A Welsh chef who has been filling the bellies of the people of Cardiff with his Arabic-style "fire food" from his pop-up stall Lahmacun - which sees him roasting whole legs of local lamb over an open fire and serving up Turkish woodfired flatbreads (known as Lahmacuns) - is hosting a large ‘family-style’ feast supper club in Pontcanna's Kings Yard this September.
Lucas Wooten, 32, who is a regular trader at Pontcanna, Roath and Riverside farmer's markets, spent his teenage years in Muscat, Oman, where he learnt his trade in catering college before honing his culinary skills in some of London's top restaurants, including Little Bread Peddler, Cafe Murano and Quality Chopshouse.
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Now settling back in Cardiff, Lucas and his wife Sophie Khen will be hosting the delicious feast on Thursday, September 15, which will see the newlyweds cooking up incredible flame-grilled dishes such as Torwen Welsh lamb Barnsley stuffed with merguez, hummus and flatbreads and fire-roasted okra - among others.
Lucas and Sophie, who is of Syrian descent and whose father ran multiple Lebanese restaurants in Swansea, met 12 years ago and through their combined culinary and business skills as well as taking inspiration from their heritage, grew Lahmacun into the thriving food business it is today.
Of their partnership, Lucas says: "We bonded over our love of food and our shared experience of the Middle East; we’ve lived in London together, settled back in Cardiff together, and at our upcoming event in Pontcanna, we really want to show people the style of food we love most. Our evening of ‘Arabic food from the fire’ is all about huge sharing platters, fresh, vibrant food, and just spending time enjoying a great meal. That’s what great food is all about.”
With the Supper Club on the horizon, Lucas adds of Lahmacun: "I finally moved back to Cardiff just as the pandemic hit, but I already had a clear idea of the kind of food business I would like to eventually run, focusing on modern Arabic cuisine with a theatrical fire-food aspect.
"It took a few months to get everything sorted but we held our first pop-up events last summer, and we’ve been pitching up at local farmers’ markets and growing our fan base from there ever since."
Once the feast is over, Lucas explains that the pair have big plans for their business' future: "Next year is going to be about bigger feasts, lots of different venues and just getting our name out there. The long-term vision is for a permanent place in Cardiff, where we can slow cook over fire, but also throw out quick, delicious flatbreads for lunch. Watch this space!”
With 65 tickets available at £38 a head, it's sure to be a night of feasting to remember. Buy tickets for the Pontcanna supper club here.
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