09/15/2021
This was the most challenging yet fulfilling catering endeavour I’ve ever been on.
When we got the call from Allison White the producer for Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy, shooting in Newfoundland, she was desperately looking for craft and catering. So much so, that she called us all the way in Toronto!
Her crew was almost in a state of revolt because the catering company out there was ill prepared and it was quickly becoming a catering disaster.
My first thought was, “We couldn’t do it. How could we do it? It’s 1900Km away!” Then 5 minutes later I started thinking . “Hell why not. We can do it!”
Within 24 hours we managed to muster together a team from Blazing Kitchen, loaded a craft truck and got it on the road.
I called my friend Antonio Meleca from Gourmet Craft & Catering who I’ve been doing a lot of co-shows with here in Ontario, who had a catering truck available and we got both of those trucks on the road and drove them from Toronto to Port of Sydney Nova Scotia within 48 hours, then onto a ferry to Channel-Port aux Basques Newfoundland, then another 12 hour drive to set!
Meanwhile the catering team hopped on planes, landed the day before the trucks were due to arrive and immediately raided Costco in St. Johns. We hired two local chefs and helpers and then headed to our base camp (a church kitchen) which we managed to get through family connections with the United Church.
From there we cleaned out every grocery store within 50 miles of the set in order to get enough supplies. We wanted everything to be as fresh as possible and to support Newfoundland’s economy so we made sure we bought everything we could locally.
When every grocery store was empty and we could no longer get enough fish my chef Shane said “No problem” walked to the docks and came back with 40lbs of fresh cod that he bought straight from the returning fishermen’s boats as they docked.
We arrived on Monday, prepped all day and on into the night, and made the 7:00AM calltime on Tuesday, ready with a hot lunch and breakfast for 250 people.
I got to fly in only for an afternoon on the second last day. I came in to make my signature fish tacos but by the time I got from St. Johns to set, which was a 4 hour drive, the weather had turned and they had to move another 4 hours to the next set. Still, I was happy to be there and it was all pretty exciting!
The people from Newfoundland were so amazing to work with and gelled so well with our team. I’d also like to say how amazing it was to come together with three “rival” companies, who share work all the time, with Karim Kassam as the key crafty, Antonio and myself, to all come together to do this amazing job.
I’d like to give a special thanks to the amazing crew who looked at this not only as a challenge, but like an adventure. Farah Hussain Judie Bautista Calucag Aggie Stoduto Ian Goff Mitch Campos and from Newfoundland Shane Flaherty and Brittany Oram. I’m so grateful and honoured to have them on our team. I don’t know any other people who would do what they did.
They were washing their own dishes, cleaning the truck, doing the shopping, and not once did I hear any complaints.
They are what this is all about and why I love this business.
-Don Blais
