Everybody eats, but not everybody finds the same joy in it. My work is about finding and sharing joy, combining food with theatre to make eating about more than mere sustenance.
Through jointly running The Riverside Barbecue School – one of Britain’s first and largest purpose-built barbecue schools – for the best part of a decade, I found my culinary home in fire and smoke. Education alongside entertainment is an important part of what I do and, during my time at Riverside, about 10,000 people attended our courses. We hosted everybody from novice back-garden grillers to professional chefs wanting to incorporate barbecuing into their work.
I’ve also spent years cooking indoors, including a recent stint running the lunch service at Michelin-starred Hegel Eins in Stuttgart, but live-fire cooking remains my specialism and is where my love of food, performance and theatre meet most naturally.
Alongside my teaching and restaurant work, I am a regular fixture at food festivals and industry events in the UK and internationally. This work is live, crowd-facing and the most performative of all I do: hosting live-fire stages, cooking alongside guest chefs whilst keeping conversation flowing and, where appropriate, showcasing sponsor ingredients or equipment.
Selected appearances include:
Annual hosting of the Firepit stages at Taste of Dubai and Taste of Abu Dhabi
Industry and consumer events with Traeger Grills UK
Meatopia Glasgow
The La Española BBQ Academy at The Ideal Home Show
The Camping & Caravanning Club’s Torchlight Festival
Hosting of the live-fire stages at Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival
“I can honestly say: that’s the best beef I’ve ever had in the Middle East, and some of the best I’ve had in my life.” Marco Pierre White, Abu Dhabi 2023
Gōdfȳr & Co.
Alongside my own work, I run Gōdfȳr & Co. with my long-time colleague Andrew Dickens. Having jointly run The Riverside Barbecue School and appeared together at countless festivals and events in the UK and internationally, we have a chemistry and patter that comes from years of performing side by side.
At live-fire events, it’s typical to have two host-chefs to ensure safety, seamless cooking and fire management and to maximise audience engagement. Gōdfȳr & Co. specialises in live-fire event hosting, combining cooking, theatre and audience interaction to create experiences that are engaging, entertaining and memorable.
In the words of Marco Pierre White as he greeted the Dubai crowd the last time we worked together: “You know these boys are geniuses, don’t you?”
We’ll take that!
Get in touch
If you’re looking for live-fire experiences that combine food, performance and theatre, I’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s a festival stage, a brand activation, a workshop or a private event, I work closely with organisers to create engaging, memorable culinary experiences.
