SAVOUR & SIP
BACK ON TRUCK TAKE A BAO Co-founder of Guerrilla Kitchen and local seafood favourite Fin Boys, chef Jay Scrimshaw walks us through his career in cooking, from fine dining to food trucks
WORDS BY PHOEBE HARPER
A s a chef, Jay Scrimshaw’s to his work as co-founder of Asian street food truck Guerrilla Kitchen, and as one half of the brains behind Mill Road-based seafood restaurant Fin Boys. Cambridge-raised, Jay’s life in the kitchen began with a love of cooking shared by his uncle, a fellow chef, and various stints working as a kitchen porter before eventually progressing into a cheffing role. A successful but intense career trajectory ensued, seeing him working as senior sous chef at Bibendum and sous chef at Chez Bruce, both in London. When Jay and his wife Taffeta decided to start a family, a change of pace was needed and the couple decided to move back to Cambridge and purchase a pub – The Pheasant, a thatched country inn in nearby Keyston. The endeavour was met with huge philosophy is clear – keep it simple and keep it seasonal. It’s an ethos he applies both success, winning Best British Restaurant in 2009 and starring on Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word . However, a more comfortable work-life balance was needed. “When you have children, you start to weigh up what’s really important, and that meant not working 14-hour days six days a week,” Jay shares. “We decided to start up the food truck because it meant I could pick and choose when I work.” Thus, in 2014, Guerrilla Kitchen was born – an Asian street food van that can now be found in various spots in and around Cambridge throughout the week, including Off the Beaten Truck in Saffron Walden and several foodPark locations. Pre-Covid, the ‘Bao Bus’, as it is fondly known, was also a regular on the national festival circuit, appearing at both Latitude and Wilderness. Although its menu is ever evolving, bao have been Guerrilla Kitchen’s speciality since day one. For Jay, the choice was born from years of travelling and a personal passion for Asian culture, particularly its street food. “I knew I’d get bored if I chose to start the truck with something like burgers,” he says. “I’d recently eaten bao at Momofuku in New Y0rk, and they just stuck in my
head. At the time, I knew bao were also being served at Hawker House in London – but not many other places – so I just thought, why not?” When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, things came to a temporary standstill. But, far from remaining idle, that difficult period stoked the embers for Jay’s next endeavour. “The food truck wasn’t out during lockdown. It had been so long since I’d worked in a proper kitchen, I wondered if I could do it any more – I even toyed with the idea of going on MasterChef !” I’d eaten bao at Momofuku in New York, and they’d just stuck in my head Talking with friend and former head chef at Parker’s Tavern, Richard Stokes, the two discussed how Cambridge lacked a proper fish restaurant. So, when an empty site cropped up on Mill Road out of the blue, they leapt at the opportunity. Shortly after, in 2021, Fin Boys opened as a sea-to-table restaurant serving fresh fish caught from independent day boats with an on-site fish butchery. “I’ve always found it strange that we are an island nation, but people just don’t eat much fish! We know we need to generally consume less meat, so with Fin Boys, we’re trying to change that,” says Jay. In the early days, juggling both the food truck and Fin Boys meant having to be in two places at once, but now Guerrilla Kitchen has found its groove with a strong team keeping things running. With any luck, the next year may see the launch of another food truck, with a view to resuming its place on the festival circuit once again. “I genuinely don’t think the food truck scene is going anywhere – if anything, it’s only going to get stronger.”
FULL STEAM AHEAD Jay Scrimshaw’s Guerrilla Kitchen vans are back on the road and showing no signs of slowing down
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2023 41
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