17 July 2024 - Sponsored by mccain
Taste Uzbekistan: The Street Food Duo sharing the traditions and flavours of Central Asia
- Akbar and Sanobar joined the McCain Streets Ahead Programme powered by KERB in 2022
- The Husband-and-Wife duo create authentic Uzbekistan dishes cooked with fresh ingredients each morning of trading
- Via Streets Ahead they carried out 12 months of training and mentoring to understand Street Food fundamentals, exploring how they could succeed with their hero dish Palav
- They secured £10,000 investment from McCain Foodsevice Solutions in June 2023, after pitching their business concept and cooking their beloved hero dish ‘Osh Palav’
- A year on, Samarkand Palav has built a dedicated customer base in central London, become an official KERB member, and now trade across 3 London markets
In 2022, Akbar and Sanobar joined the Streets Ahead program with a clear vision: to become the ultimate destination for food enthusiasts seeking an authentic and immersive experience. They specifically mentioned in their winning pitch deck in 2023, ‘Our goal is to transport customers on a journey that fosters connection and captivates the senses whilst promoting cross-cultural understanding.’
The pair joined the McCain Streets Ahead Programme powered by KERB+ after being referred by TERN with the goal of operating on the streets of London making a name for Uzbekistan Osh Palav, allowing them to give back to the community through the celebration of food and cultural education.
Akbar and Sanobar moved from Uzbekistan to the UK with their daughter, seeking refuge. They quickly discovered the demand for ethnic cuisines in London. This growing trend, combined with their traditional cooking skills and the influx of cultural events and festivals in London, sparked a dream.
By June 2023, the pair, through Streets Ahead, had grasped the operational practicalities of running a street food market in the UK, including the legislation and documentation needed for compliance. They completed the newly accredited classroom course and 1-2-1 training with the help of KERB’s Head of Coaching, Lisa Donohue, and Head of Food, Charlie Casey, both of whom have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the street food sector.
They were ready to pitch. Joining McCain and KERB at a panel day hosted at Mission Kitchen, they arrived early to create their palav dish, making every element entirely from scratch, including the traditional bread, lamb, spiced Iranian rice, and all fresh vegetables, such as yellow carrots, an indigenous ingredient only available from their home country. In a recent interview with McCain and KERB reflecting on their journey, Sanobar mentioned, “At first it was hard, gave us a lot of stress but the program gave us a platform.” Hearing their background and inspired by the story driving their creativity, McCain invested £10,000 into Samarkand Palav.
Akbar exclaimed “Without Streets Ahead, we would not be doing this today it gave us belief and kindness.”
Since then, Samarkand Palav invested in the catering equipment, gazebo and transportation they needed to consistently serve at multiple markets per week.
As of September 2023, you can find your Uzbekistan fix at Cowcross Yards, outside the Gherkin building or Fleet Place throughout the week. They have recently shared that their journey doesn’t stop there; they plan to take their success and pay it forward, by contributing to the betterment of society, specifically in areas such as children’s education, arts, music, and supporting women.
Samarkand Palav often trades next to Bisan Bites and UTOPIA, two businesses that also went on to trade in London following their success through Streets Ahead, creating lasting and supportive connections and community.
“In the future, we want to look for our own place, to turn to a cafe” Akbar mentioned in a recent interview when asked what’s in store for the future.
Streets Ahead has successfully changed lives through street food. Watch their full interview here.
You can follow Samarkand Palav’s journey on their socials @samarkandpalav or McCain’s @mccainfoodserviceuk where you can find out more about all 19 businesses that have now received start-up investment through the Streets Ahead Programme.
The McCain FS Streets Ahead programme, supported by the KERB+ social enterprise aims to support the foodservice industry by creating an immersive programme that looks to upskill and create opportunities for less-advantaged individuals keen to break into the sector. Together, over the past 18 months they have nurtured the skills and street food business ideas of over 200 participants and McCain has invested over £146,000 into independent businesses, so far.