What it's like to be caterers

They set up their catering company The Vintage Chefs, based in Bridgnorth, two years ago and now serve up homemade feasts for weddings, parties, christenings and baby showers as well as funerals and corporate lunches.

And it’s not their first time working together as they previously ran the hugely successful cafe Gluttons for Nourishment in Tettenhall for six years.

But the pair say they wouldn’t have it any other way. “We’re more like best friends than mother and daughter. We love working together,” says Alice, who is a mother herself to 14-month-old Elsie.

The Vintage Chefs was set up after they made the hard decision to sell their shop in Tettenhall to get a better work-life balance.

“By the time I sold the shop it was unbelievably busy. We were starting every day there at 6am and finishing at 6pm or 7pm at night. Then we had the shopping to do and then we were baking cakes in the evenings because we hadn’t had time during the day.

“We loved the shop and we loved all of our customers but it was a massive commitment. We wanted to spend more time together as a family and be able to take a holiday together which we hadn’t been able to do because of how busy we were in the shop,” explains Sarah, who lives in Bridgnorth.

Alice, who started working at the shop while at university and ‘never left’ said despite the pair working in close proximity at the cafe, they were normally too rushed off their feet to even talk.

“We were so busy that we never had chance to speak to each other so now we get to spend more time together, which is nice,” says the 27-year-old.

They say working together is a piece of cake as they have different but complementary skills which is helping their business go from strength-to-strength.

“Alice does more of the organisational work, the displays and liaising with customers and I concentrate on the cooking and baking in the kitchen although Alice does some of that too,” says former nurse Sarah, 54.

They say they rarely argue and when they do it doesn’t take long at all for them to make up and become friends again.

“I’m quite fiery and she’s quite laid back,. We soon miss each other when we aren’t together because we get on so well,” says former Wolverhampton Grammar School pupil Alice.

Their business has grown mainly through word of mouth recommendations and social media and a typical week might see them cater for two corporate lunches and a Saturday event.

But they did once cater six events in one day. “We cracked open a bottle of champagne at the end of that one,” says Sarah.

Catering has also offered them the chance to broaden their menus and offer a huge variety of canapés, buffets, three-course meals, corporate lunches, afternoon teas, barbecues and street food.

But they are always willing to customise orders so people get exactly what they want and mother of three Sarah enjoys the challenge of coming up with new dishes for their menus.

“With the cafe we had a set menu and it was difficult to change it but with weddings we can say to people ‘what do you want?’

“We will do anything. I had always been afraid of choux pastry but then we had a customer who wanted 100 chocolate eclairs.

“I was determined to master it and now it doesn’t bother me. It’s nice to try new things and learn new skills,” she tells us.

Alice also enjoys the variety their job brings. “With the shop, it was the same day, every day. The customers might be different but the actually jobs were the same.

“With Vintage Chefs every day is different because every event is different and even if it’s the same venue it starts as a blank canvas and is personalised to how they want it.

“It’s nice to meet new people all the time. It’s hard work and some days you don’t stop but then there will be quieter days so it’s more balanced,” she says.

Both mother and daughter say catering for weddings is a highlight and they are supported by a small team of 10 staff who may be drafted in to help.

They have 16 booked in already this year and the same number again planned for 2020.

Preparation for a Saturday wedding buffet begins a few days in advance with Sarah getting the meats from the butchers on the Wednesday and cooking the meats that will be served cold on the Thursday.

On the Friday, the ovens, plates and cutlery are taken to the venue and they begin work on the canapés.

These are then put together on the Saturday morning when the puddings are also made and everything else is cooked on the day.

But there is always a star of the show, Sarah tells us. “Everybody loves it when the desserts come out. The puddings are my favourite as that’s what I started off doing. I do a lot of chocolate brownies and Bakewell tarts and more recently I’ve done macaroons and crème brûlée,” she explains.

“Weddings are a lot of fun because everybody is happy and enjoying themselves,” adds Alice.

The pair say they are pleased with how the business has grown since they made the switch from coffee shop owners to caterers.

They recently invested in their own crockery following new ovens and fridges and next they plan to buy a van.

“It’s going really well. It’s nice that people are enjoying the food so much and are recommending us to other people,” says Alice.

*See www.the-vintage-chefs.com

Heather Large