The Mexican Takeaway Secret

At the age of nineteen, Kenny McGovern was diagnosed with ‘social anxiety disorder’ and eventually became too ill to carry on working. As the years passed, he became almost housebound as a result of his illness and lost touch with many parts of life. Simple pleasures such as buying a nice sandwich from a local cafe or going out for a meal became impossible.

As a result, and because of his love of food and cooking, he eventually tried to recreate many of his favourite shop-bought foods at home. ‘If I can’t go to McDonalds, I’ll make my own,’ was his philosophy. Over a period of five years or more, he tested and tweaked many recipes, his new hobby quickly building into an obsession.

In 2010, Kenny decided to publish some selected recipes in his first book The Takeaway Secret - it became an instant bestseller, following word-of-mouth recommendations.

With huge support and encouragement from readers, his confidence has grown, along with his food obsession. As a result Kenny once more ventured out into the world, researching and learning about the historic links between street food and local people and the recent upsurge in the modern, exciting and vibrant street food culture. His next book, The Street Food Secret, followed in 2017.