Rastafarian eatery ItalFresh shakes up Liverpool’s culinary scene

A REVOLUTIONARY Caribbean kitchen has taken up residency at Liverpool venue District in the Baltic Triangle creative quarter.

ItalFresh, owned by Dan Thompson and his partner Poppy Huyton, plates up fresh, plant-based meals for customers all year round, but for the first time, the business is settling into its new home for the winter season.

The food, which has gained interest from BBC Three, offers a vegan dining experience which uses food entirely from the land and is synonymous with the Rastafarian religion.

Huyton, co-founder of ItalFresh, said: “We have been eating Ital for the last four years since we got together but a lot of people don’t know what it is.

“It is delicious and we really want to get that across and we want to put it on the map.

“Rastas living in Jamaica were basically living of the land and not relying on the government- they would be living from the land.”

The pair’s idea originated in supper clubs they used to run at their home where they would invite strangers into their home and have 15 people sitting around their dinner table to enjoy Ital food.

“It took off,” said the former chef. “We saved a little money and got our own gazebo.

“We were passionate about the food and we believed in what we were doing.”

Since buying the gazebo from which they sold their food whilst touring the country, ItalFresh has bought a food truck, travelling to festivals, including at London’s Kings Cross, and other vegan events across the country.

All the produce used is sourced from local stores, many of which sell the Caribbean foods that feature heavily on ItalFresh’s menu.

“We love to support independent businesses,” added Huyton. “It’s important to us that we don’t go down the chains.

“We have a local provider who supplies an array of exotic Caribbean fruit and veg.”

Since the menu is wholly plant-based, the products available change with the seasons.

“We work with the seasons to keep everything fresh.

“Over the summer we did Jerk Pineapple which is delicious and as the seasons changed, we changed it to Jerk Portobello, which was really popular with meat-eaters.”

The warehouse where ItalFresh is based is a multi-function space which often is adapted for other events.

Last week, the eatery hosted an open mic night and a spoken-word event.
 
Whilst it will remain in Liverpool until December 22, the company hopes to expand in the New Year, visit many more locations and even develop another team so a permanent residency could be possible.

ItalFresh is open from 12pm- 3pm and 5pm- 9pm, Tuesday to Saturday in Jordan Street, Liverpool.

Booking is highly recommended.