Edinburgh Napier student to spice up street food scene after scooping top prize

An Edinburgh student is looking to spice up the Scottish street food scene after scooping an entrepreneurship award.

Edinburgh Napier student Kael Begbie - known as The Hoagieman - has been announced as the inaugural winner of the capital institution’s Appin Entrepreneurship Award. He received a cash prize of £2,000 after coming out top in the competition held at Napier’s Bright Red Triangle.

Begbie, who will this week graduate with a degree in business management, pitched his way to success, pipping three other student finalists to the top prize as he impressed judges with his plans to launch his new food business later this month at the popular Pitt Market in Leith.

His food outlet specialises in wraps, with his signature dish - the hoagie - putting a Scottish spin on the classic burrito by substituting the regular meat ingredient of chicken or beef with haggis.

Alongside the prize money, Begbie will now receive one-to-one business advice and support from Bright Red Triangle - a free resource for Edinburgh Napier students, staff and alumni to develop enterprise skills and entrepreneurship opportunities.

He said: I'm very proud to be the first winner of this competition and it's given me a fantastic opportunity to grow my business with a generous investment.

“I hope to return for future competitions and see a new wave of young entrepreneurs boldly exploring new ideas and developing their businesses. Until then I’m excited to keep working on The Hoagieman and to see where this journey takes me next.”

The award has been made possible thanks to the support of Damien O’Looney and Bing Li, who met while studying at Napier.