Culinary Experiences

Saffron & Fire’s live, open-flame cooking is the ember-fuelled heartbeat of any event or experience.

Food that demands an AUDIENCE

There’s no kitchen door to hide behind. Everything is cooked in the open, over real fire, so the show becomes as much a part of the evening as what lands on the plate.

ADDING fuel

There’s something kinetic about live, open-flame cooking. With the hooks in place, the chains rattling and the embers glowing in fierce heat, the energy shifts in a flash. Everything and everyone comes alive.

It is an ancient, hard-wired response: guests gravitate towards the fire, towards the action, eager to smell the woodsmoke and sizzle, to witness something cooked with conviction and to be part of the performance.

Everyone is pulled into a shared orbit. Guards drop, walls come down and conversations emerge naturally. No one’s waiting for something to happen. They’re too busy bringing the occasion to life.

Our Ethos

Deep in flavour

Elemental cooking, with its interplay of smoke and heat, brings a depth and warmth to flavours. It allows for fast, high-intensity searing or slow, patient rendering.

Farmed, fished, foraged

Dishes are dictated by the season, situation and needs of the occasion. Menus can range from relaxing morning-after brunches to mezze-inspired feasts.

Fire-starting atmosphere

Everything is prepared as an open and theatrical show. The visual flair and the smells of flame-licked ingredients, bring soul and spark to a gathering.

Part of the Camp Kerala WORLD

Saffron & Fire is a core element of a Camp Kerala experience. It can also be commissioned as a standalone catering option for weddings, celebrations and corporate gatherings.

Ian Alexander has spent over 35 years in hospitality, although he would probably tell you he has just been lucky enough

to make a career out of doing what he loves.

Meet our Maestro de Cuisine

It all started in restaurant kitchens in London before he headed across the

pond to New York, where he learnt his craft. Those early years sparked a love of cooking that has never left him, along

with a belief that the best hospitality is about far more than what is on the plate.

Since then, Ian has opened restaurants, pubs and clubs including Mas Café, 57 Jermyn Street and St John’s Tavern,

before founding Cru Events in 2012. Today, CRU delivers food, drink and hospitality at some of the world’s biggest

festivals and events. Whether it is a neighbourhood restaurant or a field full of festivalgoers, Ian has always been driven

by the same thing: good food, good company and making people feel welcome.

Our FIRE, your event

We bring a family-like atmosphere to our service. Relaxed, fun and always personal. Our fire’s ready when you are.

Get in touch

Where we’ve been

Camp Kerala has brought our world to some of the most iconic cultural and sporting occasions across the globe. Discover some of our previous collaborations here.