Blakes Feast: Creating Memorable Experiences
BLAKES FEAST ISN’T ABOUT BOUNDARY PUSHING OR AVANT-GARDE FOOD. IT’S ABOUT CREATING MEMORABLE
DINING EXPERIENCES.
When it comes to a wedding celebration, there’s no denying that food plays such a central role; it really can make or break the overall experience.
This week we talk with the team behind Blakes Feast, one of Melbourne’s most prestigious catering companies. They inform us of everything you need to know when it comes to food for your big day, from trends to dining styles and everything in between.
Food is now a central focus in wedding celebrations, adding to the entire experience. What dining trends can we see coming into the winter months?
Winter weddings are becoming increasingly popular. There are never any issues with venue availability and photographers/bands/dj’s/ florists are rarely booked out. Guests tend to eat more in winter and it is easier to dress up when the weather is cooler. We tend to have more pasta, ragus & cassoulets on our winter menus as well as hot desserts.
What are some ways couples can express their personalities through the food served at their wedding?
We love couples that are happy to push the envelope and have dishes that they may have enjoyed on a trip together, on a first date, or perhaps menus based on their cultural diversities (we recently did a Hindu- Italian wedding). Their inspiration can come from anywhere and our chefs enjoy the challenge of making their wishes doable.
Focusing solely on food, what are some of the biggest food trends right now?
Cooking over coals is definitely hot right now (no pun intended). The idea of a bbq cooked on a hotplate or over a gas flame is just preposterous. Blakes Feast regularly sets lump charcoal fires in drums for cooking on site. We recently did a wedding with whole lambs cooked on Asados, guests walked past them to enter the reception so the theatrics were amazing. Everyone loves a bbq, especially when it is done properly. 1000g rib-eye steaks, 2kg spice-rubbed snappers & whole butterflied Milkingyard Farm chickens to name a few. The flavour that this cooking method imparts is memorable.
The days of the Chicken or Beef alternate drop are gone. What are we seeing instead?
Chicken for the girls and beef for the boys is just a bit beige. We are doing banquets for about 80% of our sit-down events whether it be weddings, large corporate events or private dinner parties. Banquets are generous, attractive and smart. The food is apportioned correctly and generally ticks most of the dietary requirement boxes! Plated food = no options. Blakes Feast banquets = 6 options!
And to finish, what is unique about Blakes Feast? What can couples expect exclusively from you?
Blakes Feast isn’t about boundary pushing or avant-garde food. It’s about creating memorable dining experiences through beautifully executed food. We want it to be warm, thoughtful & familiar, in the very best way. The new and the classics done properly. Our personal favorite comes from Andrew’s cookbook ‘rice noodle cannelloni of blueswimmer crab & asparagus, ginger-soy butter, coriander-peanut pesto’.
For more information on Blakes Feast and to see what they can do for your wedding, head over to their page on Mr Theodore by clicking here.