Shay Ola - Death by Burrito, Cookbook: Mexican Street Food to Die For

At around this time supper clubs had just started to become a thing people couldnt afford to eat out at restaurants, so these supper clubs had become more and more popular. I found that although the food was generally good, the atmosphere was a little lacklustre: they were either trying to replicate the feel of being in a restaurant or they were too relaxed. Being the ball of energy that I am, I wanted to inject some fun into this setting. I managed to convince a friend who owned an art gallery/bar in east London to let me use his space to throw my own supper clubs, and these were my first ventures as the Rebel Dining Society. Things didn't stay small for long. The supper clubs became sell-outs every time, and I started to receive a lot of requests for large-scale catering. Companies that were bored with the same food offerings began to come to me for something a bit more interesting. I started to create boutique events, and in only a few months I was too busy to sustain the supper clubs at the same time and shut up shop. I was soon given the opportunity to run a food stall at the Secret Garden Party music festival. This couldnt be any further from what I had been doing up to now the food had to be something simple, fast, street food-style, with a significantly lower price point. Id always loved Mexican food, and given that nobody else was already doing it I opted for burritos.

Working at a festival is, essentially, completely mental. The hours are horrific, and the people are such an eclectic mix, many of them totally fuelled by alcohol I couldnt have been prepared enough for the onslaught. Things started off a little slowly, but then 2 a.m. came ... then 4 a.m.... then 6 a.m.! I stayed up all night, long after every other stall had closed, making and serving burrito after burrito. The atmosphere was wonderful, and everybody was in great spirits. This continued for three days and then, after what felt like a lifetime, it was over. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and extreme fatigue. This fast-paced style of cooking was completely new to me and I loved it. I dont know what it was, but I just had this urge inside me to go back to the rush of that festival. Thats not to say I wasnt enjoying what I was doing, but something was missing. Being involved in Death By Burrito has filled that gap. There have been hard times along the way, but I wouldnt have changed any of it. All our staff, past and present, are like family, and each of the following recipes has been a labour of love.

The recipes in this book are intended for you to either dip into or mix up as you like; try the . Remember that cooking is fun and fluid. If you dont like a certain ingredient, take it out, and if you think youd really like to add something else, just do it. Enjoy every second you cook we do.