesse then moved to L’enclume with Simon Rogan where he embraced the hyper seasonal & farm dining ethos shared by Terroir today. Following this Jesse moved back to the New Forest area to gain more experience working with Lio Sene at La Perle. Lio Sene is a chef whose background is solely in French Michelin star restaurants which gave Jesse the freedom to express himself as a sous chef and take his cuisine to the next level. Jesse now brings the driving force behind Terroir's food concept. Delivering global tastes utilising solely British & hyper local & seasonal ingredients, with traceability & sustainability at its core. He preserves the seasons creating a library of flavours to use all year round. Produce is precious to Jesse whereby he ensures every part of every ingredient is embraced to its full on the menu.

Jesús is a seasoned, extremely professional chef having started his career in 2009 at Casino Castell Peralada in Cataluña. Working as a line chef through to Chef de Partie at the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant Casa Marcial, working closely alongside Nacho Mazano, Jesús was then giving the opportunity in 2014 by Nacho to be Head Chef at Restaurante Gloria where he really came into his own. Since 2016 Jesús moved to London where he worked for Ibérica Restaurants as Head Chef before moving to Ibérica’s sister brand; Arros QD in 2022. Jesús thrives being a Head Chef due to the constantly changing environment with no day ever the same. Cooking delicious food and developing his team is a great reward whilst watching guests enjoy his food keeps his flame burning.

Jim Thomlinson originally hails from South West London. Jim has 20 years of experience in the food industry, having spent the best part of a decade working in Michelin star restaurants in London before falling in love with the street food scene, operating a number of successful street food brands in London (Prawnography, Moister Oyster co & FryHard) before relocating to Margate and launching The Merman pop-up concept. Jim’s focus has always been on live-fire, and historically the fruits of the sea. His latest project in the Kent coastal town of Whitstable is called Nip & Cluck. A fired-powered chicken shop with locally sourced lobster. Whole chickens are brined and cooked in the wood fired oven, and lobsters are poached before being fired in the same oven and served with a concise menu of sides, sauces and accompaniments.

Executive Chef of Babur, Jiwan Lal, is a highly creative, skillful and distinctive senior chef, whose passion for modern Indian cooking has made him one of the most well-respected practitioners of Indian cooking in the UK. Since taking his position with Babur almost 20 years ago, back in 2005, Jiwan has been integral in helping the South East London restaurant achieve its status as a beloved neighbourhood gem as well as a huge number of accolades, most recently Best Asian Restaurant in London at the 2022 Asian Restaurant Awards. Jiwan trained with India’s prestigious Oberoi Hotel group and over the years has developed his trademark cooking style of taking tried and tested Indian dishes and giving them a modernist spin. Subtle spicing, quality British ingredients and flavour combinations that are both familiar yet unexpected are all brought together with fine dining-levels of presentation.

No smoke without meat... What started in a crossroad in southern Sweden in 2014 has in just a few years transformed to a destination where people travel far to experience the noble art of smoked meats. We have our roots in American barbecue in general but Central Texas is where our heart is. Just as much as we love big cuts of meat smoked for hours with simple seasoning we constantly fall in love with kitchens from all over the world as long as live fire or smoke is involved. Holy Smoke BBQ was founded by Johan Fritzell, who up until the smoke signals began to emerge from Bräcke used to work in his printshop. He was shortly thereafter joined by Johan Åkerberg, who has broad experience from many kitchens around the world.

No smoke without meat... What started in a crossroad in southern Sweden in 2014 has in just a few years transformed to a destination where people travel far to experience the noble art of smoked meats. We have our roots in American barbecue in general but Central Texas is where our heart is. Just as much as we love big cuts of meat smoked for hours with simple seasoning we constantly fall in love with kitchens from all over the world as long as live fire or smoke is involved. Holy Smoke BBQ was founded by Johan Fritzell, who up until the smoke signals began to emerge from Bräcke used to work in his printshop. He was shortly thereafter joined by Johan Åkerberg, who has broad experience from many kitchens around the world.

Butcher Farrell’s Meat Emporium is situated in the beautiful Owd Barn Farmshop in the North West, however ship nationwide. We specialise in high welfare meat and whole carcass butchery with an emphasis on dry ageing meat, which we age for a minimum of 45 days in our Himalayan salt fridge. For Meatopia this year we have teamed up with our friend Chef Tim Allen, who’s Michelin starred restaurant is just around the corner. We have collaborated many times before, combining craft butchery with fine dinning, but this time we’re turning back to the prehistoric, meat and fire!

