Dijon Boys: Meet the 22-year-old chefs behind the Leeds food joint that's rocketed to success

Better known as Dijon Boys, the 22-year-olds have cooked at pop-ups across the city and have already opened their first permanent kitchen in the heart of Meanwood. Jamie and Cameron are childhood friends and met Nicko just under a year ago while they were working at Chapel Allerton pub The Mustard Pot - hence the name for their business.

On New Year’s Eve, the trio began brainstorming ideas for their own food venture and by April, they’d already put the wheels in motion.

“It took off,” Nicko told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “We love different cultures and learning about what kind of ingredients they use. When we go out to eat, we like to get a little bit of everything and share it - that’s why we like doing small plates.

“The food we do is affordable fine dining. We love fine dining but it’s a bit expensive, so we like to recreate that effect.”

Nicko was born in the Philippines and moved to London when he was seven; his family moved around a lot before settling in Leeds. He said: “The food culture in the Philippines is amazing - fresh produce and everyone’s so passionate about food. They always say it’s the labour of love.

“My mum taught me how to cook, she’s very traditional. She’s my big inspiration when I’m looking for recipes.I watched her in the kitchen I saw how she moved, putting in a little bit of soy sauce and all that stuff. It was traditional Filipino food.”

Nicko worked as a kitchen porter at Bulgogi Grill when he was 16 before juggling a job at Nando’s while he studied at university. It was after the pandemic that he joined The Mustard Pot and met fellow chef Cameron - and they instantly hit it off.

“We were both so passionate about cooking,” Nicko added. “I’ve never met anyone through hospitality that’s so passionate about food - and so was I. During that time, we always had each other’s backs and that’s why we have a strong bond in the kitchen. I’ve only known him for a year and now we’re business partners.”

Nicko and Cameron are the masterminds behind the food, while Jamie works front-of-house and manages the business. The trio opened their dream restaurant earlier this year, taking over the kitchen at Meanwood bar Number 8 Cocktails in September.

Nicko added: “When we took it over, all the profits we’d made over three months for doing pop-ups every week, we invested it into the space. We rebuilt the whole kitchen with our own money, so there was satisfaction - it’s our home now. It’s not just a kitchen.

“It’s quite a deep one for us, it’s like our baby. And the people love the food. Meanwood itself is a growing area, people are up for trying something different.

“The passion and the love for what we do keeps growing and growing every day. We’re very ambitious entrepreneurs - we wanted something, we said we’ll do it and now the world’s our oyster. We’re always wanting to expand and make Dijon Boys a big name for Leeds.”