Adam Nathan has been known to bring joy to London weddings and events scene for the past 10 years, landing over 2 years ago now, at Kimpton Fitzroy hotel with the role of their exclusive in-house kosher style caterer, focussing on weddings and Bat/Barmitzvahs, as well as running his own wedding catering company. Somehow he’s found time in his busy schedule to get interviewed for our wedding Suppliers spotlight.
Roberta: Hi Adam, nice to have you.
Please tell us about you and your business.
Adam: I’m a wedding and event caterer in northwest London.
I started out, as I’m sure many people did, in their parents’ kitchen, who had far too much patience for my mess, emails and blocks and bricks and all everything all over the place, fridges and freezers and then about five years ago, we moved into a new workspace in St Alban’s, just outside northwest London, I’ve been there ever since.
R: Your wedding catering business started where the best food is cooked, at home.
A: That’s certainly where I learned a lot of my recipes initially and it’s not a family business. But I think when you do start in that family home, and most of us caterers apparently do, it almost becomes a family business in that way. So, it feels like it’s more than just me, now my cousin works for me is my sort of second in command.
Our wedding catering it’s a real family business now, we all get along and then you it feels more homely as well as work, but it feels more, like you said, like a family, you work better, I think in that kind of environment. And everyone cares, which is great.
How important do you think it is for the couples that are getting married to be stress-free when planning their wedding and booking their wedding catering?
That’s why we do what we do, meaning couples have their own jobs, and they would probably feel ridiculous if someone would stress about using their services. There’s so much of a stigma on the “level” of wedding anxiety. Of course, it’s one of most important day in someone’s life, but it doesn’t need to be stressful.
R: A little tension keeps you on your toes, because a wedding is exciting and something to look forward to, but it shouldn’t be affecting your day and the weeks before the wedding.
What do you find is the most common issues for couples booking their wedding catering?
A: We don’t plunder a load of money into advertising. Typically, when people come to us, either they’ve been at one of our events, or the planner that we’ve worked with has recommended us. We don’t seem to have issues or problems because being my business, it’s me answering the phone. It’s personable, and as a result there’s not a million people in the chain. In bigger companies it’s different , but with me I’m doing all of the talking.
R: Your service is very bespoke.
A: They know it’s all going to be fine. If we’re doing a tasting event, we replicate what they’re going to eat on their wedding day as much as possible. We also would feature our place setting. We would typically go to someone’s home and cook them our courses there.
A: The tasting event is a great time to get to know our couples and, especially if you prepare it in their home, there’s a comfort factor there. Running around after the work and be stressed, driving to a wedding catering warehouse etc. is not the best way to do it. This way it’s quite a nice chilled environment.
R: How is it different for you working on your own or working through a wedding planner?
A: Typically, I like to deal with the client directly. On certain matters, when it comes to planners, I totally understand that they need to be CCD in every email. But sometimes a direct email between the wedding catering company and the clients can save a lot of hustle. Because I don’t expect you, as a planner, to know how I’m going to cook this meal.
So clients just ask me directly instead of getting caught up in three or four emails. In general, when I work with planners, I do like to stress that I can deal with the client directly. Whilst obviously keeping the planner abreast of everything that’s going on. And that works well.
R: Absolutely. You would use your common sense on communicating with the planner, depending on the issue that arises. Right?
A: Exactly. I mean, we’re “just cooking dinner for people”, it’s not rocket science. We’re not sending astronauts to space! So, I think if we can keep that as easy and as stress-free as possible it’s probably the best way to go.
R: I really love your approach, it just comes down to that actually! You made it nice and simple to understand!
What advice would you give to couples that just got engaged and have just started the wedding planning journey?
A: The natural thought is going to the most experienced people. But ultimately, if everyone had that approach, we would never have had our chance, right? Because the first wedding that we catered for, or that you planned happened because someone gave us a chance to do it. Someone trusted me to provide my first wedding catering and 10 years down the line, we’re still doing it.
I would say “choose me as your wedding catering supplier, it’d be great, but not realistic. If you trust that someone can plan, a great wedding then, even if they’re new to it, then hire them. But ultimately, you do need a blend of experience, especially when it comes to suppliers. Because wedding days can be quite flustering ones, if you’re not used to them.
Fairly recently we worked at wedding the planner was slightly new to it. But the suppliers all knew exactly what they were doing and it worked perfectly well. Build as much of a rapport as possible with a wedding supplier that you’re going to hire. Because getting that trust factor back and forth and for me is what makes it all work.
R: I agree. I feel every wedding supplier, should be a good fit for the couple, based on their personality, their taste, how easily you can communicate with them. Maybe somebody’s very experienced, but they’re not really your type of people, meaning you wouldn’t hang out with them in a social situation.
A: That’s the responsibility on both sides to make sure that natural fit is there. I think, certainly coming out of COVID, when none of us had worked for two years. There has been a tendency to take any job going. But I think as we come out of pandemic, I do think having those relationships between couples and supplier would make the planning work.
R: Thank you so much Adam. I know you were busy yesterday, so I won’t keep you any longer..
A: I have a very unglamorous job of emptying the van today. Everyone thinks you must love catering so much, cooking is a great job to have coming up load and unload one van with me. I’m sure you’ll change your mind straightaway!
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