I’ve been in the industry for 30 years. Trained at the Savoy London under Anton Edelmann for 4 years. Opened some of the best hotels and restaurants in the world and I own my own business. I had the opportunity to travel and work around the world. My favourite ingredient is salt and I’m passionate about the next generation of chefs and sustainability of food. Currently I’m the executive chef at the Cavendish Hotel in Mayfair and have an amazing young team with an exciting future ahead of us.

Karla is a Mexican cookery teacher and food writer from Ensenada, Baja California, a place in the north of Mexico. She teaches traditional Mexican cuisine at her cookery studio in north London, where she explores the flavours of all the areas in Mexico. She is also the Mexican cookery teacher from Borough Kitchen Cooking School and Little Portland Street Cookery School. When Karla is not teaching, she writes about Mexican food on her blog Mexican Food Memories, magazines and newspapers. Her recipes have been featured in The Guardian, BBC Good Food, Nat Geo Food and others. She also runs Mexican supper clubs at the end of every month at her house or in different parts of London, where she loves cooking the food, she grew up eating in the north of Mexico and more. Her favourite thing is throwing a ‘Carne Asada’, Mexican bbq, for her family and friends. She thinks that grilling is in the blood of any norteño.

Introducing Keon Cilly, a grill-chef with a captivating fusion of American and Jamaican heritage. Born in America, raised in Jamaica, and now sharing his love for Caribbean-style BBQ and soul food in the UK. For the past 9 years, Keon, along with his business partner Joe Naughton, has passionately built the acclaimed Rack City Ribs brand and menu, drawing inspiration from cherished family recipes. Rack City Ribs has become a fixture in London's food scene, delighting food enthusiasts with their pop-ups and street food markets across the city. Notably, they hold a permanent spot in London's first Texas-style Honky Tonk bar.

Keshia Sakarah is a chef, food writer and upcoming author. She founded her restaurant Caribe’ and Baruru supper club - which explores Caribbean food history and culture, has written for Resy, Guardian: Feast, BBC Food and others and will be releasing her debut cookbook, Caribe’: A cookbook with history in 2024 with Hardie Grant publishing.

Fire + Rice is led by Lap-fai Lee, renowned cookery teacher, food consultant and recipe developer with over a decade of experience in BBQ. From championship winning Texas brisket to Michelin starred collaborations, he encompasses the whole spectrum of live fire cookery. This is his third year at Meatopia with his East & SE Asian inspired team. This year bringing the flavours of Cantonese BBQ to Tobacco Dock. Expect the juiciest most flavourful Chinatown style dish imaginable!

Born and Bred on the south Coast of england , Laura has worked and traveled all over the world. Bringing her inspirations from travel and home . Her heart is by the sea. after 15 years in restaurants she moved into the food truck 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back

Established in 2019 and based in South Wales - Bab Haus is run by Leyli Homayoonfar and Rebecca Goad, our food is an eclectic mix of modern Mexican / Middle Eastern and American BBQ, a fusion of Leyli’s Persian background and Becs experience living on the West Coast of America, mostly flavours and cooking techniques which center around fire. Our food is constantly evolving but the one thing that remains is the aspect of cooking over fire which is key to the flavour of our dishes. Our food sites; BAB HAUS MEX in Goodsheds, Barry and Newport Market focus on Mexican BBQ and SMOKE SHOP in Caerphilly with a focus on Mexican and Texas BBQ both with hints of Middle Eastern flavours and cooking techniques.

Liam's signature style of cooking involves cooking Caribbean food, with techniques that involve an infusion of smoke and fire. You can find him taking over kitchens with his pop up concept here in London, Stockholm and New York. He also teaches the 'food education you never got at school' over on his YouTube channel.

Lily Coates heads up the kitchen at Canteen at the Eco Park in Cornwall. Lily is the force behind the daily changing menu, our sustainable sourcing policies and sustainable social policies and most of all Lily is our Northern Power house at the heart of the Canteen team, Canteen would not be what it is without Lily. Together Ben, Meredith and Lily hope to make connections at Meatopia that last longer then the food eaten and lead onto positive changes in the people that share time with them at their fires.

