Once a month we send out an e-newsletter, giving behind the scenes insight into the production of the magazine, sneak previews of upcoming issues as well as interactive features.Catering for the country
WORDS: Lyn Barnes; PHOTOGRAPHS: Nicola Edmonds.
WHEN NEW ZEALAND FOOD and wine need to be showcased, it’s all go in rural Te Horo, an hour north of Wellington. One man in particular is studying freight forwarding, logistics and operations management. Paul Pretty is the director of Ruth Pretty Catering, the husband-and-wife business that’s so well respected Massey University uses it as a case study in entrepreneurship.
Paul is currently finalizing plans to cater at Shanghai Expo for six months next year, just as the company has previously done in Japan, Germany and Spain. But that doesn’t mean the core business suffers. Ruth and Paul value the Kiwi clients who have helped them earn their excellent reputation. Their high-end private events and corporate hospitality can involve anything from serving lunch to 40 on the lawn of their picturesque home, Springfield, to cooking dinner for 800 at an awards night in the capital.
Walk into the kitchen at Ruth Pretty Catering, which was once the site of the cowshed on the farm they bought 20 years ago, and it’s all action. As one chef ices a lemon-curd cake, others roll out bread dough, add a goat’s cheese filling to pastry cases and whip up chocolate brownie ice cream. At least 12 chefs are hard at it, preparing everything from scratch for an 80th-birthday celebration to be held on the lawn today. Everything is carried out with military precision. Everyone knows exactly what they are expected to do. A whiteboard spells out clear instructions for who’s doing what and each chef or kitchen hand works from a detailed prep sheet.
Everything, except puff pastry, is made from scratch (and only 100-percent-butter puff pastry, bound for export, is bought in). In fact this whole business, which now employs 40 permanent staff, operates from scratch. Neither Ruth nor Paul has had any formal training in business management or marketing – or cooking for that matter. But that hasn’t held them back. “We have the entrepreneur gene,” says Ruth. “This is how entrepreneurs work. They assume they can do something. They have the balls to do it. They don’t consider the possible negative consequences.” She and Paul both have the same goal: to be the best in their field and to exceed clients’ expectations.
Sometimes they will handle a number of events in one day so there’s a clear division of roles to ensure base camp operates efficiently. Ruth is the face of the business, the genuinely friendly woman with the big smile and sparkling eyes who always takes time to talk to people. It is obvious she has made the day for the 80-year-old who greets her with open arms.
She creates the ideas and menus for events as well as running her popular cooking classes. She is also in charge of marketing and PR. Surprisingly, there’s been no need to advertise. But then Ruth keeps in touch with the thousands on her database through her regular newsletter and her food column in The Dominion Post. But it’s word of mouth that works best, she says. Meanwhile, checking off lists in the background is Paul, a soul mate in more ways than one. He and Ruth even share the same birthday – they’re Capricorns just four years apart.
Everything everywhere is labelled, boldly and clearly. The shopping list in the kitchen has four categories: Item/Brand/Size/Amount so there can be no confusion. “It’s all about the fine tuning,” says Paul, “and wanting to get it better all the time.” There’s at least one operations meeting before every event, sometimes three or four, and a site check so there are no surprises on the day. Tucked away in the innumerable offices that adjoin the kitchen, a team of people is working on contracts. Like the kitchen team’s, their view is of cows grazing.
