How the Council are supporting businesses during COVID-19: An interview with Daniel Maynard, owner of Jerk Off BBQ in Deptford

Jerk Off BBQ started in 2016 in South East London. Their speciality is West Indian food. They have a permanent home in Deptford Artworks, Creekside, but they also run pop up restaurants and are a regular feature at some of Lewisham’s food markets.

What inspired you to start your own business?

We started the business in 2016 because we felt Caribbean food wasn’t respected and represented enough in the mainstream food scene. Because of this it kept being appropriated. Caribbean food is popular at the Notting Hill Carnival (specifically Jamaican food) and then it gets forgotten about.

I’ve always been into food and cooking and I want to educate people about authentic food from the West Indies. For me it’s about value - valuing ourselves and not taking our culture for granted, which means doing it ourselves as originators. 

What was it like setting up a business in Lewisham?

I believe that if you want to do something, you have to just go out and do it. So I saved money from my previous job whilst I set up all the necessaries, such as getting the correct certificates, registering my company and trademarks and so on.

Research was one of the biggest thing I focused on. I regularly visited food markets and I learnt about the best cooking methods and processes. This helped me work out what would work for me and my brand - rather than just copying what someone else was already doing. I then quit my job to focus on the business full time.

We started traded at Lee Gate market and took part in the first Catford Gin Festival where we met Team Catford. Through them we got involved with the Catford Food Market. We moved on to pop up nights which was a whole new experience for us, then we opened our first permanent site in Deptford which we love. We still do pop ups so look out for us in future locations.

How has the Council supported you during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Lewisham Council have been very supportive during this uncertain time. They provide regular COVID-19 updates for businesses, support guides and access to loans and grants for small independent in businesses need.

What adaptations have you had to make? Have you seen an increase in trade since lockdown was lifted?

We have had to adapt during the pandemic so we can keep providing nutritious affordable meals. We did start delivering meals in Lewisham and across South East London. We set up a system where customers placed their orders online in advance and the meals are delivered on the weekend. We always planned to do deliveries, but the pandemic was the push we needed to start offering this service, which we will most probably start doing again in the new year.