A Hungarian chef with a passion for cooking meat, Lorant is the Executive Chef and head of the Food Development Team for Jamie Oliver’s successful global restaurant business. Classically French-trained, he’s spent more than 20 years cheffing all over the world on a range of brands, from Carnival Cruise Lines to The Ritz Carlton. Lorant first started working with Jamie in 2012 as sous chef at Barbecoa – a high-end steakhouse dedicated to celebrating incredible meat and the art of cooking over fire. He went on to lead the kitchen in some of Jamie’s top UK restaurants, before becoming an integral part of Jamie Oliver HQ. Lorant is known for his creativity, his ability to harness bold flavours and his endless pursuit of perfection. This is a chef who takes cooking with flames to the next level.

Mark Dickey is Head chef at the critically acclaimed Belzan in Liverpool and has been for 4 years, in this 4 years the restaurant has gone from strength to strength gaining a place in the Michelin guide and Mark himself winning Chef of the year 2023 for the Liverpool Region. He is a culinary force to be reckoned with really pushing the food scene in Liverpool up a level with his creative yet classic flair.

“All oysters go to heaven.” Rocks Oysters is a small boutique oyster wholesaler, to be able to compete with the big established players it needs to buy big and sell heroically. Sometimes there’s a glut - unsold stock! - the Lost Oyster Project is the perfect solution. Powered by excess oysters and driven by chefs Simon, Ana and Mark, this potential waste has been deliciously given a new lease of life. Launching later this year; The Lost Oyster project will retail London’s first home-grown Oyster Sauce, a luxury Oyster XO and the legendary ’Oystershire’ Condiment . Meatopia is an opportunity for fans of spice, smoke and full-on flav to try some of our wares before we launch the brand in the Autumn.

Having worked from fine dining to brasserie to gastro pub, Matthew’s experience is broad and has worked to influence his cooking in a number of ways. He leans towards a more simple cooking style, striving to stick to just 3 to 4 elements per dish and focusing on high quality produce. Matthew’s unique style of cooking is perfectly suited to the Fish Game concept; deep-rooted in British cuisine, and heavily influenced by Italian produce and technique, with a hint of French training. In 2023, Matthew joined, Roberto Costa, the founder of Italian steakhouse group, Macellaio RC, to launch his latest concept, Fish Game, in Canary Wharf. Whilst Fish Game is something of a departure from all Italian Macellaio, Roberto Costa’s ethos when it comes to cooking, of balance, simplicity and authenticity will be core to Fish Game. Matthew will be the Head Chef handing a carefully sourced British larder with the utmost respect, restraint, and masterful skill. In his new role, Matt will utilise the knowledge gained from his wealth of experience on British produce, to bring Roberto’s passion and vision to life.

I am Dorset based chef, classically trained at Bournemouth & Poole catering college when I was 18. I have worked my way around numerous kitchens in the Dorset area, working my way up to leading kitchens focusing on local produce. I became obsessive with cooking over fire through working with Meatopia and companies like Country Fire Kitchen and restaurants such as Sophies in Soho. In 2019 I started Cross Fire cooking, we cook what I call British smoked barbecue and live fire cooking. We use American smoking and cooking methods but adapt it to a British audience using only the highest quality native & rare breed, high welfare meats and local produce, using alternative cuts of meat in our cooking to really get the best out of using and respecting the whole animal. We have a takeaway kiosk that we open on Fridays serving our smoked meats which sells out often and I also teach barbecue classes at our site in Wimborne.

New Zealand born and bred, Matt head's up the food and beverage at Blacklock. With a passion for providence, whole animal butchery and cooking over fire, he's excited to showcase some new dishes using lesser-known cuts.

Matt founded Random Precision 7 years ago, to create dining experiences that are conceived outside of the box with creativity and ingenuity, delivered precisely and professionally. Under this umbrella he has launched his flagship restaurant – Heritage - in Sussex as well as Parlour, an event catering company and Electro Pirate, his casual dining brand. Matt has worked in some of the best restaurants in the UK but has found his own style based around seasonal ingredients, using complementary cooking techniques and inspired flavour pairings to take guests on a gastronomical journey. His unique take on fine dining has earnt Matt a Michelin Star in the past and has solidified Heritage as one of the UK’s finest destination venues. Alongside Heritage and Parlour, Matt has also made appearances on Great British Menu, Saturday Kitchen and James Martin’s Saturday Morning

Maureen Tyne runs a hugely popular food shop in South London cooking incredible Jamaican food. Taught how to cook by her grandmother in Jamaica, Maureen started cooking for friends before the popularity of her food created a demand for her to start selling it. Today, she is a popular presence on the South London food scene. She was recognised as one of the Top 50 people in food in the Observer Food Monthly magazine and has been featured in Resy, BBC Good Food and others.

