Silver Lining - Silver Birch Fine Foods collaborates with Floc Brewing
Silver Birch Fine Foods gives back with community in mind
“Even though I love to chat, I really can’t indulge anything else.”
Chef Anthony Birch is not letting up when it comes to telling us about his latest A-list catering job, on a film set for “one of the biggest film producers of all time”.
The only name he’ll give among the VIPs he’s cooking for is Tom Hanks’s son Truman. Even with some Googling, we’re none the wiser.
What Birch does want to talk about, however - and what’s almost certainly more exciting for us Kent folk - is his new venture with Floc Brewing.
His company, Silver Birch Fine Foods (@silverbirchfinefoods), is teaming up with the Kent craft beer specialist to have one of his street-food trucks at its new premises on Wincheap industrial estate in Canterbury.
Already his fusion street-food trucks have been tipped as a cut above the rest in the catering world, which is unsurprising given Birch’s credentials.
He’s worked as a chef for most of his life and travelled the world extensively, learning new skills and showcasing his talent.
Alongside his delectable food, inspired by “the food markets of Italy to the barrios of Buenos Aires, and everything in between”, he’s become quite the community champion, too.
He and his team fed staff working round-the-clock to deliver Covid jabs and a few years back he spent Christmas Day at the Umbrella Centre making dinners for those in need.
Birch is also committed to sustainable catering, partnering with local growers, farms, artisans and suppliers who share the same values.
This ethos is incorporated into his new project with Floc and he admits he’s got quite the year ahead of him.
“Floc have taken over one of the warehouses at Wincheap industrial estate and it looks phenomenal - they’ve got the massive stainless-steel fermentation units,” he says.
“I’ve been kindly asked to do the food for them, so I’ve got my new truck and I’ll be doing fusion street food and also a few different events.
“I’ll be tying my food with the different craft beers they do and offering a really unique space that Canterbury doesn’t have, really.”
He’s also planning to bring some of his industry friends - including the executive head chef at Harrods - down to Kent to do some cooking, as well as hosting events such as five courses paired with five of Floc’s beers.
“I want to make it a really active place for people, not just for having a drink and some food but more as an event place as well,” he explains.
“They’ve got a capacity of around 150 inside and in the summer it could be 300 to 400 people there.”
Birch is clear about his intention to help the community, too, with his pay-it-forward scheme.
The concept involves customers buying a meal for a vulnerable person when they visit his pop-ups.
The money will be used to host two events - on the first weekend of February and November - where households living on the breadline, vulnerable people and homeless can come along and enjoy a free meal.
Any leftover donations will go to the Umbrella Centre in Canterbury, which provides social and mental-health support, as well as local foodbanks.
“We will open the doors to anyone for food, no judgement,” he explains.
“Money raised by the public will be spent on the ingredients from the local farms and then food is given to people who might be on the breadline.
“Because, looking at the numbers of people who struggle with hunger and food, it’s really quite scary, especially in a world where there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“This new space at Floc isn’t just about the beer and food - it’s about having a place with that ethos of supporting the community.”
Birch, who is originally from Canterbury, says he will continue catering for weddings, private events and a few film shoots.
This is where he tells us Silver Birch is working on a film shoot for a big motion picture.
“It’s pretty much for one of the biggest film producers of all time and I’m not just catering for the crew but catering for VIPs at his house,” he says.
But he’s giving nothing away except to say he’s fortunate to have a great team with him, helping push the Silver Birch dream.
INFO: silverbirchfinefoods.com
