Hospitality is in Charlotte Stokes’ blood – she could carry three plates before she could tie her own shoelaces – and that has stayed with her into her role as Operations Director at Portfolio Events Catering.
In this question-and-answer session, Charlotte provides an insight into what goes into producing memorable meals and events for clients, from wedding breakfasts to large business events.
What attracted you to the catering industry?
Having grown up in the pub trade, hospitality has always been second nature to me. The events side of this industry has always been a favourite of mine, watching friends and family come together to celebrate important moments in their lives and being able to help create that is the most rewarding feeling! There’s just something about watching people come together to celebrate life’s big moments – or any excuse for a party – that I absolutely love.
The joyous atmosphere from these days is infectious. You’re not just feeding people but helping to shape memories.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My main daily focus is to organise and prepare everything and everyone needed for the events booked in our calendar. My family find it so hard to believe that I’m any good at management as I’m the most unorganised and messy person at home.
It is very important to me that I am not just making clients happy, I want to ensure our very hardworking team is happy too. I oversee every department and the running of the company to ensure that the co-ordination and production is running smoothly.
Honestly, the most accurate day in my life would probably involve keeping Mat – our managing director – in line and turning his big ideas into actual plans. Keeping up with him is a full-time job in itself!
What is the most rewarding and motivating aspect of your job?
As clichéd as it sounds, the most rewarding part of my job is making the dreams and visions come true that both my team and our clients have spent months working towards. A specific moment for me is the ‘thank you hug’ at the end the end of the night that reminds me why we do what we do (even after a very hard long day). I especially love this moment with brides who have dreamed of their big day since childhood – seeing their reaction when everything comes together is true magic.
I am always beyond proud of the hard work and efforts of our team, it is so rewarding to be a part of, and that is motivation in itself. There’s nothing better than looking around after a long day and seeing everyone still standing and smiling.
Can you outline the key operational stages involved in delivering a large-scale event?
Planning and organisation is key – the more prepared you are, the better. From an initial enquiry, communication is made and a menu, a brochure and a quote are sent based on requirements and venue choices. We meet the clients in person at a private tasting where they can choose their menu. Later down the line, logistics, timings and staff start to be put in place, then the final details such as guest numbers, table plans and the all-important dietary requirements are sorted and prepared.
The day before the event I’m usually just as excited as our clients to see it all come together, then on the day itself, our front-of-house team works extremely hard to deliver the best catering experience possible. Our service usually begins with a drinks reception canapés before a three-course meal. And finally, when the event is over everything is packed away.
Can you give an example of an operational challenge you have faced and how you overcame it?
The wedding industry may be full of romance, but behind the scenes it’s a whirlwind of logistics. Planning and executing wedding catering is like conducting a symphony – every detail must harmonise perfectly. Operational challenges within the wedding industry happen more than you think – you would just never know because we are good at our jobs. The term is referred to a lot in the event planning world as The Swan Effect; graceful in appearance whilst frantically paddling trying to find a solution under the water.
One specific challenge that comes to mind is power failure. As outside caterers, many of our events are in marquees where all the power is coming from one generator. We’ve even found ourselves having to cook scallops for 100 people on a single camping stove, and the bride still said they were the best scallops she’s ever tasted!
In challenging moments like that, you just have to stay calm, prioritise fast and communicate even faster. I pull the team together, reassign tasks, keep the client in the loop without causing panic, and find a solution. Somehow, we pulled it off – the guests never knew a thing, and the couple had the day they dreamed of.
And finally, if you’re looking to impress your friends or cooking for a date night at home, what meal from the Portfolio Events menu would you choose?
That is a difficult question – it would be so hard to choose just one meal from our menu, I would probably try to make them small portions of everything we serve.
If I had to choose just one, I would impress my friends with our famous sharing platters – something more casual for at home, too. Herb crusted rib of beef with sweet chili roasted carrots topped with delicious creamy goats’ cheese and pomegranate seeds, salted crispy potatoes and an array of sharing salads. It’s a dish that really delivers on flavour and presentation and I think it’s the perfect meal to create a chatty and positive atmosphere around the table.
To find out more about Portfolio Events Catering call 01604 215606, email team@portfolioevents.com or visit their website.
