Emma Williams
A Shropshire woman, who launched her own healthy-eating take-away business, has been announced as the latest chef to take part in a county festival specialising in free-from foods and those suffering with allergies.
Emma Williams will be bringing her healthy, home cooked meals to Frestival on May 16th at the Greenhous West Mid Showground.
She will tell visitors what inspires her fresh cooking and how she set up her new take-away business in Madeley.
A few years ago, Emma’s life was very different.
After working in Graphic Design as an Art Director in London for 16 years, she was made redundant when eight-months pregnant with her daughter.
Emma felt she needed a change and moved back to Telford, where she grew up, and started work as a freelance designer.
However, in the end, she decided to pursue another passion of hers and set up her own business in the food industry.
One year on and Park Street Kitchen was launched. Business took off!
Park Street Kitchen is a food delivery service specialising in creating delicious, healthy home cooked meals using a variety of fresh, quality ingredients.
The meals are cooked in Emma’s kitchen and then delivered in the local community. It’s a plastic free business, with all packaging being biodegradable or recyclable.
Emma said: “It’s not right for businesses to launch in this day and age and not be considerate to the environment.
Her multicultural background has influenced her cooking style as well as living in London and being exposed to so many different people and cultures.
She said: “I was inspired by street food and there are lots of food pop-ups and quirky food establishments in London.
“I get the Caribbean influence from my Mum’s cooking and her family, who always cooked delicious Jamaican food. I’ve certainly been influenced by my travels and being exposed to so many different cultures.
“I’ve always had a passion for cooking and friends and family have always enjoyed my cooking, so it was just taking that leap of faith and seeing whether I could make it work in Telford.
“My long-term goal is to bring a street food / social hub to Shropshire – that’s the dream and this is the beginning of it all.”
Emma said it was important to her to make sure there was a focus on creating healthy takeaway options.
She said: “My food is tasty and nutritional. I make small changes like using coconut oil, fresh herbs and spices, including plenty of vegetables and grains and try to create a good balance in my dishes.”
Emma said her favourite dish to cook is Curry Laksa.
She said: “I spent a month in Vietnam and Thailand and pretty much love all the food! My aunty, who is Chinese, is an excellent cook. No doubt she kick-started my obsession for Asian food.”
At Frestival, Emma will be cooking food using healthy, local produce and will cook a free-from dish. She has yet to decide her menu but details will be revealed nearer the time.
At Park Street Kitchen, she caters for all sorts of diets.
“Many of my dishes are free from eggs, gluten, are vegetarian or vegan. There’s a bit of something for everyone and that’s not always available elsewhere,” she said.
Emma is delighted to be invited to take part in Frestival.
“People sometimes struggle to find the right food choices and information so it’s great to have a festival that showcases and celebrates this,” she said.
For more information about Park Street Kitchen, see the website at: https://www.parkstreetkitchen.co.uk.
To book tickets for Frestival, see https://www.shropshirefrestival.co.uk.
