I CAUGHT UP WITH RUSSEL SIMONETTE, A MAN ON A MISSION FROM A SOFTWARE COMPANY, AND NOW, FOOD HERE IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
Russel, we have known one another a long time now, and I know you put your hand to a few things over the years, so why food?
Well, food has always been, and still is, a fundamental part of my family gatherings and socialisation. Counting Mum and Dad, we were eight, and everyone cooked, except me. I found the kitchen was crowded enough and opted to be the washer-upper. We used to have Crab Fridays, when all the aunts and uncles would come through, and we would finish off a crocus bag full of red and blue ones. Then there was the Sunday lunch, whose preparation began on a Saturday evening. The smell outta that kitchen made you hungry and full at the same time. Food is sensory. Food is colour. Food is smell, taste, and texture.
But it was only when I came to the UK in the early eighties to pursue tertiary education, and had to fend for myself, that I dabbled. Well, padna, back den, ah burn water and all. But, having spied what was going on in the kitchen growing up in Cascade, I put knowledge to good use and slowly but surely got better at stirring a pot. And, as many can testify, yuh come to a lime by De Simo, there gots to be food involved. I love the whole vibe of people coming together and communing over some jouts. And don’t even mention backyard cooking. The sun only has to peep, and I’m outside.
Plus, in a previous version of De RedMan, I was involved in the supply chain of fresh fish to your doorstep: Passion de So. It was a packaged and shrink-wrapped service, i.e. sea to door within twelve hours, ready for the pot. Massey and the Sandals fella son copied me and were able to deliver to a far greater scale than I could.
Why street food and not a Michelin-style restaurant?
I like the delivery of curb-side, pop-ups, and different events. There is something nomadic and adventurous about hitching up your caravan and pulling it from place to place, titillating the taste buds of strangers. Ah, only have to see the hint of a gleam in their eye to be satisfied that the job was well done. And the society associated with a cook-up still floats my boat. Ah luv it.
How come B’s Mish Mash and not, I don’t know, Russel’s caféteria?
B is for Beville, my deceased elder brother who conceptualised something similar way back in the seventies when he and I made a shopping trip to the US. We were about to open our discotheque on Upper Frederick Street, and went to New York and Boston for sound equipment and lighting. Beville was captivated by the diners along the highways, where you pulled up and sat on high stools eating 100% beef burgers and the like. At the time, we only had the North/South Sir Solomon Hochoy highway. Beville’s idea was to use decommissioned Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) buses and replicate those US diners, an idea that remained unfulfilled until now. The Mish Mash part acknowledges that I am not just offering the street food of my homeland, but from various black and brown places I’ve travelled over the years.
Talking ’bout Palaver Place, that was the name of the disco, we had the Sapodilla Yard to the back, which provided lunches during the day and finger food in the evening and night.
I have seen pictures of your caravans. They look huge. Why did you not just buy a couple of food trucks?
It has always been a family motto, almost, that whenever you’re doing something, do it impressively. Stand out so you could reach back and pull up half a dozen souls as you ascend. Plus, there are multiple aspects to my business model. I will not only be working my caravans for their intended purpose myself, but also offering a chance for enterprising individuals who want to make a start in the food and catering industry. My caravans are available for rental, in whole or in part. The Spartanette has two kitchens and a hot/cold bar, making it an ideal ‘dark kitchen’ for serving one’s gazebo or popup-style ventures.
Additionally, they can be configured for use as promotional kiosks for a company’s marketing or branding initiative, wrapped in their own livery. I am also, via another of my business concerns, Simco Fabricators, taking sales orders. We can refit caravans to specification or present you with a choice of pre-configured options.
Tell me more about the hot/cold bars. I have a feeling you’re coming with something special there as well?
