The bubble is yet to burst on the in-home dining trend that surged during Covid, with one Melbourne private catering company seeing a more than 40% increase in revenue growth this year alone.
Complete Catering Co’s success is due in large part to Australia’s leading private chef platform, Gathar, which has contributed to the business’ bottom line and allowed them to expand into a larger kitchen, hire more staff, and launch a new bespoke venue to accommodate growing demand.
“After lockdown, we started getting enquiries and Gathar gave us a good wind assist to really get the business moving. We were like, this is a bit too good to be true – what’s the catch?” says Complete Catering Co Chef and Co-owner, Ashley De’ Hartman.
“Any time I mention Gathar and explain how it works, it’s always a really positive reaction,” adds fellow Chef and Co-owner, Rick Kersley. “Customers go: Oh, that sounds awesome – I can get someone to come to my house and do a dinner party and I don’t have to clean up? Perfect!”
Gathar connects people who love to cook, with people who love to entertain at home but don’t love the hassle that usually comes with it. For chefs like De’ Hartman and Kersley, that means taking care of the ‘admin’ side of the business like generating and managing booking enquiries, so the chefs can focus on what they do best.
De’ Hartman and Kersley have over 30 years of cheffing experience between them and also run The Salon Champagne Bar in Myer Melbourne. Both credit the Gathar platform and team with allowing them to rapidly expand their catering company.
Gathar Chief Marketing Officer and Australia General Manager, Ashton Tuckerman says Complete Catering Co’s story is a common one for Gathar, with a community of more than 500 cooks, chefs and caterers globally currently cooking on the platform.
“Gathar removes the financial barriers for passionate cooks and experienced chefs alike to pursue their dreams,” says Ms Tuckerman. “We handle the business side of things, allowing them to focus on what they do best – creating extraordinary dining experiences.
“Gathar is a gateway for aspiring chefs to step into the culinary industry, or anyone looking to make the move from the restaurant back-of-house into private dining. We’re so proud to have built a platform where passionate people can showcase their skills and really scale their culinary careers.”
For Richmond locals, Complete Catering Co are opening a food store in late August, which will not only continue the company’s mission to ‘feed the hungry humans’ of Melbourne but also offer locals a behind-the-scenes look into the kitchen where the magic happens. The new endeavor also sees Alex Scott join as Head Chef.
Melbourne hosts Justin and Deb recently enjoyed a Gathar private chef dinner with Complete Catering Co and said the experience was “well beyond” their expectations.
“The end result ended up being better than we could have imagined, there were so many delicious little extras. It really was a fine dining level experience. We couldn’t have been happier – Ash is a rock star in our view!”
Mr De’ Hartman hopes that Complete Catering Co’s experience with Gathar will inspire more chefs and passionate home cooks to invest their time into building their culinary business through Gathar and creating amazing dining experiences for others.
“Melbourne locals clearly have a growing appetite for dining at home and we’re thankful to be able to bring the restaurant experience to their homes through Gathar.”
Explore our Melbourne catering options for more.