A Kilmaurs couple are bringing the taste of the Caribbean to the streets of East Ayrshire with a specially-designed food truck.
Derrick and Sharon Vaughan have created a menu of delicious, authentic Caribbean dishes inspired by the original recipes of Derrick’s family.
The couple, who moved to Kilmaurs from London around 16 years ago, decided there was a distinct gap in the market in Scotland for the aromatic flavours of the Caribbean.
Derrick grew up surrounded by the vibrant cuisine as his Jamaican parents moved to the UK as part of the Windrush generation.
He told the Standard: “My parents are from Jamaica and I was born and brought up in London.
“I actually think this is something my mum should have done. These are all her recipes but she was busy raising four boys.”
Sharon added: “Derrick’s mum is an amazing cook and she taught him everything he knows.”
Derrick’s cooking has been awarded the seal of approval from his family and the food truck also adapts some of the recipes to incorporate food more common to Scotland, such as salmon.
Menu favourites include jerk pork, sunshine chicken, reggae veggie and Jamaican dumplings.
The spices have been varied to ensure even the most sensitive to spice can enjoy the dishes but Derrick hopes to develop some hotter sauces to cater to the more adventurous palate.
Since purchasing the van two years ago Derrick and Sharon have been busy transforming the vehicle into a fit-for-purpose mobile kitchen.
“I think some of our neighbours were wondering what was going on,” laughed Derrick.
The pair have been catering for weddings, birthdays and other events and have just received their licence to start selling street food throughout Kilmarnock.
Derrick, who works as a nurse, said: “There’s really not a lot of Caribbean food on offer in Scotland.
“I’ve been trying the meals out on friends and colleagues and they have loved it. They told us we had to do this.”
Sharon added: “Derrick does the cooking and I handle the business side of things.
“We bought the truck about two years ago and we’ve just been working on it.
“We have had to order some of the ingredients such as the spices, from down south as they’re just not as easy to find up here.”
Derrick continued: “It’s a business venture but it is also very much from the heart. It’s a labour of love. Seeing people enjoy your food is one of the best feelings.”
The truck is currently situated at Wheatrig Farm in Kilmaurs and the couple aim to begin selling street food a few evenings a week.
“There are a lot of trucks selling at lunchtime and we think we can maybe tap into the customers buying dinner on their way home,” said Sharon.
Visit www.reggaeliciousfoodtruck.co.uk/ for more details.
