Andres Zapata and James Mieu are the creators behind Birdies, a Peruvian-inspired ghost kitchen serving up succulent chicken and sides from their commissary space in Strathcona.

Birdies is a new project that sprouted from the duo’s catering venture, Oui Chef Catering. Serving up delicious chicken, sides and their specialty beverage chicha, Birdies’ recipes have been meticulously developed drawing from the pair’s experience working in high-end restaurants both here in Vancouver and abroad. 

Hoping to expand their menu soon, Birdies’ simple menu is anything but ordinary. Their birds are beer-brined for a day before they’re drenched in a pepper marinade and grilled on flaming hot charcoals. Their fries are spiced to perfection and their chimichurri and sauces will no doubt have you coming back for more.

Learn more about the founders of Birdies below and find their menu online through Doordash.

Tell us a little bit about your brand and what you do.

Birdies Charcoal Grill specializes in serving barbecue-style chicken using true-to-style techniques from various global gastronomic cultures. Our initial menu consists of a Peruvian-style charcoal chicken known as Pollo a la Brasa that gets served with aji criollo (a Peruvian amarillo pepper sauce), chimichurri, and chicha (a Peruvian purple corn drink created by the Andean community). We wanted to use Birdies as a way to highlight our culinary backgrounds while serving the community something unique and delicious. As we continue with Birdies we will add more flavours and styles to our menu paying homage to our heritage and the local Vancouver food culture.

How did your love for cooking begin and when did you decide to turn your passion into a business?

Where in Strathcona are you based and what makes this neighbourhood special to you?

We are located in the B3 Collective Commissary Kitchen on the corner of East Hastings Street and Vernon Street. Strathcona has been an ideal environment for us. There are a lot of creative and cool small businesses around the neighbourhood which gives us vision and confidence for future growth. We love the hard-working energy of our colleagues in our commissary kitchen as well and are lucky to be a part of a supportive small business community.

How does your work impact the community?

Since we are still pretty new our impact hasn’t been too deep. Asides from offering tasty treats we hope that over time we will grow to become a known part of the community. We are always interested in engaging in local events and promoting our working neighbourhood.

Where can we find you?

You can find us at the B3 Collective, on Instagram @birdiesyvr, and on DoorDash.

Interested in meeting more Strathcona makers? Learn more about Orii Jewelry, Yardi Grabz, Living Lotus Chocolate and Awesome Sauce Designs.