Gorilla creates a griller of a van for Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group

Live event company Gorilla Marketing & Events completed the production of a totally self contained Barbecoa catering vehicle for the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, the Barbecoa vehicle made its first appearance at Grillstock in Bristol, 7-8 June and will be cooking again in Manchester, 28-29 June as well as The Big Feastival 29-31 August, Kingham, Oxfordshire.

Gorilla collaborated with the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group to develop the whole design concept around an iconic 1972 GMC Value Van, using full scale 3d modelling to experiment with a number of branding permutations. This gave the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group complete visibility of exactly how different variations would look on the finished vehicle, before committing the final designs to production.

Gorilla completely refurbished the GMC 7.2 litre V8 vehicle, and converted it to a mobile Barbecoa unit with full catering kitchen. The conversion and fit out involved extensive work including a roof extension, the fabrication of rear bumper and gas bottle cupboards, creation of a side serving hatch and a complete bodywork strip back and repair. Gorilla also installed a side wind-out awning with Barbecoa branding, to provide variable footprint options when on site at different sized events.

The interior of the Barbecoa van was equipped with a full cook line counter, including two combination ovens, gas burner, hot water boiler, sink with a removable preparation surface, hot plate and extraction system. The food would then be served at the serving counter with a lower exterior condiments shelf.

Jacques Dejardin, operations director for the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group commented, “We were looking for a mobile kitchen in which we could recreate the Barbecoa experience we are delivering through the Jamie Oliver Barbecoa restaurant in the City of London. Gorilla designed and built the perfect vehicle to do this and we are already planning to attend a summer of events.”

“The attention to detail and craftsmanship that has gone into producing the Barbecoa van is of the highest standard and fully reflects the values of our own brand. It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Gorilla from concept to completion,” concluded Dejardin.