My initial offerings will be non-alcoholic beverages. I have partnered with producers of premium-quality coffee, tea, and chocolate from Africa and the Caribbean. The coffee is from Ethiopia and Jamaica; the tea from Kenya and Trinidad & Tobago; and the chocolate from Ghana and Saint Lucia. I have a habit of when travelling, even on vacation, to make beneficial hookups. So, last year, my excursions to Ghana as a spiritual return and Saint Lucia for the Jazz and Arts Festival proved productive in making those connections. Plus, we will be doing smoothies from seasonal fruit and veg. Later, a cousin of mine from the Noels in Manchester will be joining to add his unique mixology of alcohol offerings to the fare. We are currently working on a flavoured option of gin and vodka.
So, where are you based? Where can your delectable offerings be found?
Two years ago, I sold my West London residence and moved to Birmingham, the second-largest city in the UK. The land of opportunity, as major sections are going through a regeneration program. My pension pot supplement required me to be part of that activity. But, home base for me and the business, for now, is Woodgate. I am in negotiations to have a small café/restaurant operation at a strip mall in Northfield, where one of my units is parked. However, the core of the business is mobile. Initially, we will be serving the West Midlands, but essentially, we are available to go where the work takes us. By summer, I am expecting to be doing some of the music festivals and other headline events. But for now, I am happy to do the more regular trade of car boot sales, motor and bike shows, street markets and fairs, and pop-ups.
What are you offering curb side?
Well, my initial fare is going to be Moroccan, Thai, West African and Caribbean street food. But I will rotate my offerings to include the culinary delights of the Southern Hemisphere. The idea is to offer choice. The UK is a much more travelled and culinary aware population than when I first arrived. I don’t want my offerings to run stale. Plus, the immigrant population is diverse. All must be catered to.
Russel, as always, it has been a pleasure chatting with you and catching up on your latest dalliance. The last time we did this, we highlighted your cultural contribution by establishing the Carnival Friday Night fete at ISH, International Students House, Great Portland Street, and the Carnival Saturday Night fete at the YMCA, Tottenham Court Road.
You are dating meh dey boi. Yes, those were the early days, when Notting Hill Carnival was more about door-to-door reggae sound systems and pape marche costuming. There were loads of students from the Caribbean studying the professions, and quite a few staying at ISH. Part of the commitment as a resident was to contribute to the House’s activities. I decided I didn’t want to work the tuck shop or anything that required regular effort. I proposed putting on the carnival night as an addition to their regular students’ disco, i.e., one big money spinner that would get us off the hook for the rest of the scholastic year. And that remained on the ISH agenda for two decades hence. Any Trini who passed through took up the mantle.
Interestingly enough, I have been invited back to ISH later this month for a gathering of Goat members. Recently, they asked individuals to share their memories of their time at ISH. I contributed just that to which you referred.
Ah boi, the beauty of this single, unattached life of mine. Is jus me and de parrot on ah stick. And, de parrot know wat good feh him backside.
Russel, you’ve been around a long time, you know. What’s your secret to your youthful retention and energy?
I’m on my bike every morning, doing a four-mile circuit through Woodgate Valley Park. In my CIC days, I was a competitive cyclist representing college and club, CocoCola Maradona. I specialised in the sprint races, primarily because I’m hot-footed and the girls loved racers. A few are the recipients of my success. My grandsons think I am pulling their leg when I regale them about my winning days on the track, because ah doh hav de medals to show dem.
It’s good to get back in the saddle. My morning jaunt is done at high speed, in the most demanding gear for the terrain. I got to keep this vessel in tip-top working order. There’s still a lot of life for this geezer yet to be lived, and inroads to be made, trails to be blazed before my bell is told. My walk through this transient state must be a good one.
And, talking about cycling, watch out for my fundraiser in support of Prostate cancer. It is something I have been passionate about ever since attending Saint Lucia Jazz Festival way back when Chick Corea was performing at a hotel venue and stopped in the middle of his set to highlight the importance of men over 40 getting regular checkups. Back then, and still now, there is a reluctance amongst the male gender to be examined in that fashion. But early detection is survivable. So, check my GoFundMe page. I’m getting some of my neighbours to join me in doing 100 miles before Christmas.
Well more time, much luv. Big up. De RedMan gwan. Ah could hear meh pot bubbling over. Blessings.
