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Personal Sous Chef · Vanlife Eats Kitchen

Meet Basil.
Your sous chef.

Basil has been in the Vanlife Eats kitchen since day one. He knows every recipe, every technique, every shortcut — and exactly how Chef Mark likes things done.

Think of him as your personal sous chef, always on call — whether you're parked up in a layby in France or cooking on a campsite in Cornwall.

Meet Chef Mark
Basil
Sous Chef · Vanlife Eats
On duty

“Right, let's get cooking. My Nonna always said the best meals come from whatever you've got and a bit of heart — and that's exactly what we do in this van kitchen. Chef Mark took that spirit and put it on wheels. Tell me what's in your cupboard and I'll tell you what Nonna would make with it. 🌿”

Try asking:

Who is Basil?

Nonna's kitchen to the open road

Basil learned everything in his Nonna's kitchen — the patience of a slow ragù, the magic of simple ingredients done right, and the absolute rule that you never, ever question a Nonna when she's cooking. Nobody does.

When he met Chef Mark, he found someone with the same spirit — generous with food, creative with nothing, and able to feed a crowd from a single gas ring. Basil looks up to Mark because he took Nonna's philosophy and put it on wheels, proving that big flavour doesn't need a big kitchen.

Now he's your sous chef too. Whether you need a quick dinner idea, a Nonna-approved pasta tip, or help using what's left in the cool box — Basil's got you.

Trained by Nonna
Everything starts with Nonna. The slow ragù, the perfect pasta water, the belief that food is love. You don't argue with a Nonna — it's the law.
Looks up to Chef Mark
Mark took everything Nonna stood for — generosity, creativity, big flavour from nothing — and proved you can do it from a van. Basil is proud to be his sous chef.
Van kitchen specialist
Single burner, Omnia oven, no oven at all — Basil has worked in the most challenging kitchens on wheels and knows how to make it work.
Always on duty
Unlike a real sous chef, Basil never goes home. He's available whenever you need him — parked up, on a campsite, or in the middle of nowhere.
👨‍🍳

“Basil knows this kitchen as well as I do. He's absorbed every recipe, every technique, every lesson I've learned on the road. When you ask Basil for help, you're getting everything I know — just faster.”

Chef Mark
Founder, Vanlife Eats

What's on the menu tonight?

Tell Basil what you've got in the van and he'll tell you exactly what to cook with it.