The Wilderness Chef

About The Wilderness Chef

The Wilderness Chef is run by its executive chef, Cooper Thomas, who began it as a one-man elopement caterer and grew it into a team of full-time chefs, front of house staff and an office crew. Weddings are the core of the work, alongside corporate events, celebrations, private dining and retreats, and the team takes on everything from intimate dinners to receptions for several hundred guests. Much of that happens in the Hunter Valley. The team is a preferred caterer at Villa Toscana, has catered weddings at Krinklewood and Leaves and Fishes, and regularly works at remote private estates around the valley. For sites without a kitchen, the purpose-built Wilderness Kitchen brings mobile ovens, refrigeration and prep stations, so the main thing a host needs to supply is a catering tent. Menus are designed by the chefs around seasonal and locally sourced produce. Couples can choose roaming canapés, generous shared banquet platters, buffets, or plated and alternate drop dinners, picking from the seasonal sample menu or leaving it to a chef's selection. Dietary requirements are gathered about eight weeks out and matched to the seating plan, and fully vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free menus can be created on request. Waitstaff are included in quoted prices, and the team usually arrives about an hour before food service. Tableware, linen napkins, cake cutting, vendor meals and a bar service with staff and glassware can be added. Tasting evenings give couples a chance to meet the team and try the food before they book.

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