Melissa Thompson is a barbecue cook, award-winning food writer and recipe developer. She is an ambassador for Weber barbecues, and writes regularly for BBC Good Food, Guardian Feast, Observer Food Monthly, Waitrose magazine and others. A former pop-up chef, she is a regular on the festival fire cooking scene.

Meredith Rowlands found her way to Canteen’s kitchen via her love of live fire cooking, not a tablecloth insight and a connection to cooking, eating and celebrating the produce on the land it is grown, reared and caught. Meredith is a positive example for change in our industry and champions a simpler, kinder approach to hospitality. Together Ben, Meredith and Lily hope to make connections at Meatopia that last longer then the food eaten and lead onto positive changes in the people that share time with them at their fires.

Initially hailing from Melbourne, Michael has been cheffing since the age of 16. A career which has taken him across the globe working in Italy’s Abruzzo, and on to his now permanent home in London where he’s cooked at Brunswick House whilst finding time to do sell out residencies with long term collaborator Whyte Rushen.

Born in Romania, Mihai worked in construction before starting his kitchen career in a pizzeria in Târgoviște. Moving to England in 2017, and then joining Bleecker in 2019, Mihai can be seen on the grill in our busiest site in Victoria.

Mike is the Head chef at the Scottish outpost of Hawksmoor in Edinburgh Starting in Kitchens at young age he has spent the last 20 years traveling across the UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, experiencing their cultures, and cuisines. Over this time he has taken those experiences to refine his favoured style of cooking, big sharing style dishes, especially over the coals which he is looking forward to bringing to this years Meatopia festival

Meatopia veteran, Mikel, is a self-described lover of cooking. Between his "amona" (Basque for grandmother) and scriptures written by his ancestors, he learned the unique culture of the Basque region, and how the culture is reflected in its cuisine; from cooking methods, traditions, and time-tested recipes that use local products to recreate its heritage. The Basque Country is home to some of the best steakhouses in the world, where eating old cows is considered a religion. Mikel and his brother Inaki founded SAGARDI more than 25 years ago and continue to expand across the globe. London is their 30th Sagardi restaurant to launch and is situated right in the centre of one of London's most bustling food and drink hubs, Shoreditch. The star of the show is their old cow 'txuleton' beef steak - high-quality, ethically-raised beef from mature animals with a depth of flavour, not found in the young.

Food Behind Bars is the UK's only Registered Charity dedicated to improving the food served in prison. Since August 2022, they have been running a butchery training course in the country's only in-prison butchery at women's prison HMP East Sutton Park in Kent. For Meatopia, FBB's Head of Food Education, Natalia Middleton, and FBB Ambassador and Chef, Milli Taylor, are joining forces with some of our trainee butchers from the prison to cook using the delicious meat which is all reared and butchered on site. This project aims to support women into the butchery industry, equipping them with a lifelong skill to support their future lives.

Natalia Middleton is the Head of Food Education at Food Behind Bars and works across our various prisons and projects. Developing recipes, creating menus and teaching our cooking sessions. Natalia has been a cookery teacher for 7 years and is passionate about prison food reform and supporting the men and women Food Behind Bars work with after their release. HMP East Sutton Park is a women's open prison based in the Kent countryside. It's home to 90 women who are in the last couple of years of their sentence and preparing for life on the outside. The prison is set on a working farm that rears a variety of livestock, including cows, sheep and pigs. Set within the prison is a small butchery that is run by Food Behind Bars, the UK's only registered charity dedicated to transforming food in prison. Food Behind Bars trains groups of women in the art of butchery, producing professional products that are sold to the public in the prison's farm shop. This is the country's only in-house prison butchery, which is supporting women into employment and equipping them with skills to take on into their future lives.

Suffolk born, head chef Nathan Chapman has honed his skills in some of London's most renowned kitchens for over a decade. In 2019 he joined The Quality Chop House, in Farringdon. Nathan leads a brigade which utilises close-knit supplier relationships to elevate classic British dishes, alongside wide-ranging techniques - with a focus on provenance, rare breeds and in-house whole carcass butchery. He specialises in utilising classical technique to showcase both prime and lesser-used cuts in a modern, approachable, Chop House way.

