Planning the Perfect Grand Event: Behind the Scenes at Showtime Events Centre

Running and creating the perfect large-scale event is a recipe that requires a lot of precision just to avoid chaos, let alone achieve success.

Everyone knows what a chef does. You’ve probably even seen it; open-plan kitchens in restaurants are commonplace these days. But imagine that scenario, multiplied a dozen times over: preparing hundreds of soft fish tacos comprising of six individual elements, that have to look identical before they leave the kitchen. And that’s just one of multiple dishes that needs to go out.

It’s just another day in the office for Showtime Events Centre’s executive chef, Vasantha Caldera.

Running a kitchen for a venue that does large scale events such as conferences, corporate parties, weddings and university balls, requires an extreme level of organisation.

“Planning is key. You have to plan everything, and early,” says Caldera, who sounds impressively bouncy the day after running an event for nearly 600 people.

It’s not just organising a menu and then ordering the right amount of supplies. As executive chef of a venue as large scale as Showtime, that meticulous planning extends to the minutiae: how many platters will they require, and is there enough storage space? How many litres of detergent do they need to make sure the dishwashers can run all night? What time do the substantial canapes go out?

“I often start at the end, like, the garbage end, and work my way backwards. It’s a big production! The day of the event should be the easiest part. That’s what you’re aiming for.”

Vasantha has had over 25 years of career experience working in kitchens all over the world, including Dubai, Qatar and the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne.

That wealth of experience has come with a lot of trials and errors. Vasantha believes it's an important part of any catering chef’s development.

“I actually draw up a chart before each function. It comprises of each canapé or item served, how much we ordered, how much was consumed or left over, and what was popular. At the end of an event, we can then see how much wastage we had, and learn for next time. After all, the most important thing to me is the customer's happiness. I want them to feel that sense of satisfaction at the end of an event.”

Creating an interesting menu is difficult enough, especially with ever increasing dietary requirements. But catering to a fine dining-conscious Melburnian crowd is a whole other level. How do you meet such high standards when you’re catering for hundreds?

“Melbourne, and Australia, love their food. They know what they like. And at the moment we’re seeing a real increase in authentic food stations: Italian food stations, Spanish stations, Mexican, sliders. Customers just really love that interactive experience and seeing their food being plated up in front of them.”

Even if everything is meticulously planned and nothing has gone wrong, Vasantha says all those things mean nothing if the key ingredient is missing.

“It all comes down to the team. Having a good and passionate team is crucial. When you’re running the kitchen for an event hosting hundreds of guests, if you don’t have a good and passionate team, it’ll all fall apart. It just won’t work.”

With that in mind, Vasantha’s number one piece of advice for venues and catering services is unsurprising.

“Start with the team. I spent the start of my time at Showtime just developing my team. I wanted the right people, because that’s the most important thing that every kitchen needs – a good team.”

While running the kitchen for a large scale event can quickly become a recipe for disaster, with the right balance of essential ingredients, it can be a complete success.

It's time to turn that spectacular end of year or EOFY event into a reality. Book your next event at Showtime Events Centre – and if it's an EOFY event, you'll receive a FREE DJ to get the party started properly >>