A massive congratulations to Ozi  who is this year’s winner of the Thame Food Festival Bursary.  Just one taste of his Amber Sauce and we were hooked! This is a sauce that takes you on a journey of flavours and can be served with a myriad of different foods. 

Ozi moved to the UK with his family in 2015 from Prague.  He knew no one other than his wife’s family and her friends but I was hungry for a new beginning. He has always turned to his kitchen when feeling homesick or lonely; a quick fix of childhood flavours, finding comfort in the food he grew up with, remembering friends, family, memories and legacies. Food was a tremendous part of this new beginning and making new connections.

But the pressure of both parents working made him think of finding a way to balance the love of family and the love of food. Hence is born Ozi Lala, his Levantine Street Food truck which offers quality interpretations of classic flavours of street food. Then he came to Thame Food Festival and applied for a bursary to develop his Amber Sauce and now he has been successful he will benefit from:

• £1000 award
• Free pitch at this year’s event
• Highlight of the business in the festival programme
• Help with PR and social media support for one year