Essential Catering & Events
ProHighlights
- Caters at Yarra Valley venues including Yering Farm and Alowyn Gardens
- Finger food, grazing, buffet, carvery, shared platters and plated menus
- Mobile kitchen gear, wait staff and an event manager on the day
About Essential Catering & Events
Sean Robertson started Essential Catering & Events in 2008, and he now runs the full-service catering business, based in Melbourne, with co-owner Julian Azzopardi. Meals are prepared in the company's commissary kitchen in Bayswater North, which has its own kitchen garden, and produce comes from growers in and near the Yarra Valley where possible. The team caters at Yarra Valley venues such as Yering Farm, Alowyn Gardens, Paynes Rise and Wandin Park Estate, and has a dedicated menu for the Healesville races. Menus suit most styles of service. Standing events can have finger food and canapé packages, grazing stations of cheese, charcuterie, fruit and bread, or global street food stations. Seated guests can be served from a buffet, a roast carvery, shared platters at each table, or plated dinners of two or three courses delivered alternately. Vegetarian and vegan menus are available, and gluten-free, dairy-free and allergy needs can be planned in. At weddings and larger functions the team also advises on the menu, sets up, supplies tableware and place settings, provides waiting staff and an event manager, and cleans up afterwards. Drinks packages covering beer, wine, sparkling, cocktails and non-alcoholic options can be added. For venues with no kitchen, mobile ovens and equipment can be brought in where there is space and power. Private jobs start at roughly ten guests – a dinner at home, a birthday or an engagement party – and corporate work ranges from board lunches to conferences and end-of-year functions. For a quote, send an enquiry with the date, venue and number of guests.
Inclusions & amenities
Service
Cuisine type (caterers)
Catering style (caterers)
Dietary support (caterers)
Budget
Pricing
Service Details
Where a venue has no cooking facilities, a mobile kitchen is brought in. A first instalment secures your date, and the remainder is due ten business days before the event.
Frequently asked questions
Does Essential Catering & Events cater in the Yarra Valley?
Yes. The team works at Yarra Valley venues such as Yering Farm, Alowyn Gardens, Paynes Rise and Wandin Park Estate, and delivers corporate catering through the valley too.
Can they cater where there is no kitchen?
Yes. Mobile kitchen equipment, ovens included, comes to the site, which needs a set work area with access to power. Any extra fees are listed in the quote.
Is there a tasting before the wedding?
Yes. Once you have a quote, two people can attend a complimentary tasting at the Bayswater North kitchen to try dishes and talk through the plan.
Are dietary requirements catered for?
Yes. Menus can be adjusted for vegan, vegetarian, coeliac, gluten-free and allergy needs, and at weddings each individual dietary change adds $12 per person.
What is the smallest private party they cater?
Private catering begins at around ten guests, such as a dinner at home, and goes up to large weddings and corporate events with full staffing.
Areas we service
Suitable occasions
Sergio Priano
9 months ago
Masters of their craft. You will not be disappointed. The team is very friendly, incredibly professional and attentive. They take the time to understand your needs and preferences. The quality is outstanding and variety…
Jessica L
11 months ago
Essential Catering provided the 3 course meal and canapes for our wedding (as the preferred caterer of our wedding venue). Not only was the food delicious with lots of fresh seasonal options, they were so well organised…
Maddy Dyt
a year ago
Essential Catering catered our wedding in November 2024, and they were absolutely fantastic! Since our wedding was on a private property, we needed a team that was reliable, organised, and could deliver amazing food—and…
Fiona Barbazza
2 years ago
We cannot recommend Essential Catering Melbourne more highly! We recently had our private property wedding catered for and the food and service was second to none! Our family and friends are still raving about the food a…
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