Food has always been a great passion of mine

I love the textures and tastes and creating something new, exciting and nourishing. I love the way a meal can connect people, craft a memory and bring happiness to a person.

For the last 30 years, I have been running my own catering company, Maggie’s Epicurean Service. There have been many changes in the way people entertain at home. Gone, on the whole, are the formal dinners with the silver service. These days, is a much more relaxed and casual food experience. The other huge change is the food that is being eaten. We have a much wider palate now and Australians are enjoying cuisines from all over the world. People are also much more interested in knowing where the produce is grown or sourced. It’s such a pleasure to see food interest and knowledge growing among everyday Australians.

I started my business, before the internet, email, mobile phones and text messaging, I ran my business from my very small kitchen. I would race home from the hospital where I worked as a Registered Nurse and hopefully there would be a flashing light on my answering machine with an inquiry for an upcoming catering function. It’s hard to imagine those days now.

Over the last three decades, my catering service grew from small dinner parties to bigger functions – and a bigger kitchen to work from. What has never diminished is my love for food. I am so lucky I get to live my passion, every day.

I always call myself a cook – never a chef. What’s the difference? Well, my training has been eked out in the hot kitchen, watching and assisting my mother cook. Working out a recipe from scratch from memory or researching a long-forgotten cake that a client remembers from decades past is exciting. I pour my heart into every dish I create.

There’s something about experience that you can’t really substitute with anything else. Every function I have catered for – and there have been hundreds – have made me the cook that I am today: skilled, knowledgeable and composed.

I’ll be sharing some of my Tips and Tricks on this site. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your catering needs. It would be my pleasure to serve you.