The Foodie Folk journey began when Mark Stone opened a brick-and-mortar shop & cafe located in Belfast to follow his passion for proper food. However he soon realised the money was to be made in outdoor catering.

Foodie Folk now provide a mobile, outside catering service that includes everything from exquisite barbecues to bars.

From day one, Mark has focused on building Foodie Folks name on quality produce and quality cooking and has recently invested in a rebranding and revamp of the company’s website to compliment his upmarket brand and high quality mobile services.

Starting of with a borrowed BBQ Mark was dipping in and out of outside catering whilst running the shop & cafe. It wasn’t long before he decided to move away from the cafe and focus his energy on the great outdoors as he hit the road with Foodie Folk….

“I noticed as the outside catering side of things started to take off and get busier the cafe became more of a hinderance and I just didn’t have the time.”

“Mobile catering isn’t like a café or a restaurant where I have staff costs whether people come through the door or not.”

“Working the way we do makes it so much easier to manage the financial side of things.”
“With our business, I know in advance how many people I will be catering for and I price a job accordingly.

Foodie Folk meets Trailblazer BBQ

Whilst planning to invest in his own mobile BBQ/Grill a friend had spotted Trailblazer BBQ at a Greenwood School BBQ and fed the word back to Mark.

“I had a nosy on the Trailblazer website and went out to see one in person the following day.”

“After a discussion with Lester (MD & founder of Trailblazer BBQ) and seeing the machine in person I bought my first Trailblazer BBQ, back in 2015. The 600s Grillmaster.”

“Excited to kick start things with my new mobile BBQ/Grill I started focusing towards council events, school PTAs and other small events.”

“Up until this year the majority of work I aim for is private and corporate. Corporate functions usually bring the largest populations and in the outside catering game it’s all about numbers! Trailblazer suits this style as it has the capacity to cater for mass amounts of people in one sitting without compromising quality. Especially my 2nd Trailblazer the 1200 Festival.”

“Rapid cooking and the ability to regulate heat are two features that make Trailblazer stand out from anything else.”

“Flexibility of cooking is another great advantage of Trailblazer!”

“I can cater for all types of events. Whether it be buffets, breakfast services, canapés or evening food, serving burgers, lamb or salmon the Trailblazer can do it all. I then focus on up selling additional services through introducing my beverage trailer, sweetie cart, paella pan and other high quality equipment.”

Time for a second machine

The time shortly came when not only did Mark want another Trailblazer, it was a necessity as his catering business continued to grow.

“With the way bookings were going, I needed the ability to do two a day.”

“This time I wanted to go one step bigger and have more flexibility within the one unit and the ability to prep so opted for the 1200 Festival with the Prep ‘n’ store conversion kit.”

The 1200 Festival kitted with the prep and store conversion kit allows for continual configurations and uses within just one unit. Since purchasing this Trailblazer BBQ Mark has used it as a dual grill, grill and prep area and a BAR-BBQ. Read more on the Prep ‘n’ Store accessory here

“Throughout events my two Trailblazers often stand out compared to other catering units and gain positive recognition. I had a laugh at the balmoral show when a few farmers passed on compliments – ‘Now that’s a BBQ , That’s Some Yolk.’

“Pleasingly I can say that I am now getting to the stage were I will need a third machine and it is likely the guys from Trailblazer will be receiving my third order sooner rather than later!”

Call Trailblazer BBQ today on +44 28 9057 9000 or email [email protected] and find out how Trailblazer BBQ could make your dreams turn to reality!