Self-taught chef Barrie Gunning is the owner and operator of Barbadian food brand ‘The Black Urchin’ (formerly ‘Bad Guys BB’).

Working with clients at home and from overseas, Barrie creates personalised foodie experiences that celebrate local, fresh ingredients within contemporary dishes that would not look out of place in any Michelin-starred establishment.

Before turning his lifelong love of food into a full-time career, Barrie tried his hand at various other professions, but his flair for flavour would eventually transform his innate talent for cooking into a vibrant and evolving food business with Caribbean ingredients at its heart.

Yello asked Barrie to tell us more about his colourful life journey which has taken him from Barbados to London and back again and shaped his foodie and entrepreneurial spirit.

Describe yourself using one sentence.

I am a person who sets goals and follows through, I’m also hardworking, and positive. 

Please tell us about your childhood in Barbados.

I grew up in lower Top Rock with my mum and four siblings. We had a humble upbringing as my mum worked as a cleaner and raised all five of us on her own. 

We grew up in a small chattel house that was just on the border of Graeme Hall, so that was kind of my playground as a kid, searching for insects, fishing in the ponds, and pretending to be an explorer. We had no television when I was a small kid, and toys weren’t a priority on my mum’s shopping list, so I had to make use of the outdoors or read a book, which I did a lot. 

We lived close to the beach and on weekends and school holidays you couldn’t get me away from it. I would be there at every opportunity, either with my makeshift fishing gear on the rocks, or shore, trying to catch fish or doing some form of water sports, sailing the sunfish or catamaran, surfing or boogie boarding. 

I believe my love for fish and seafood stemmed from that and from my mum, whose dad was a fisherman. She came up on fish and raised us the same. 

Despite my love for all these things, I wasn’t distracted from learning at school and in fact, every term my report card was all A’s, and anything below 98% on a test was a bad mark for me. 

I went to primary school at St Lawrence and then The Lodge School. I don’t know what it was but, after reaching second form at Lodge School, I started slacking off, giving trouble, and fell behind. I ended up dropping out of school in third form and found work with whoever would take me. I wasn’t scared of hard work and enjoyed earning my own money to buy things I wanted. 

My childhood had it’s good and bad moments. It was a humble upbringing but, I was loved and cared for by my mum and family, and people around. I have very happy memories of my childhood and feel blessed for those experiences.

What was your favourite food as a child?

It’s hard to say because my mum was a great cook, and everything she cooked I enjoyed. If I had to choose one, I would say soup with Bajan dumplings.

When did you discover your passion / interest in food?

As a kid, eating was one of the pleasures afforded to me, so I looked forward to it.

My mum worked late some evenings, so she would get home tired and then sometimes needed to do more cleaning around the house before starting to cook, so one day I asked her to let me help start the cooking. If she was in a good mood, she would also give me step by step instructions. I believe I was about 10 when I cooked an entire Sunday dinner on my own under her supervision. 

But my real passion for cooking came when I started a bit of a Rastafarian diet. I only ate fish then and started cooking Ital food. I got a taste for natural flavours, clean, healthy and very nutritious food. At the age of 21 I was running a small health food business here in Barbados, as well as a fruit and veg stall.

When I travelled to Europe and was exposed to Italian cuisine and the abundance of ingredients they have, my passion for food and cooking multiplied. 

Then, after living in London for two decades and travelling around, I found some other vivid and flavoursome cuisines like Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, South American, Moroccan, Middle Eastern and more.

What were your initial career plans / goals?

When I got to London in 1998, I had no GCSE’s and no formal qualifications except for my Electrical Installation Certificate from the Skills Training Board of Barbados, so I didn’t have a career goal in mind but knew I had to think of something. 

I decided to go for accounting and applied for a year-long evening course that would give me the qualifications necessary to get into university. I didn’t finish that course but applied to Westminster University after the year anyway and got in part-time as a mature student on a Business Administration degree. 

I was working as an electrician apprentice in the construction industry for a bit, as that was easy work to get and paid well, but I found that employers were exploiting people from the Caribbean or Africa and often refused to pay. I gave that up when I got into Westminster University, but I needed a stable income, so I found a job in a sandwich shop and studied in the evenings. 

After the first year at university, I applied for an accounts assistant job and aced my first interview for a high profile, government run company that managed the financial assets of wealthy people. I quickly got promoted to supervisor and managed my own team.

I learned most of my accounting skills on the job, rather than from university, but university helped. Then I signed up with some recruitment agencies and they found me some of the best jobs with international organisations. I went from being a data entry clerk to project accountant. 

I knew that even though I was an early school drop-out, I was smart, and if I put my mind to do something, believed I could do it and stayed committed, I would accomplish it. 

Why / when / how did you decide to become a full-time chef?

For a while, I enjoyed going to work suited and booted, working in Canary Wharf, Central London and Liverpool Street in some pretty fancy offices. But I kind of felt it wasn’t me.

I always had a side hustle to keep the creative side of me alive. Initially, I ran small underground tech-house club nights and after that I started doing underground dining events. 

Around 2009 I think, I had just left a position of five years to join a company that offered great career advancement and a paid study package, but I was racially harassed by two colleagues who had a history of that behaviour. HR dealt with it badly and because I was new to the company, I was the one let go, that made me say: “You know what, I’m going to try working for myself full-time”. 

I took what money I had, bought equipment, got a website and all what was necessary, and I started a food business called ‘Pop Up Barbados’ (my brand in London).

