William Parker, a.k.a. Chilli Willy, is a self-taught chef turned chilli oil aficionado from the heart of Norfolk. Will grew up in Swardeston, just outside of Norwich, and gained an appreciation for good, handmade food through his connections to the land. He has since put this passion into his business: Chilli Willy’s chilli oil!
Being mostly self taught, he learned and refined his cooking craft at university, inspired by the friends he made and the videos that entertained him, such as Binging With Babish. It was here too that he was introduced to chilli oil, and where the Chilli Willy’s story begins! Soon after this however, the COVID-19 pandemic began, forcing Will back home to complete his studies and into the kitchen to find some solace. At this time too Will’s friend Ethan started the wildly successful Umami Papi in Australia, a business that would go on to inspire him greatly.
After trying and failing to find work related to his studies, Will would eventually search for work as a chef, joining Oishii Street Kitchen in 2022. Here he learned many invaluable lessons about the hospitality industry and the kitchen craft. At this time too, Will found the same issue that his friend Ethan had a few years prior: there was no good quality, locally made chilli oil to be found! As such, he began using what little time he had outside of work to experiment and formulate a winning recipe.
After nearing the point of burnout however, Will decided to quit this job to focus his energy entirely on starting a business making chilli oil and thus, Chilli Willy’s was born! Despite not even being a year old the business has gone from strength to strength, and as 2025 approaches Will is eager to show the world what he’s been working on.