MEET THE TEAM

Joshua moroney

Head Chef | Co-founder

Joshua is ethnically English and Guyanese. he was raised by the English side of his family; the lovely @debbiems123 and brilliant Kevin are his mum and dad. The youngest of 5 brothers, and being the only individual with mixed ethnicity in his family meant Josh had his own particular brand of “otherness” to deal with across his life in school, work, and sometimes even at home. Thank god for those older brothers hey?!
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Josh started his culinary experience at the age of 15 with a catering apprenticeship after receiving his qualifications he continued his career working within hotels & restaurants across the U.K.
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He went from Commis, CDP to Sous Chef and then he met Dave Carter from @smokestakuk Josh became one of the first chefs to start-up with the BBQ legends.
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Josh was Head Chef for Smokestak, producing tons of brisket a week. Josh perfected his skills @smokestakuk for nearly half a decade before seeking new horizons.
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Josh then met @bradmcdonald01 from Shotgun BBQ, London’s first fine dining bbq restaurant. An entirely novel concept with some of the most intricate BBQ focussed culinary processes. I mean who else do you know that comes in early to work each day to turn 1000s of fermenting soya beans to make in-house soy sauce?
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After almost a decade of working in BBQ restaurants, Josh was finally ready to do his own thing, the lack of inclusivity in menus, the lack of racialised chefs at the top rungs of food media and management, the lack of feeling self worth for all his graft led him to make his own space for Chefs and individuals like him. he started this company for all those that felt they neither belonged and suffered time and again, due to passive, micro-aggressive and aggressive forms of exclusivity in the industry.
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He approached his friend (now co-Founder) at the time who he met at Street Feast @mursalsaiq and said ‘do you want to start a bbq company with me, I think we could smash it’
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And the rest is history…

MURSAL SAIQ

Director I Co-founder

Mursal (ME) was born in Kabul, Afghanistan to middle class educated parents, a few weeks into my birth, my family were forced to evacuate our home and give it up to members of the Taliban during the 1990s Civil War.
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We fled our home and made our way to India, Mumbai. India was pure magic. The Holi Festival, Diwali, even sitting on the sets of Bollywood films, I was totally mesmerised by the stars who I still fawn over to this day. India was the magic we needed during a time riddled with displacement, confusion and loss.
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Time came to move on urgently, there was no way to go back home.
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This is where things went wrong, during the journey we got separated. My memory’s blocked out much of the journey as it wasn’t pleasant. I didn’t see half of my family for many years, a part of me forgot I had sisters and a father as I was so young.
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North London wasn’t an easy place to grow up for young refugees, our English wasn’t great, we couldn’t afford trendy clothes, bags etc. This caused multiple violent racist attacks. Dad couldn’t handle us running home in floods of tears anymore so he decided to move us to Hackney.
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Hackney, the place where dreams come true (This is very much BEFORE the gentrification of Hackney) for the first time in my young life I belonged.
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I wasn’t the only brown person in the room, my trainers & clothes didn’t matter. Mum’s accent didn’t matter, she even made friends! I thrived in Hackney.
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The diverse community was instantly comforting, meeting other refugees & immigrants. Even though mum & her friend spoke different languages all they needed was their food, nods & smiles!
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I moved on to study Political History at University then straight into internships. I couldn’t afford to do them without another job, as I had bills to pay, so I started to work at @streetfeastldn in the evenings after my advertising internship. That’s when I met Josh, I remember seeing him for the first time & he was bribing security with meat so they’d carry his charcoal and wood upstairs… and the rest well it’s history.

SHEY

Chef De Partie

I was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.K. at the age of 15 and have been living, studying and working in London since then. I was predominately raised by my dad whilst my mum worked overseas from the age of 2. As a former business student who then swiftly moved courses and began studying Mental Health Nursing; which is where my real passion lays. I have almost 4-years of experience in the hospitality industry as both a chef and front of house staff.

Time and time over I’ve been told that I don’t need a degree to be successful in my chosen fields but the desire for a degree does not come from the need or want to be successful but something much deeper & closer to home. All my parents have ever wanted for me is a degree, as they never got the chance to get theirs in their respective homes. So I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone by both gaining a degree in Mental Health Nursing as well as fulfilling a deeper purpose close to my heart.

I’m thankful that I met Mursal the CP Director, she explained to me how the business works and how they wanna support and help refugees & minorities. I really used to dread going to work but this job makes me look forward to every shift.

Fave saying:

I'm not chasing a dream, I'm fulfilling my purpose.