GHST KTCHN™ was born from an obsession with design, innovation and the culture of street food. From the workshop floor to global stages, we’ve stamped our name into the metal of over 250 custom food trucks, serving clients across 18 countries and counting. 

Our story began with Ryan Stripe, raised under the bonnet restoring classic and rally cars with his dad. After a stint in London’s fast-paced fashion scene, Ryan traded the catwalk for kerb appeal, combining his love of cars, food and creative freedom. 

A spontaneous trip to the South of France sparked the idea: import vintage Citroën H Vans, modernise their engines, add bold aesthetics and send them back on the road as icons. And just like that, GHST KTCHN™ was born.  

From those first four rusty vans to today, GHST KTCHN™ has evolved into a creative production studio for the street food world and beyond. We design and manufacture everything from fibreglass replicas and mobile carts to signage and flatpack commercial kitchens. Using UK-based advanced manufacturing and CNC precision, we’ve developed repeatable processes to deliver consistent quality.

Every project is crafted with purpose, precision and originality. Designed to stand out, tell stories and take your brand further. 

We are proud to be registered with Made in Britain, the official organisation that champions British manufacturing.

As a member, we carry the Made in Britain mark to show that all of our food trucks, catering trailers and mobile units are designed, engineered and built in the UK. This registration reinforces our commitment to high-quality British fabrication, giving our customers confidence that every product is authentic, durable and proudly made in Britain. 

2010 to 2016

Our roots are in automotive engineering and sheet metal fabrication. Alongside our passion for vehicles, we always shared a love of good food. In late 2016, we decided to combine these two passions, and the Catering & Exhibition journey began.

June 2016: The H Van Idea

After spotting an advert in Car & Classic for a collection of four Citroën H Vans, we boarded a flight to Carcassonne, France, and struck a deal. The idea to transform these classics into unique food trucks was too tempting to ignore.

February 2017: A Market Gap

After a year of building, we identified a demand for long wheelbase food trucks. We developed the world’s first all-steel Citroën HY long wheelbase van.

April 2017: Engineering Meets Innovation

With our background in automotive and racing, we delivered the first Citroën H van fitted with a Ford 2.0L Zetec engine, disc brakes, and power steering. Unheard of in the vintage food truck market, orders quickly followed.

May 2017: Precision & Reproduction

We perfected our food trucks using CAD models, custom jigs, and reproduction parts, ensuring accuracy, quality, and scalability.

September 2017: First International Delivery

Our first long wheelbase van, seven months in the making, shipped across the Atlantic to the USA.

January 2018: Fibreglass Innovation

To cut production time and manual labour, we developed our own fibreglass moulds. This reduced body production from four weeks to just seven days, establishing a long-term partnership with our supplier Chris.

September 2018: Stainless Steel Kitchens

We opened a dedicated stainless-steel workshop to create bespoke, high-quality kitchens for every build.

January 2019: The Trailer Concept

Experience showed that vintage vans were often trailered to events rather than driven long distances. We pioneered the replica trailer, offering all the looks of a Citroën H with none of the maintenance.

July 2019: Corporate Partnerships

Large brands began commissioning trucks for promotional campaigns and high-profile events. Demand grew rapidly, but our focus on craftsmanship and premium finishes never changed.

February 2020: Expanding the Fleet

We broadened our offering to include VW Campervans, vintage Step Vans, and more, meeting growing global demand for vintage style vehicles.

June 2020: The Pod Launch

After 18 months of development, we launched our first Citroën H-style pod, retaining every design quirk while ensuring practicality for operators.

December 2020: Modular Habitation

With Covid reshaping lifestyles, we designed modular habitation boxes for expedition and overland travel.

January 2021: Replica Demo Vehicle

After two years of development, our first Citroën H replica demo vehicle was completed and ready for market.

March 2021: Investment & Scale

An investor came onboard to help us scale replica trailer production while we focused on engineering and design.

November 2021: Going Independent

After eight months of global deliveries, navigating Brexit, rising material costs, and supply chain challenges, we parted ways with our investor, continuing independently with our vision for modular, custom trailer concepts.

January 2022: Next-Gen Replica Trailer

Our long wheelbase Citroën HY replica trailer was fully CAD designed and prepared for production, launching in March 2022.

August 2022: Gozney Partnership

Our love affair with Gozney ovens began. Perfectly suited to our trailers, they became the go-to choice for mobile pizza operators.

June 2023: First Fibreglass Container Trailer

We pushed innovation further with the launch of our first fibreglass shipping container trailer.

August 2023: Off-Road Adventures

We delivered our first 4x4 camper build in Portugal, marking our move into expedition-ready vehicles.

Late 2023: Retail Expansion

We expanded into retail projects, taking our design and engineering expertise beyond mobile catering.

January 2024: Lightweight Container & Codfellas

We launched our first 18ft lightweight container and collaborated with @the.codfellas.

February 2024: A New Home

We moved into a larger workshop in Halstead to support expansion. With investment in new machinery, we brought every process in-house, including printing, laser cutting, folding, and paint.

March 2024: Advanced Machinery

We installed a TRUMPF 100 Press and TRUMPF Punch to boost production capability.

June 2024: Custom Sign making

We added in-house sign making, giving clients a complete branding solution.

October 2024: Breaking Records

We built a towable container weighing 2,258kg, our heaviest equipment delivery to date.

November 2024: Modular Cabinet Systems

We began prototyping custom modular cabinets for commercial kitchens, soon to launch on our e-commerce platform.

January 2025: Showroom Completed

We opened our new showroom, where customers can fully customise their trailer, kitchen, or cart.

February 2025: Mobile Cart Prototypes

We unveiled prototypes for mobile coffee, ice cream, bar, and pizza carts, expanding our product range even further.

July 2025: The GHST KTCHN™ Era Begins

Our trading name Catering and Exhibition Ltd remains, but we’ve entered a bold new chapter under GHST KTCHN™.