I quickly got recognition and some media coverage which helped boost my business. It wasn’t easy though, money was tight and there was a lot of competition because with the ‘foodie’ movement came lots of people leaving secure office jobs and doing the same thing, some with better ideas and more finance to back their projects. 

Then there were actual well-trained chefs, some with Michelin stars behind them, doing similar projects too. I am proud of myself for standing out and getting great recognition and attention in the midst. 

I still did short-term accounting contracts or freelance work to help pay the bills and kept the business afloat, but that was the year I decided to become a full-time chef. I never did any formal training but if I liked a dish, you could be certain, I would make that dish myself and I would make it taste like the original version, so I taught myself any skills I felt I needed.

I stay humble with my chef skills, and I do not stake a claim to anything I am not confident in executing. If I offer something on my menu, you can be sure I will do it well, otherwise it would not be there. 

Why did you decide to launch your food brand ‘Bad Guys BB’ in Barbados?

When COVID hit, it changed many people’s lives including mine, so I decided to move back home to Barbados, start a food business, and see how I could build that into something. 

I was considering opening a restaurant space, but that was not a viable choice with so many places closing down or looking to close so I thought I’d start with something small and easy like local street food eats. 

My aunts had a kitchen that they were not using in their mini mart/rum bar, and I thought I could just do something simple like fish cakes and ham cutters and see how that got on. As it was a simple street food business, I got a name that was equally fitting for the offerings at the time ‘Bad Guys BB’. 

I spent a few months at my aunts’ shop just to get a feel for the local response then I moved on to a location where I could do a lot more with my skills. 

I arranged a meeting with the then owner of Drift Cocktail Lounge in Sunset Crest, Howard Palmer, as I was told he was looking for someone to do food and rent a space at his bar. He was looking for the type of food I do and was impressed with the menu I suggested. ‘Bad Guys BB’ is now properly established on the West Coast providing contemporary island tapas. 

How did your brand evolve from ‘Bad Guys BB’ into ‘The Black Urchin’?

As my brand and reputation grew and became more refined, I changed the name for a more fitting audience and environment and that is why I decided to rebrand to ‘The Black Urchin’.

What products / services do you currently offer?

I offer services such as private chef, gourmet caterer, cooking classes, underground dining experiences (supper clubs), pop ups, healthy gourmet school meals delivery, and healthy meals delivery for those on a diet plan (breakfast, lunches and dinner). 

My food ranges from tapas, canapes, and contemporary island cuisines to classic Italian, sushi, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Who are your typical clients / how do they find you?

My typical clients are remote workers on the island, visitors, professionals, people who moved from overseas and food adventure seekers. They find me through social media or recommendations and Google search.

Where do you get inspiration from for your dishes?

Over the decades I have watched a lot of food programmes. I also have a passion for collecting certain books on cuisines or foods, for example, I have a food thesaurus which is known as the flavour bible. 

I have two books that are like encyclopaedias on the science of food and cooking. I have books telling you about different fish and how to prepare it before cooking and books on all types of meats including game, with what seasons they are available, what breeds are best, and how to butcher them, etc. 

I have some very large books on just tapas, one on tacos, and one on Brazilian food. Sometimes, if I am stuck for ideas, I will pick up a book and have a run through and taste and visuals will come to mind. I start seeing what goes well with what, and I’ll give that a try, or it just jogs my memory of recipes I knew before but might have forgotten. 

What type of food / ingredients do you like to work with?

I love working with the best quality and freshest ingredients that help bring out the best flavours, authentic taste, and eating experience. 

I am seriously passionate about the ingredients I use. I use a lot of fresh herbs and colourful vegetables, and there’s nothing better than working with super fresh fish just off the boat or recently spearfished. 

What has been your proudest achievement as a chef so far?

99% of the time my customers really enjoy my food (check out Barrie’s Bajan Fishcake recipe).

What advice would you give budding Caribbean chefs / entrepreneurs?

I would advise any budding chef, if you are passionate about food and cooking, to believe in yourself, find your style, and don’t be scared to do something different. 

Barbados needs more chefs that are not cooking the same old classic dishes that have been on menus over the last 50 years or more. There is a need for diversity. Too often you go to restaurants, and everyone has the same dishes. They say “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” but if you don’t try new things, you won’t learn or advance.

What are your plans for ‘The Black Urchin’ over the next 12-18 months?

Right now, I am doing a lot more private work. I am always on the lookout for the right location and right venue, but I am not in a rush to have my tapas and cocktail bar just yet. The right opportunity will show up. 

What do you love about Barbados?

I love the island life. The fresh breeze, the ocean, the countryside, and the feeling like you are somewhere on holiday (when I’m not working that is).

What do you think about the culinary scene in Barbados?

The culinary scene in Barbados needs more professionals, people who are creative and passionate about food and cooking. There is too much repetitiveness. 

I know we lack a lot of choice for ingredients like bigger countries that are rich in produce, but we can still offer more.  

Which local / regional / international chefs inspire / impress you?

Hard to say, I have in the last several years been watching programmes on Netflix that follow chefs around the world to some of the most remote regions of Asia and Europe, cooking food in ways I have never seen and creating some amazing dishes from street food to Michelin star. 

I don’t have a favourite because all are top class in their own way, but I like ‘Flavourful Origins’ and ‘Chef’s Table’ and I even love watching Mark Wiens on YouTube. I love that sort of exploring because I am like that when I travel, looking for things off the beaten track.

What is your motto / philosophy in life?

Never stay down, get right back and go again!

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You can contact Barrie via The Black Urchin website or on Instagram / Facebook.