Why Corporate Events Choose a Private Chef
The Value Organisers Seek Beyond the Food
After many years in this work, I have come to understand what most concerns the people arranging food for corporate events and brand occasions. Alongside the quality of the meal, they want to know whether the event will run properly, whatever happens on the day.
Food Is Part of the Experience
At a corporate event, food is part of the guests’ experience and contributes directly to their impression of the company or brand.
Flavour and appearance matter, but so does the way service fits the atmosphere and programme. Can the dishes arrive on time? Does the menu support the schedule? Can someone make a sound decision on site if something unexpected changes?
Recipes and preparation alone cannot answer those questions. I believe this is why organisers choose a chef who can be present, understand the whole occasion and respond to it.
Making a Full Menu Work Without a Permanent Kitchen
A private chef does not always arrive to find a well-equipped kitchen. In my experience, it is often the opposite.
At a reception for a luxury watch brand, the only space available for food preparation was above the display cases containing the watches. There was barely room for two people to pass, yet we provided catering for around 150 guests.
The watches in front of us were worth millions and, in some cases, tens of millions of yen. Not a single scratch was acceptable. We had to maintain the standard of the food while protecting the surroundings and working safely.
Afterwards, a guest said they would like to ask me again if another reception were held. We have since been invited back many times.
For another assignment, a major company in Tokyo asked us to serve a full course menu in a meeting room. The only water supply was in a pantry more than 100 metres away on the same floor. We installed the necessary kitchen equipment on the day and served a menu priced at ¥25,000 per guest.
The company president told us the occasion had been a great success. Since then, the company has placed orders with us every month.
Such settings call for culinary skill and the ability to plan and carry out the best approach within limited conditions.
The Same Arrangement Never Works Twice
Every catering venue in a Tokyo office building is different. Even for events held by the same company, the best arrangement changes with the guests’ routes through the space, where they eat and the programme.
We have a standard service station, but rarely use it exactly as it is. We look at the venue, adjust the display and change the way we serve.
It is also not unusual to learn on the day that vegetarian or vegan guests will be attending. Guest numbers may change at the last moment. The programme may run late or move faster than expected.
We need to judge immediately what can still be done in the available time and reorganise accordingly. At the time of writing, we had never caused a client’s event to finish later than planned.
Clients sometimes thank us for being flexible. What matters to us is the preparation behind that response: anticipating different possibilities so that we can choose an appropriate solution when conditions change. That repeated preparation helps clients feel confident entrusting an event to us.
Responsibility for the Occasion as Well as the Cooking
A restaurant is an established environment. A corporate event brings a different combination of venue, guest numbers, purpose and people each time. No two assignments are identical.
Responding to those differences, making decisions on site and adjusting the plan all contribute to the success of the occasion.
The person organising an event needs someone they can trust with the responsibility, as well as someone who cooks well. The team behind the food and its ability to work on site are, I believe, key reasons for choosing a private chef.
I approach each assignment as both a chef and someone responsible for making the occasion work.