A CAMPERVAN company is embarking on a “Gastrotour” to get Scotland’s finest chefs and restaurateurs to leave their professional kitchens and cook up a storm in the back of one of its converted VW Transporters.
North Berwick-based Jerba Campervans is taking to the road to visit chefs near the location of their acclaimed venues, asking them to create simple, inspiring dishes using just the Jerba’s in-built hob or hot-plate.
It has already worked to produce recipe videos with Maison Bleue’s Dean Gassabi and Mark Greenaway, chef proprietor of Grazing. Each of the chefs were filmed while parked outside their restaurants’ respective settings at Victoria Street and the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian.
Having proven the concept, it is now engaging with a number of further chefs to demonstrate what is possible, both to owners of Jerba vans – and foodies across the country on the lookout for dishes by their favourite chefs that are both tasty and easily replicated at home.
Simon Poole, founder and director at Jerba, said: “Our Gastrotour is an idea that has evolved over time but that we’re incredibly proud to see come to fruition.
“Our owners surprise us with some frankly incredible concoctions in their vans – and frequently share the images with us and the wider community.
“We’re also big foodies here at Jerba and fortunate enough to be located in a part of the world blessed with amazing produce and seriously talented chefs.
“The next logical next step was to try to get some of the country’s best talents involved. Showcasing their skills, we hope the chefs will inspire both our foodie owners and the wider public on the endless culinary opportunities that come with cooking in a campervan.
“We weren’t sure how the chefs would respond to being taken out of the comfort and familiarity of their professional kitchens, but it’s proven to be a brilliant concept – and the end product is testament to the chefs’ talents.”
Simon and his wife Cath founded Jerba in 2006 after a decade of owning and hiring campervans all over the world, before deciding they could improve the design and overall user experience themselves.
The firm is now 15 strong – and recognised by Volkswagen as a registered vehicle body builder. The German manufacturer supplies Jerba with the skeletons of the vans, which it transforms into stylish homes on wheels, made individually to the customer’s specification.
Last year, the husband and wife team made the decision to become 100% employee owned and experienced an instant 11% surge in productivity in the months following.
To find out more about Jerba Campervans, visit www.jerbacampervans.co.uk
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