A Northamptonshire chef is bringing techniques learned in Texas back to the local hospitality sector with a new live-fire dining concept aimed at both consumers and corporate clients.
James Peck, founder of Ember in Wellingborough and owner of The Four Pears in Little Houghton, recently returned from the United States after spending time cooking at the Lockhart Rising festival and alongside chefs at InterStellar BBQ in Austin, regarded as one of Texas’s leading barbecue restaurants.
The experience forms the basis of a new five-course event at Moulton Grange Farm in Pitsford later this month, centred on open-fire cooking and smoke-led techniques more commonly associated with the southern United States than rural Northamptonshire.
James has built a growing profile within the county’s hospitality sector in recent years, picking up multiple honours at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards, including the One to Watch title in 2023.
Speaking about the trip, James said the time spent in Texas had influenced both his cooking and his thinking around hospitality experiences.
“Texas approaches food in a very different way,” he said. “There’s a huge focus on patience, simplicity and getting the best from the ingredient. Spending time around that environment has definitely changed how I want to develop future events and dining experiences back home.”
The Pitsford event on 29 May will feature dishes including post oak-smoked wagyu brisket and fire-roasted scallops, prepared entirely over open flame using oak and hickory smoke.
Across the hospitality sector, independent operators have increasingly turned towards smaller-scale and experience-led events as restaurants look for new ways to attract customers and diversify revenue streams in a difficult trading environment.
The event will also be marketed towards businesses seeking alternatives to traditional client entertaining, with organisers targeting companies looking for smaller and more informal hospitality experiences.
Tickets are priced at £100 per person. Click here to book.
