barbacoa – Mexican at the goods yard

Alex Perry is the man behind Barbacoa.  This is The Goods Yard’s new Mexican influenced food stall.  Originally from Canterbury, Alex has wandered far and wide, including to Mexico, before discovering Folkestone.  His parents sent him a photo of them sunning on a beach asking him to guess where they were.  Once discovered, Alex came down and found The Goods Yard and has been plotting his way in ever since.  Folkelife met up with Alex to find out the rest of the story.

“I did Spanish and Business and ended up working in Mexico for a time.  That’s where the food influences have come from.  However, I have been stuck in office based jobs for some time.  I got into financial and logistics and some of it was fun.  One of my jobs was working with Apple to get the first iPhone out of China.  Fun, yes, desk job – not my scene.  Food is very much more my thing.”

prepping for gino d’acampo

“So at one of my next jobs I made up some rubbish about wanting to do an MBA.  I took a day off a week to study, and was actually working at a cookery school in Marylebone in London.  Celebrity Chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gino D’Acampo would come in to teach and I was doing all the prep for their classes.  Gino would turn up in his Ferrari and I’d be pot washing or chopping things, quite menial tasks but I loved it because I was around people.  So, I quit my job!  

“I worked my way into a French cookery school, five minutes down the road in Oxford Circus.  I really still didn’t know that much about cooking but had seen enough done that they trusted me to run a couple of classes alongside the head chef.  This is when I decided to stay cooking.  There was a head chef job advertised and although I didn’t have the qualifications, I went for it anyway.  Whenever I was asked to make something, I’d go for a loo break to Google what it was and then be able to do it.”

i can do this

“We were doing crazy things in that company.  It was small, but we did footballer’s parties and lunches for Michael Heseltine and so on. After about 6 months I thought, I can do this myself!  So, I’d done more studying too by then, I set up my own catering company.  We do all sorts of things – and different to Barbacoa, but with that company I’ve been able to move out of London and get established down here.  We cater for weddings and parties and it’s all good fun, but you are, kind of, invisible.  You are there making this wonderful food that really makes the day, but it seems to magically appear in front of the guest rather than you meeting the customers and enjoying their reactions to your food.  

“That’s when we thought we wanted to get out and actually meet the people who want to eat our food.  Ellie and Jake are two of my staff; we sat down and talked about the idea and thankfully they were up for it too.  So May 2024 we started up here in The Goods Yard and we’re hoping to be here for a very long time!”

mexican gap

“Folkestone is very arty and I love the vibe that’s here.  There’s definitely something growing here and I want to be a part of it.  The Mexican influence is really my life-defining moment.  I wasn’t the best in the class at Uni, but then we had to spend a year away.  I chose Mexico and my friends all went to Spain together.  So I came back having been forced to speak so my Spanish had really improved.  The embarrassing thing was that I went to Cancun, which isn’t really Mexico!  But if you go just 20 minutes outside you get to the authentic part of the country and taste amazing fish tacos and more.  

“Once we get settled in here I’d love to serve fish.  We don’t at the moment.  The memories of this place with the fish tacos are idyllic.  It was situated by a lagoon which no one would go to as they’d all go to the beach at Cancun instead. But there was a mangrove area with plastic chairs and nothing really smart about it.  It was family-run and you’d see them come in on the fishing boat and produce these incredible fish tacos from the fresh catch of the day.  There was something perfect about it.  But, and without wanting to sound corny, I think food is about family and friends and that atmosphere that adds to the excellent meal you’re eating.  That’s what I want to create, and what the business is about.”