Since opening the doors of the Black Bull in July 2018 Nina Matsunaga has made a big impression picking up a number of plaudits along the way including a listing in the UK's Top 50 gastropubs and a second AA rosette for culinary excellence. Nina successfully fuses modern British cooking with Japanese and German influences to deliver sensational dishes. Her cooking style is focussed on using the very best seasonal produce available to her, taking what is at its best and cooking it in the most sympathetic way to showcase the potential of every element of the produce she uses - a true nose to tail ethos. Taste, texture and balance are the fundamental ingredients in her cooking… Her quest is to tantalise and intrigue her diners with the dishes she creates, combining modern British cookery with elements from her rich heritage.

Born to family of farmers in a village outside of Mumbai. Nirmal's culinary journey started in his childhood as he learned to cook from his mother and grandmother. They shared with him their closely guarded family recipes, passing down generations of culinary knowledge. Before joining the Gunpowder Restaurant Group he trained under Raymond Blanc and was Head Chef at the Michelin-starred Tamarind Collection. With his vast experience and unique cooking style, Nirmal has made a significant impact earning Gunpowder its Michelin Bib Gourmand.

As a Whitstable native and lifelong oysterman, Oli cut his teeth in the iconic Whitstable Oyster Companies restaurants, oyster farms and purification facilities, before renovating a derelict seafront forge, turning it into the companies most profitable eatery. In 2020, he joined Simon Lamont at Rocks Oysters. This year, Oli and Simon have hatched new joint project, Events by Rocco, an events company with an expansive seafood offering that forefronts Rocks' incredible oysters and really brings the Party.

Francisco Diaz, affectionately known as Paco, embarked on his adventure with Ottolenghi eight years ago when he arrived in London from Venezuela. He began his career as a Kitchen Porter at Ottolenghi Belgravia and later demonstrated his unwavering commitment and dedication at NOPI as a Chef de Partie. Paco, graduated from Ottolenghi and Westminster Kingsway chef apprenticeship program and now works as a Senior Sous Chef at Ottolenghi Spitalfields.

Paris Barghchi is the other cheek of Quince Bakery. She has worked across the hospitality industry from cheese to wine, pubs to fine dining. Paris was most recently operations director at We Are Noble restaurants and now works across the wine industry with companies like Wines Under The Bonnet, Ortos Vinos and Offbeat wines while Quince Bakery gets off the ground.

Paul Asher is a Dublin-born chef who has worked his way through some of London’s fine-dining establishments including The Dairy where he worked under Robin Gill. He has recently returned from a stint working and travelling in South East Asia and is creating exciting dishes inspired by both Thai and Laotian regional cuisines.

Phil’s love of food started at an early age and led to him leaving school at sixteen to begin his career training under Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel. After extensive travel around the world working in many countries including France, Austria and New Zealand he decided to make the move to London where he has spent the best part of a decade working for Hawksmoor, with Richard Turner initially and now current Executive Group Head Chef, Matt Brown. Phil has worked with Hawksmoor and the Meatopia festivals both at home at abroad, bringing to life his passion for live fire cooking, using the best ingredients and cooking them simply. His exclusive Hawksmoor Meatopia recipes are a festival highlight that sell out every year.

Food has been a part of my whole life, but cooking is a different story. Having been on a path that had me sat behind a desk working 9-5 in a dead end job, cooking on the weekend was my therapy. However, like many, the lockdown opened a door for me that I walked through & haven’t looked back. Spending the past 3 years grafting, learning to hone my skills & absorbing knowledge in restaurants, pubs & pizzerias, I’m now in a position where opportunities have allowed me to start the Homie’s Kitchen. A brand that stands for family style cooking, made for everyone to gather around a table or fire to share. Heavily influenced by Indian & Mexican food culture, the dishes I create are big on bold spices & cooking techniques that require care, time & patience. Experimenting with fusion to bring to life dishes such as masala lamb barbacoa or wood smoked tandoori chicken for tacos. A synergy between two cultures that will forever be unmatched in my eyes. Oh, and sandwiches. Anything that can be sandwiched, I’m here for all day. Having now fed family, friends, strangers at private events, corporate events, supper clubs & pop ups. Matched with a forever evolving understanding of how food connects everything around the world, I feel blessed that I get to play a small part affecting someone’s mood through food for a living. Eat good, live good. That’s the mantra.

