The man, the myth, the legend… DEEEEEEBO has invited us over for a mouthwatering Jamaican spread and given us exclusive access to his kitchen on Episode 8 of This Food Bangz. Over a bangin meal straight outta Kingston (by way of South Hall), we get a chance to hear about Debo’s life in Jamaica, Jamaican food and culture, and his experience with culture shock here in the UK.
When he isn’t behind the wheel repping TFL, you’re bound to find Debo in the kitchen or behind the grill. We made the hour-long drive from our home base in Northwest London all the way to South Hall, an area of West London known for its large South Asian community. Nestled somewhere among Southhall’s glittering gurdwaras, Debo was working away in his infamous kitchen. He whipped us up (takes deep breath), are you ready for this? (another deep breath): jerk chicken, barbie fried chicken, mac n cheese, shrimp fried rice, fried plantain, callaloo stuffed seabass, and a motherf****** smoothie. This man doesn’t mess about (he isn’t called Debo for nothing ya know…).
Now, Debo likes to call his shrimp fried rice ‘remixed jollof.’ We here at This Food Bangz want it to be known we do not endorse this title. Nowhere in the making of this fried rice was there the warm and delicious stewed tomato, onion, and pepper mixture that makes jollof, well, jollof. But, we gotta hand it to him, THIS FOOD BANGZ (with some capital letterz)! We will gladly eat that fried rice any day. And I know you would too.
In fact, everything bangz about this meal. The mac n cheese passed the test. It was cheesy, stood on its own, and had a nice bite to it. The jerk chicken was marinated and then seasoned for a second time with a dry rub before it was put on the grill. The barbie fried chicken was crunchy and covered in a sticky sweet and tangy bbq sauce—DEBO STYLE! And the seabass. THE SEABASS. Let me tell you about this seabass. Marinated, spiced, and stuffed with sautéed callaloo and steamed atop the grill. It didn’t last long. I’ll tell you that. It’s not every day we get access to DEBO’S KITCHEN. This is a privilege we don’t take lightly.
As we enjoyed our bangin meal, Debo talked about his childhood in Kingston, his move to London as a teenager, and the difficulties he faced upon his arrival. Debo got serious with us and told us of his life-threatening battle with sepsis as a young adult. We learned how his health scare changed him and gave him a new outlook on life. This is an episode that grounded us and reminded us of what is important—health, family, food, and thanking God for another day.
Watch this episode. Like, comment, subscribe, and give this man the love and praise he deserves!
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