David Carter, the man behind BBQ street-food concept Smokestak, will be joining us at June's Culinary Congress in London to give insight to his modern interpretation of low and slow barbecue. He'll be discussing the raw materials, equipment, techniques and inspirations, as well as how he envisages the modern barbecue movement to evolve in the UK.
Having grown up in Barbados, David's early life was centred around outdoor living and open fire cooking. His first foray into hospitality was at the Four Seasons in LA following his graduation from studies in that sector. He soon swapped the US for the UK, taking a role at Gordon Ramsey at Claridge's as Assistant Manager, before a move to the re-opening of The Savoy Grill as Restaurant Manager. A stint at Roka followed before the ground was laid for his next adventure - the purchase of a 4.5 tonne smoker in Houston, which was the start of a barbecue pilgrimage from Texas back to London.
Making his first appearance at Street Feast Dalston Yard in 2013 with Smokestak, he has since toured the country appearing at some of the biggest festivals and culinary events. The concept developed into a bricks and mortar in London in November 2016, and has since received the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
David will be attending day 1 of the Culinary Congress where we'll be exploring Modern British, Patisserie, Cakes & Desserts, American Korean, West African, Persian & Middle Eastern, American Barbecue & Fire Cooking, Modern French and Zero Waste / Pre Industrial Cuisine.
He's one of the many great speakers and names that will be running demonstrations at our Culinary Congress 2018, running over 5th and 6th June at Hawker House, Canada Street, London. The congress is a two-day exploration of trendsetting cuisines and culinary innovation, brought to life by the world's best chefs, mixologists and innovators with a trend narrative from thefoodpeople – a first for the UK. Find out more here, and get your tickets before they're gone.