When faced with redundancy amid the oil downturn, an Aberdeen couple got the chance to pursue their passion to bring soul food to north-east Scotland.
Corey Milne and Lindsay Jackson said it was the “wake-up call” of the oil price crash that led to them setting up their Smoke and Soul barbeque catering firm in September 2017.
The pair shortly bagged their first gig in Turriff and the business has “snowballed” ever since, taking on 25 events from May to December last year from an initial target of just four.
Corey, who spends his day job as an electrical technician and already faced fears of redundancy, comes from a family of butchers, and said it was a “lightbulb moment” when the idea came about.
He said: “When we first started up we had no idea we would be as busy as we have been in our first year but it has been really good for us.
“Because we both worked in the oil and gas sector it was the downturn that led to this. We needed a “Plan B” should the worst happen.
“It’s been pretty much my whole life I have been interested in food and drink, I always wanted to start my own business related to food, but it was the uncertainty of it.
“Then one day it just came to me the idea of mobile catering was the right thing for us. It was like a light switched on.”