Established in 2019 and based in South Wales - Bab Haus is run by Leyli Homayoonfar and Rebecca Goad, our food is an eclectic mix of modern Mexican / Middle Eastern and American BBQ, a fusion of Leyli’s Persian background and Becs experience living on the West Coast of America, mostly flavours and cooking techniques which center around fire. Our food is constantly evolving but the one thing that remains is the aspect of cooking over fire which is key to the flavour of our dishes. Our food sites; BAB HAUS MEX in Goodsheds, Barry and Newport Market focus on Mexican BBQ and SMOKE SHOP in Caerphilly with a focus on Mexican and Texas BBQ both with hints of Middle Eastern flavours and cooking techniques.

Richard H Turner is an award-winning chef, butcher, restaurateur and food writer. He's cooked and consulted for Hawkmoor, Blacklock and Pitt Cue Co among others, and as well as being one half Turner & George he's also one of the founders of Meatopia London itself.

Rob started his culinary journey after working and managing bars, restaurants and nightclubs from for 15 years he decided to follow his real passion for cooking. Begining with helping friends with street food he progressed to working his way up in a Michelin guide kitchen in the space of 2 years. While doing this he started Bastards Bistro on the side of his other jobs and had a number of pop ups. Bastards Bistro expanded through lockdown and beyond and became a sole focus. Open and eclectic in terms of cuisine and style, they are never pigeonholed and are comitted to creativity and flavour. They have been creating a stir in the north of England, through their street food pop ups, kitchen takeovers and 5 course dining clubs.

My name is Robert Trif, 26 and Executive Chef for the LeBab group, I joined LeBab 2 years ago with the idea of creating the best Kebab in the UK . My background is in Michelin stars restaurants, started off under James Sommerin as commis chef and ended up working with Tom Philips which is the Bocuse D'OR UK Coach. A fascinating journey and a massive opportunity ahead of me in such a competitive industry.

I’ve started my culinary journey when I was 12 at my parents home in Nepal . Once I’ve moved to UK with studies I’ve continued my culinary journey in some of the top restaurants in London. I’ve been with LeBab for last 2 year and been a massive contributor to development of the business.

Ruben Dawney rose from the lockdown ashes by setting out to smoke meats and home-cured fish from the garden of his parents' Brixton abode. Paying homage to his Polish-Jewish heritage, Ruben’s Reubens was born. Since then, Ruben has been recognised by CODE Hospitality as one of their 30 under 30 rising stars to watch, dominated several pop-ups across the city, mastered the meal kits trend and slung tacos at Meatopia 2022 and for Delli.Market.

Rytis started his career in food at the young age of 14 as a kitchen porter and prep chef. He originally moved to London to be a bass player in a rock band, but swapped his guitar for tongs when his love of food was reignited working for Pickled Pantry. He developed his craft at London favourites Two Lights and Oblix, finding his way to Hawksmoor 3 years ago, wanting to work with quality seasonal British produce cooked over real charcoal.

Liverpool born and bred Sam Grainger is Chef Patron at the critically acclaimed Belzan in Liverpool, a small neighbourhood restaurant serving an eclectic mix of dishes inspired by places he’s been and people he’s met. With a focus being on British produce interwoven with Japanese/European ingredients and techniques, Belzan also holds a yearly collaboration series with the country’s best chefs. From this Madre was born, a Mexican taqueria in partnership with London based Breddos tacos. Madre resides in the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool and Escape to freight island in Manchester. You’ll find Sam cooking between both restaurants where big flavours resonate through the menus.

Running a Middle Eastern supper club in south east London and selling a signature small batch hot sauce online, The Little Sauce is headed by Suzie Bakos — an Iraqi-born foodie who brings her cultural heritage into every culinary event she hosts. She is appearing for the third time at #Meatopia2023

Born and raised in Baja California, Mexico. After attending cookery school in Chicago Illinois she traveled to Mexico city to continue her professional training at Pujol restaurant. Mostly focusing on northen mexican regional cuisine, the use of locally sourced produce and seafood, her projects have become a staple in Ensenada's food scene since she moved there in 2011. Like Sarmiento by the sea, Casa Marcelo and Criollo Taqueria which was featured in Rick Stein's Road to Mexico. Her latest proyect Tanto Santo has a mexitalian aproach, which she calls "Bajapolitano", cooking neapolitan style sourdough pizzas incorporating yeast from local wineries in the fermentation process along with some house made charcuterie.

