Help Our Hospitality: Well-renowned chef shares how he broke into ‘bespoke fire cooking’ market

A well-renowned chef has shared how he managed to break into the “bespoke fire cooking” market in 2023 and his hopes for the next year.

In the first Help Our Hospitality interview of the year, AJ Foodi reflected on how far he has come since he last spoke to the Chronicle & Echo in June last year.

AJ went from working part-time in a restaurant around six years ago, to being hired for private events in and around Northampton as an open fire chef.

He supplies “gourmet food using the best local produce” and offers bespoke catering and event planning services.

“Cooking on an open fire is the purest form,” he previously told this newspaper. “Not only does it provide the theatrics, but it is different from cooking with conventional gas and you get more flavours from using different types of wood.”

One of the biggest changes for AJ last year was the start of his collaboration with Eakley Manor Farm.

“We really broke into the bespoke fire cooking market last year with private customers,” he said. “We did a big wedding in Brighton and it catapulted the farm into a different stratosphere. We smashed it last summer with bespoke and private events.”

AJ praised Mark and Rob from Eakley Manor Farm for their investment in the venue, and how this collaboration has set them up for a successful 2024.

When asked his proudest achievement of the past year, AJ said: “I’ve done some really great events and big smoke and fire festivals. I’ve been getting on the map as a top end provider of catering.

“Taking it from a small business to where I am now, being widely regarded as one of the best.”

AJ looks forward to 2024 and building on what has been established – with both his catering and getting the farm renowned as a top-end events centre.

The focus of the Help Our Hospitality campaign moving forward is to highlight what our interviewees want to see in the future of Northampton’s hospitality industry.

When asked his view, AJ said: “Variety. It needs people with passion, not chains. You can tell the difference. You need people at the helm that really want to provide great food over profit. We need independent providers with loads of passion.”

AJ previously shared that he takes pride in expressing himself through his food and wanted to make it accessible – while also ensuring the price reflects how long it takes to cook and prepare.

When asked just how much effort goes into what he creates, which customers do not see behind the scenes, AJ says it begins when he agrees on a menu for an event.

He travels all the way to London to secure the required meat, which typically happens in the early hours of the morning, before travelling straight back to begin the preparation.

“People only see when you turn up with a fire cage and cook the meat,” said AJ. “There’s a minimum of five days’ work behind the scenes.”

The open fire chef has established a positive reputation over the past half-a-decade – which all began in a part-time role selling his food to be taken to pop-up events.

To follow AJ Foodi’s journey, you can check out his Instagram page here.