Flame On: 'Sundeck Suppers' brings Thanet chefs to the fore
Chefs including Joe Hill (The Table in Broadstairs and The Libertines’ Albion Rooms), Aleksandar Taralezhkov of Dolma Bar, Rachel Sullivan of Rakookoo, and Merman of Margate Jim Thomlinson
Image by The Sun Deck @thesundeckmargate
Self-confessed fire starter and tamer of flames Julian Brown is bringing the heat to Margate with a series of live fire supper events.
Called the Sundeck Suppers, the unique experience involves five chefs, five courses and, of course, some fire, all from the beachside spot overlooking the main sands.
Everything is cooked in front of you and, if what Brown says is true, there ‘s nothing quite like it.
The chefs involved are Joe Hill, who runs The Table in Broadstairs and is chef at The Libertines’ Albion Rooms, Aleksandar Taralezhkov of Dolma Bar, Rachel Sullivan of Rakookoo, and Merman of Margate Jim Thomlinson.
Brown cooks, too, although he professes not to be a chef.
“I consider myself an enthusiastic cook,” he says. “I don’t want to undermine these amazing chefs by calling myself one - it feels slightly imposterish.”
What is clear, though, is the former City worker, who has a background in analytics, is a dab hand when it comes to live fire cooking events.
A quick Google search and you’ll see his name lit up in, er, flames within the hospitality industry, with Taste of London, Meatopia and PX+ Festival to name just a few of the food festivals under his belt.
But it’s perhaps an event in a crop circle in the English countryside in 2019 which sparked the inspiration for his latest venture in Margate.
Image by The Sun Deck @thesundeckmargate
The crop circle fire feast saw him collaborate with six of the most revered chefs in London as well as Justin Deighton from Two Tribes Brewing, and a six course banquet was created.
“It just went completely off-the-chart crazy,” says Brown. “No one knew it would take off like it did. It was one of those ‘were you there’ moments. The idea to do these events, like the Sundeck Suppers, comes after the unmitigated success of that really.”
The series of suppers in Margate, which ran last week, with two more this week, involves Brown and the four leading chefs cooking five courses - a course each - over fire in front of guests.
“It’s a special thing. It’s an experience,” he said.
“Customers don’t get that experience in a restaurant. With this, you get to see people cooking, you get to interact with the chefs, you hear the chefs talking about what inspires them, the techniques they use.
“It’s creating something that everyone shares. By having five chefs doing five courses, the chefs are more relaxed. They don’t have to do so much.
“They can be interactive, they are front of house so they can speak to customers. The menu is set out, each course is cooked, most of it is done on the live fire and there is nothing like it.”
He admits the Sundeck “screamed out to him” as a perfect venue when he first saw it.
Image by The Sun Deck @thesundeckmargate
And despite it typically being quieter during the week, he wanted to use this to his advantage.
“Thanet is quite quiet on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - it’s more focused on the weekend so I thought ‘let’s put something on on those quiet nights’.”
He also wants to fully embrace what the Isle has to offer.
“Being in Thanet it had to be about people in Thanet,” he said. “I could have brought chefs down from London, but I want this to be about people from Thanet, using local produce, local suppliers.”
He adds: “Sundeck Suppers is bringing what I’ve done around Europe to Margate.
“Really I just do love doing things like this because we’ve got so many great chefs who are so generous with me and give such amazing support.”
The next suppers will be held next month and will be on a Tuesday and Wednesday.
Keep an eye on https://www.facebook.com/thesundeckmargate for more details.