Oak Cantina - Tetbury
Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication Completes Airstream Catering Trailer Fit Out
Having completed the full refurbishment at the Royal Oak Tetbury, owners Chris York and Kate Lewis set their hearts on their next project, a festival style street food mobile catering trailer to be name Oak Cantina, to be homed in the gardens at the Royal Oak, Tetbury, with the added flexibility of a mobile catering outlet to cater at events and festivals, delivering freshly cooked Mexican and Tex-Mex food.
As custom stainless steel fabrication specialists, designing and building commercial kitchens suitable for small spaces is a regular occurrence. It was therefore right up Target Catering Equipment's street when they were commissioned by Chris and Kate to design, build and install a catering facility within an American Airstream 1962 Trade Wind trailer.
With specialist vehicles and trailer conversions needing a road worthiness certificate to allow them to travel on roads in the UK, from October 2014, it was essential that the first task for this project was to get the iconic Airstream IVA tested. Having refurbished and modified the trailer to comply with European and British specifications, the Airstream was then examined at the Avonmouth DVA test station where the modifications passed with flying colours.
Next came the fit out, incorporating custom-built stainless steel catering equipment and a complete mechanical and electrical installation. LPG modular kitchen equipment from the Lincat Silverlink 600 series was chosen by Target for the cookline and was installed on a customised stainless steel framework, allowing the modular cookline to be easily changed if needed to suit varying menu styles.
The front servery counter was again custom-built and fitted onto a roll in-roll out system, incorporating Lincat Seal hot and cold tabletop servery display units, fitted over a bespoke Target hot cupboard and an Adande fridge freezer drawer unit. This enabled the servery counter to slide out under the motorised gull wing side doors and awning. Not only did this provide more working space but also made cleaning much easier within the trailer.
At the front end of the trailer a full-size double bowl catering sink with separate handwash basin and under counter commercial dishwasher system were squeezed in place with a plate draining shelf positioned over. With hot and cold water, along with power connections being supplied to the trailer from external services.
A purpose-built kitchen ventilation canopy and high-level ventilation system was designed, and custom built by Target to ensure a comfortable working environment for the chefs working in the cantina with air quality and safety proven with a gas safety interlock system.
Set in the backend of the trailer is a Kamado Joe, a Japanese style charcoal oven, which is ideal for smoking and slow roasting as well as BBQ grilling and searing. This style of cooking uses lump wood charcoal which gives food a unique smoked flavour.
Target Catering Equipment Managing Director and Project Manager/Lead Designer of Project Oak Cantina, David Pedrette commented, “Installing a kitchen inside an Airstream was never going to be easy. We needed to incorporate bespoke fabrication and use equipment powered by LPG bottled gas, and Lincat’s Silverlink 600 range was the perfect modular solution to combine with our bespoke fabrication. It uses 0.5inch gas supply, which uses minimal fuel, making it cost-effective. Being 600mm deep, it can also be squeezed in neatly under a smaller kitchen ventilation system.”
David continues, “We wanted high quality, multi-discipline kit that could be used to cook a variety of street food. The modular Silverlink 600 range was ideal, and should Chris and Kate want to cater for other cuisines, it can be easily changed for other models in the range. We also chose to include both heated and refrigerated Lincat Seal display units. Food can be displayed well and kept in optimum condition, encouraging purchases. Aesthetically, the equipment had to compliment the look of the trailer, whilst bringing something to the customer experience. Lincat equipment looks fantastic, suits the space and is competitively priced.”
Having been lifted into position by specialist crane operators, the Airstream now enjoys it’s pitch site at the stunning Royal Oak in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, providing a venue for outdoor special events and functions in the large beer garden and entertainment area.
Following a successful launch, Oak Cantina Head Chef, Richard Simms commented, “We served over 300 people on the launch day and are delighted with the layout and all the equipment in the Airstream. The four-burner range is excellent for all the pan work - the hob allows for multiple cooking and it has a very large and well-heated oven, especially considering the small space it had to fit into.”