Terri Mercieca is an ice cream maker, chocolatier, dessert chef and the founder of Happy Endings LDN, a dessert business made famous by their signature ice-cream sandwich. As a chef, desserts have always been Terri’s thing. She loves the process, observing how things transform, building something precise and beautiful. Leaving school at seventeen to apprentice at a sandwich shop, she has worked in all corners of the food world – gastropubs, fine dining at Sydney Opera House, making ice cream sundaes at McDonalds as a teen. The common denominator? Making ice-cream sandwiches. In 2014, she put down roots in London and founded Happy Endings LDN – since then, she has won the YBF Baking Award and been nominated for CODE Hospitality’s Most Influential Women in Food 2023. She also regularly contributes dessert recipes to food magazines and appears on TV, most recently MasterChef Youth. She still owes her love of comfort food to her grandmothers on both sides – one Italian-Maltese, one old-school white Australian – one savoury, one sweet, in that order.

Thalia Barrios García is a cook originally from San Mateo Yucutindoó, Sola de Vega, Sierra Sur, Oaxaca. Her cooking originates from her childhood, when she helped her grandmother cook, prepare and sell tamales. With a lot of practice, the knowledge of the ancestral cuisine was transmitted to her and she decided to dedicate herself professionally to traditional Oaxacan cuisine. In 2017, she graduated with a Bachelor of Gastronomy in the Technological University of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. In March 2019, she organized the first cooking meeting tradition of her community, San Mateo Yucutindoó. In July 2020, she opened "Levadura de Olla", a project focused on presenting the different dishes of her community, thus becoming a restaurant committed to safeguard the gastronomy of the Oaxacan peoples, promoting local commerce, having as one of its objectives to reactivate the consumption of native products of the Oaxaca state. Thanks to her hard efforts and with the help of her team, in the year 2021 Levadura de Olla obtained recognition from by Marco Beteta, a gastronomic and style reference platform of life most recognized in Mexico, in the same year he was mentioned in two New York Times articles published by Ana Furman “In Oaxaca, a meal to celebrate the legacy of an artist Pioneer” and “Tracking Mexico’s Complicated Relationship with the rice” by Aatish Taseer. In 2022 and 2023, Levadura de Olla was recognised as one of the 250 best restaurants in the Mexico Gastronomic Guide. In February 2021 she inaugurated “Cocina de Humo”, a space where the experience of eating in a kitchen is offered traditional of the sierra, where the comal, the metate and ancestral cooking techniques to prepare the dishes are offered in the center of the table. In 2022, she was considered one of the best restaurants in America Latina by New Worlder's. In 2021 she was named by Food & Wine as one of the new best chefs in Mexico (Best New Chefs 2021). In the year 2022, she was recognized and mentioned in “Fire” Great Mexican Chefs from Larousse Kitchen, being a unique work that exalts fire as the axis improvement and where the work of the characters are recognized highlights of Mexican cuisine. She was a participant and winner, in the most important gastronomic event in Mexico, Millesime GNP, where Chef Thalia was recognised as best young Chef. She received a nomination in MexBest by Quien, where she was awarded as the best in hospitality and gastronomy in Mexico. She participated in the Oaxaca episode of the Netflix series “Somebody feed Phil”, where the best of food was presented as Oaxacan. In 2023, she was presented by Culinaria Mexicana as Chef Revelation of the year 2023 in the Guide of the 250 best restaurants in Mexico in its ninth edition. She has also been nominated for Food and Travel Reader Awards 2023. She has been invited to collaborate with great chefs including: to cook at Cavita restaurant in London by Chef Adriana Cavita, with chefs Óscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas from Xokol.

