A feast on wheels that’s fit for a King

Since moving to Marlborough almost three years ago, Frances and Rory King hatched a plan to start a food-on-wheels thingy.

Since then, these two fully qualified chefs from the capital have been incredibly busy.

Apart from all the catering events and wedding guff, you will find one of the hardest working couples in Marlborough down at the farmers’ market every Sunday serving up their food tapas-style.

And that’s what the Kings do best – fresh, wholesome food you can eat standing up.

They are pretty much booked up years in advance, and locking down the Kings for your next fancy party might require a bit of luck and hustle. And how do they manage to keep up with demand?

‘‘A lot of hard work, a little bit of sleep and a big love of what we do,’’ says Frances.

‘‘Honestly we don’t know apart from that. Sometimes your whole body just hurts but you carry on.’’

Frances is originally from Marlborough and the whole food truck gig started when they were at odds to find their own caterer in Blenheim for their big day five years ago.

‘‘We struggled to find something a bit different down here,’’ says Rory.

‘‘That gave us the idea. So, we sold the house in Wellington and made the move to do this.’’

Things just grew from there, but Frances says that hard work and word of mouth has really paid off.

‘‘I call it food of mouth,’’ she says. ‘‘The markets and festivals have really helped promote us, and people can try what we have there as we don’t have an establishment. We also cater to varying tastes and needs. We are super adaptable, and willing to give anything a go.’’

It’s been a massive year for Feast Merchants, without so much as a day off or holiday.

‘‘What is this thing you speak of?’’ Frances laughs. ‘‘If we’re not in the kitchen we’re in the office. The exception is June every year when we go on a ‘food research’ trip. Actually, we managed to get a weekend this month to attend Meatstock BBQ festival in Auckland.’’

But what is their most popular dish - at events and market?

‘‘The Royale Beef Sandwich,’’ says Rory. ‘‘It’s generally one of the few things we consistently have on the menu and it doesn’t change. The Bao Buns also, and there are assorted styles of tacos and brunch gnocchi that have a pretty good following too.’’

‘‘Rory’s all about the meat,’’ Frances says. ‘‘Smoking, brining, low and slow, and anything to do with fire. And I’m all about the sweet - and generally any type of baked goods.’’

The Kings will be parked up this year, and holding court at the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival on Saturday. On the menu will be Nashville style hot (as in spicy) chicken tacos, tuna poke bowl, and of course those Royale Beef sandwiches they are so famous for.

And, apart from world domination, what are the plans for the future?

‘‘Get through to June at this stage,’’ Frances sighs. ‘‘Otherwise we just wing it ... anything can happen.’’

continues his mission to visit all of Marlborough’s food trucks. This week, he catches up with Feast Merchants.

DAVID JAMES/STUFF Rory and Frances King with their Feast Merchants food truck.