my story

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I am Barrie Gunning chef and owner of Bad Guys BB Ltd, now trading as The Black Urchin. I left corporate finance as an accountant after 15 years to study marketing and gained a professional degree in Business Management to become a qualified entrepreneur. I am a self taught chef with a tremendous passion for authentic, vibrant and flavoursome cuisine, that is created with  just fresh and quality ingredients. I took that passion and started a journey that will culminate an experience that Barbadians and visitors to the island would greatly appreciate. My goal is to capture the very essence of the real island lifestyle, the beauty, the smile of the people and the exotic flavours to pass that on to our customers on a plate or a well crafted cocktail.  

My journey to becoming a professional chef and entrepreneur started from an early age. My passion for using the best quality ingredients stemmed from my mum. She would sometimes send me shopping for groceries, but would properly describe how to pick out the best quality and freshest ingredients. She would explain what to look for, in colour, feel, look smell, whether it's fish, meat, vegetables, fruits or herbs. It transcended from shopping for ingredients, to me asking her if I can assist with the cooking. My opportunity to learn came when she was too busy to start cooking and a hand offered in the kitchen was a great help and she would guide me step by step, From washing the rice, picking the peas, chopping the herbs and veg to the stages they go into the pot, to cooking times. Before you knew it, I was cooking the entire evening's dinner with perfection at the age of 10. 

Later as a teenager, I became fascinated with rastafarian food and their pure, natural and healthy way of eating along with the truly clean taste of the food. The aromas of naturally grown produce, freshly picked or roots dugged up, bubbling on a woodfire pot, in freshly squeezed coconut milk, using coconut water or spring water, not tap water, with fresh herbs and turmeric. These smells were alluring and drew my keen interest. I observed and learnt how the rastafarians cooked their "ital food",  from scratch. This type of cuisine is better known as vegan. I was also pescatarian from the age of 14, so "ital food" was the perfect cuisine for me with the combination of fresh fish sometimes. Please NOTE, there is a huge difference between this form of cooking and what people call "ital food" today. Strictly no preservatives, artificial flavourings, no GM food, nothing containing by-products of meat, just food straight our of the earth or garden boiled in the magic of coconut water and freshly squeezed coconut milk. I still cook my "ital" like this today.

Growing up in a coastal area and fishing village, fish was often available and on my plate. I went out on the fishing boats with local fishermen sometimes helping haul fishing pots and rounding up fish in nets. I would go spearfishing and shoreline fishing with my friends often during the school holidays and on weekends. My mum's dad was also a fisherman and she knew all about cleaning, preparing and cooking all types of fish. So, whatever fish I brought home from my fishing escapades, my mum would happily and proudly teach me what to do with them, lending to my skills with pescatarian dishes. 

At the age of 21, I said goodbye to my lovely island and moved to London, but first spent 6 months living in Lake Como, Italy, with my girlfriend and her family. Aside from taking lots of nature walks around the region and exploring the city centre, with it's little shops. I spent a lot of the time at food markets on weekends, delicatessens, supermarkets and in the kitchen with my girlfriends mum, soaking up all I can about italian cuisine and how to cook it the traditional way. I loved Italian food and for 7 years, I literally only cook authentic Italian dishes. Back in London, I engaged with the Italian community. On Sundays we went to a small church in Clerkenwell, as we lived next door in Bloomsbury. The church was next to this delicatessen that was there from early generations.  Next door was also a community centre for Italians and is where I went to learn Italian, which they offered for free. When I walked into an italian delicatessens, I was greeted as family and would be offered the best ingredients of the day. My Italian cooking skills were born from what I was thought from the teachings of my mother-in-law on how to cook regional and traditional Italian, the long conversations I would have with the delicatessen owners and staff about italian food and how best to cook some dishes or the best ingredients to use in dishes. 

I later down started doing more traveling, especially to Southern Spain regular for the food, tapas and great wine. Other food travels include, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Morocco, Thailand and more. On these journeys I sought out food markets, best places to try authentic dishes and the culture behind the cuisine. I surrounded myself with valuable cookbooks that I could actually gain in-depth knowledge to develop my skills and broaden my knowledge and understanding of the food. Not just recipe books, books on the science of cooking, flavour combinations, the culture behind the cuisine, knowing your ingredients, different qualities, varieties, the taste differences, storing, preparing, etc. 

The Black Urchin then started its journey in 2008 as Pop Up Barbados in East London, as a bi-monthly supper-club in my apartment in Dalston, London, hosting 25 - 30 people. I then went on to host guests pop-ups at trendy bars and event spaces in London as well as being one of the headliners for the popular Street Feast London , a night market for gourmet street food vendors catering to a packed crowd of up to 3000 foodies from London and abroad. Pop Up Barbados immediately captured media attention and was featured in many major newspapers such as The Guardian, The Times, Huffington Post and was featured in the Ryanair inflight magazine, plus many popular food blogger's sites which led to private supper-club bookings with even some famous celebrities in the UK.

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In September 2020 I decided to return home to Barbados after 21 years living in Europe and gave birth to Bad Guys BB. Initially Bad Guys started out as a Bajan street food pop up at my aunts' rum bar/mini-mart selling local eats. Although this was a confinement on what I had to offer it was where I wanted to start. I quickly went unto having a pop up serving contemporary street food tapas at The Drift Lounge on the West Coast.

 In 2023 I introduce the supper-club concept here on the island and with that, I decided to rebrand as The Black Urchin. The brand was to represent the refinement in what I offer. In December 2023, I then moved on from a pop up at The Drift Lounge, to having my own food bar at Haymans Market, serving some amazing gourmet street food. Customers were wowed by my products and I was happy to have this as a window for exposure.  I decided to closed my doors at Haymans after a year, taking the opportunity to focus my energy, time and management on the other aspects of the brand, such as private cheffing and gourmet catering. This essentially is the backbone of my business and the direction the business is heading.

The Black Urchin is a niche food company offering underground culinary experiences avoid offering the mainstream food experiences. Our menus are tailored or well thought out dishes. However, I cater to my customers, not myself, so I work with my customers requirements. I believe it should not just be serving food for the sake of just going for something to eat eat, but a real eating experience, that's something you sit and really enjoy and have a conversation about or a long lasting memory of that special taste and maybe a little journey the flavours sent you on. One customer said to me while eating my old fashion Bajan okra" cou-cou" dish with a herby salted shredded pork sauce, "wow,this dish just took me straight back to my childhood, the flavours reminds me of a dish my grandmother cooked for on rainy days". That was such a compliment, and this is the kind of response and experience I strive for. My customers appreciate the quality, freshness and great composition of my dishes. 

 I take great pride in what I do, and have always had great reviews and feedback. I am professional and friendly. 

Thank you for reading!