Tom’s culinary career began at the age of 15, working at Le Talbooth, Dedham. Tom has since worked under a number of leading chefs including Alyn Williams, Andy McFadden and Ollie Dabbous. His experience culminated in a position as head chef at Alyn Williams at The Westbury where he designed innovative menus and subsequently earnt himself a coveted Acorn Award. Tom joined The Dorchester as head chef of The Grill in 2019, where alongside numerous awards for restaurant, Tom has won a number of awards voted for by industry professionals. Tom regularly takes part in chef residencies around the country including taking The Grill at The Dorchester to Royal Ascot in 2022 and 2023. This year saw the start of Tom’s next chapter at The Dorchester with The Grill being renamed, The Grill by Tom Booton. To mark the relaunch, Tom has crafted a dynamic new menu featuring only the best ingredients, sourced locally and cooked with flair by him and his outstanding team, unified in their passion for making diners feel at home. The fresh and innovative culinary and service style transcends the legendary setting, with an upbeat and informal atmosphere curated by Tom himself. Tom’s cheeky personality shines through the menu, with modern twists on British home cooking classics.

Originally from Bristol, Tom is the founder of Barang (Cambodian Street Kitchen), which currently operates as a London based pop-up & supper club. After graduating from drama school and moving to London in 2006, Tom began life as a chef in 2012 working in various professional kitchens around Hackney, East London. Tom founded Barang in 2021 and his passion for fire-cooking meant that Barang's direction was always going to be centered around Cambodian BBQ, along with the inspiration he took home following several trips to Cambodia and his food experiences from the street kitchens of Phnom Penh & Siem Reap. Tom recently spent the first half of 2023 working at Kiln in Soho, with the remainder of this year now focused on collaborations and one-off events before hopefully securing a permanent home for Barang in 2024.

Chef Tom Zahir of Decatur has been cooking the cuisine of Louisiana and New Orleans for nearly a decade at award winning pop ups and residencies across London, with a focus on bringing a taste of the South to home sick southerners across the capital, via the specialties of Creole and Cajun cuisine. Decatur’s Seafood Boils and Railway Arch parties are infamous across East London and they’ll be bringing some of that Louisiana Good Good to Meatopia this year.

Dubbed “The Professor”, Tuffy’s legendary precision and obsession with the science of smoke make him one of the most influential people in barbecue. Tuffy has earned Grand Champion titles in nearly every major barbecue competition including back-to-back wins at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the Kingsford Invitational, and a history making run at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational, becoming the only team to ever win the contest three times. In addition to his place atop the competition barbecue circuit, Tuffy served as a judge for Destination America’s Barbecue Pitmasters for 5 seasons. Tuffy is the author of CoolSmoke: The Art of Great Barbecue and is a Barbecue Hall of Fame inductee.

Mondo Sando began with Jack and Viggo, two best pals who started slinging subs to those in the know in SE5 over the pandemic. By April 2021 they were based out of Camberwell’s Grove House Tavern, and now they’re running a second site at The White Horse in Peckham. The food is always changing but the goal remains the same - stacked sandos made with eclectic ingredients, bold flavours and a big hit of creativity.

Will Campbell is the Head Chef at Ox Club, an award-winning solid fuel restaurant in Leeds. With a focus on contemporary live fire cooking showcasing some of the best seasonal produce in Yorkshire, Ox Club works closely with suppliers and farmers to promote the great produce the North of England has to offer, as well as sourcing the fuel for its solid fuel Grillworks grill from Leeds Coppice Workers - a cooperative organisation which aims to restore and maintain the woodlands in the Leeds area. Since taking the reins at Ox Club in early 2022, Will’s focus has been to encourage collaboration with local suppliers and chefs, aiming to showcase the variety, quality, and skill of Yorkshire’s produce and people, as well as putting traceability and sustainability at the forefront of its operations.

Zan Kaufman started her career as a corporate lawyer, practising litigation in New York City for five years. In 2012, she moved to London and founded the burger brand, Bleecker St. Burger. Bleecker opened 4 London sites between 2017 and 2019. Bleecker was named Time Out’s best London burger in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2023. Zan is not only interested in the best beef and buns. Diversity and inclusion is a tenant of the business. Zan has worked hard to have inclusive policies in the business like paternity leave and gender transitioning support. Additionally, Bleecker is part of Stonewall’s diversity champions program where they are learning to be LGBTQ+ inclusive leaders. Zan’s ultimate goal is to have a business where beef and equality meet.

Ambitious chef, originally from Lisbon but from the north by heart, Zé Paulo Rocha improved his skills in the kitchen at home, with his family, and that is the work he intends to pass nowadays. At 21 years old he opened O Velho Eurico, where today is his space to replicate everything he knows, expressing his passion for food and good Portuguese traditions. The art of hospitality and good food will always be connected and that is what he tries to show in every move.