Braizin Squad Leeds: Meet the trio of chefs behind the new street food business already renowned for its roast

The street food business, which specialises in smoked meats cooked over an open fire, has become a favourite of local chefs and restaurateurs across Leeds less than a year after its journey began.

The trio of local chefs behind the venture - Jamie Marrion, Jordan Kaye and Michal Marud - launched their first pop-up event in May last year and have gone on to collaborate with several bars and restaurants in the city.

Their roast dinners at Meanwood’s Boot & Rally have been named the 14th best in the UK by rategoodroast, they’ve been mentioned in The Observer and they’re now preparing to take over Chow Down.

Jamie, 32, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We didn’t think it would get this big. We’ve not been going a full year and we’re absolutely smashing it.

“It’s a different little twist on a roast - smoky and we cook all our meat on an actual fire - so it gives it a different flavour that you don’t find anywhere else in Leeds. I think that’s why everyone loves it.”

Jamie, Jordan and Michal have decades of kitchen experience between them. Jamie started his career at Jamie’s Italian, where he met Michal, before living and working in Japan, Australia, France and Croatia.

After returning to the UK, Jamie joined the Michelin-recommended Ox Club, where Jordan had been working for several years. The pair hit it off and after meeting during lockdown to “barbeque their hearts out”, they took the plunge to launch Braizin’ Squad in May last year - and later asked Michal to join them.

Jamie said: “Me and Jordan wanted to cook exactly what we wanted, rather than working for somebody else and being told what to cook. We like smoking food and cooking stuff on a fire, so we decided to start something up ourselves.

“When it started snowballing, we asked Mikey to get involved. We’re all good at different little bits and compliment each other well.”

Braizin’ Squad have been announced as Chow Down’s kitchen residents for the first half of the spring season, serving braised, smoked meats on homemade flatbreads. The outdoor venue in Temple Arches will reopen on April 7, with a new ‘urban garden’, Tipple cocktail bar and a rotating line-up of other street food vendors.

“We’re excited,” Jamie said. “We’re doing homemade flatbreads with braised meat and nice sauces, as well as different specials every week. We’ll be doing our version of a Reuben sandwich - pastrami, sauerkraut and pickles on a flatbread - as well as our jerk goat burger. We put that on last year and people loved it, it’s become a bit of a signature.”

The Braizin’ Squad boys dream of opening their own restaurant one day, but the next step is getting a street food truck to be able to cater for festivals and other events.

Jamie added: “I love how hectic it can get in the kitchen, how fast-paced it is. And the way that we cook with barbecues, there’s just fire everywhere and it’s quite fun.