A new street food venture is set to open in the heart of Darlington - and promises to bring high class world cuisine to the town. 

Posh Street Food, located at 29 Skinnergate (on the corner between Skinnergate and Duke Street) will open to the public this Friday (December 15). 

Run by Chef Matei Baran, a previous MasterChef quarter-finalist, Posh Street Food will serve up street food from across the globe. 

Posh Street Food, started in 2020, has allowed Chef Matei to explore street food concepts as a mobile caterer. The team has hit the road to cook restaurant quality food at events.

Now, the new Darlington location will serve up high class and high quality pizza, parmos, wings, flatbreads and Sunday roasts from their permanent Skinnergate location. 

Customers have been urged to forget the simple dishes expected of street food ventures - as the team at Posh Street Food promise restaurant quality food, made from high quality ingredients, but at affordable prices. 

With so many different cuisines on the cards, Chef Matei will be spinning a lot of plates in the kitchen, but he his confident that "years worth of skills" and a talented, dedicated team behind him will help too keep Posh Street Food running smoothly. 

"I am quite skilled - but it also helps that I have a fantastic team behind me!"

"Being a chef isn’t just a job for me; it’s a lifelong love affair with food. Every day, I step into the kitchen with a sense of excitement and purpose.

"As a chef, I have the privilege of transforming raw ingredients into edible art, creating experiences that touch people’s lives."

The Skinnergate location is Posh Street Food's first Darlington location, though they have previously opened a Sunderland location, operating out of The Social & Kitchen in Sunderland. 

Chef Matei's experience on MasterChef has helped to build him into the chef he is today. 

About his stint on the show, he said: "It did help me grow as a chef, and I was able to learn plenty and expand my repertoire, but my love of street food came before my time on the show!"

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The MasterChef experience, and more than 25 years in the kitchen, have transformed Matei into the chef he is today. 

This is not the Chef's first venture in Darlington, and keen foodies may recognise him from special events held at Vesuvio, on Houndsgate, where he constructs and cooks luxury dinners. 

Posh Street Food will open at 29 Skinnergate this Friday (December 15).