Project 05
Said yes. Then figured out how.
An offhand "I can do that" turned into a fusion catering company built entirely on referrals. At its core were 6–8 embassy clients booking on a regular rhythm, alongside fusion weddings bringing two cultural traditions to the table — including events for up to 250 guests.
Role
Founder, Head Chef & Operations Manager
Context
Embassy circuit + private events
Timeline
One trial event, then ~4 years
Stack
Mainly analog · Canva (menus, marketing) · Google Docs (planning)
65+
Events across 4 years
6–8
Embassies as regular clients
250
Guests at the largest event
The problem
It started sideways. At a women's networking event I helped someone with an unrelated problem; she later asked if I knew a caterer her husband's employer could use. I said I could do it myself — not a plan, just an offhand yes.
A month later that became three menu concepts for the Australian Embassy. They chose the one built around kangaroo, a dish I'd never cooked. I spent two weeks developing the recipe from nothing until it worked. That trial run became the business.
The real gap showed up from inside the circuit: the incumbent caterer rotated the same small set of dishes regardless of who was hosting. Diplomatic dinners exist so attachés can showcase their culture — and nobody was helping them do it.
How I approached it
Discovery
Spoke with each client about which dishes would best introduce their country, plus their own favourites.
Research
Dug into the host country's food culture to find the right raw material for a twist.
Solution
Proposed three menu concepts within budget, built on that research.
Iteration
Prototyped and taste-tested the chosen dish, tuning flavour and plating to the mood of the room.
Feedback
Followed up after every event to learn what to repeat or change — which is why clients came back.
Event photography — coming soon
What I shipped
- A genuine fusion menu rather than a generic international one — a South African melktart became chai; an Australian pavlova was rolled to evoke the Opera House.
- Word-of-mouth growth only, because the embassy circuit is a small, trust-based community. A rosé sorbet won the French Embassy from a single table.
- A freelancer-based model — extra chefs, servers, and a separate bar vendor per event — so headcount flexed to the client instead of a fixed payroll.
Result
Grew to 6–8 recurring embassy clients, plus private events and intercultural weddings up to 250 guests — purely through referral. 65+ events over four years.
Alongside the catering, I ran a short interview series where I cooked dinner with each guest as part of the episode.
Closed after four years — not from failure, but because being sole head chef at every event clarified that what I loved was bringing people together, not cooking as an end in itself.
It cemented an approach I still use: find what the client actually wants, research the facts, propose a solution, then tweak on feedback until it lands.