What Would They Know? Sara O’Callaghan of Bursaria Fine Foods.
Guest blog article written by Dorothy from Polka Dot Wedding
Catering exclusively for 3 elegant venues, Bursaria Fine Foods offers a wedding experience second to none. With an experienced wedding team to help you plan your day down to finest detail, you can be assured that your day will be one to remember – not only for you, but for your guests as well. But their strength is their food, which is at once elegant, delicious and comforting. Familiar ingredients used in innovative and wonderful ways. Conceived through Sara’s experience and passion for fine food, the Bursaria Fine Foods menus do justice to seasonal local foods always with a twist that makes the most humble of ingredients special. Here, Sara tells us the story of Bursaria Fine Foods and their venue – The Refectory .
Please tell us about Bursaria Catering.
From a young age I loved food and dreamt of travel. I learned that through hospitality I could experience both. With an appetite for ‘hands on’ learning I was offered a chef apprenticeship in a luxury hotel. This training opened doors to work in high-end restaurants overseas and combining travel and cooking was a dream come true! For over 10 years I challenged myself in various roles giving me a holistic overview of the catering industry, however I knew to succeed I needed to develop my business skills. Working full time, I studied business at night and in 2005 I opened my own business ‘Bursaria Fine Foods’. Hard work, passion and dedication has been the key to my success.
Running a business is a lifestyle choice you make, you are always working and thinking how can I improve, myself, my product, my team.
I am extremely proud of how my business has grown from its humble beginnings when I worked seven days (a week) in my own café to being a successful award winning Australian Catering Company delivering amazing catering & events.
Bursaria and its staff live and breathe food. As a leader I encourage creativity and fresh approaches to food, creating wonderful seasonal menus that are nutritious and enjoyable to eat. What matters to me is my underlying motivation on providing a sustainable focus on produce, which is visually enhanced through events at our Heritage venues and surrounding gardens.
Bursaria caters onsite at The Refectory, Werribee Park. A unique venues steeped in culture and rich in history. The combination of products, services, skills and expertise provides a beginning to end experience that wows our guests and makes each experience truly unforgettable.
Where are you based?
In 2015 Bursaria launched The Refectory, Werribee Park. The Refectory was transformed into a beautiful light filled event space with classic architectural features, spectacular high ceilings, designer lighting and luxury contemporary furnishings.
What is your food philosophy?
We use the freshest seasonal produce to create delicious food for weddings and events and we are passionate about providing wholesome catering with a relaxed style. We’re really not a caterer who’s into unnecessary frills. We’re all about the seasonal produce and letting the food stand for itself and be the hero of the dish.
Our style is authentic and creative and takes guests on a food journey through out the wedding so that guests can gather and interact in a relaxed environment. We believe food is a central part of celebrating with your guests!
Are you able to cater in country Victoria as well as city venues?
Yes!
What sorts of event catering are you known for?
We’ve developed a brand that is known for its exceptional service and delicious catering at two amazing historic precincts. Bursaria’s venues are highly sought after and will remain so as we continue to design new packages and menus that meet with current trends. We believe this quality, along with our ability to forecast trends will see us as a leader into the future.
We also offer a range of off-site catering facilitating a broad range of public activity. We recently catered for Suzanne Harwards’ (Prahran RTW Store Launch), hosted a sellout event for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and we’re proud to be the official caterers for Werribee Polo!
What excites you about this industry, and working in it?
Everything! Being a part of two cultural precincts we not only get the chance to host hundreds of weddings a year but we also get to work with an amazing array of talented professionals.
What are you seeing emerging in the food area for weddings?
Our couples are definitely choosing to host a more relaxed style wedding and love our grazing menu served down the centre of the table because of its communal atmosphere, accompanied with a variety of seasonal side dishes. Our grazing menus are designed to be plentiful for guests and family to share. When everything comes together at the event – it’s a colourful affair!
We love to encourage a ‘feast’ all delivered with love and laughter.
How important is it to you, to use local produce in your menus? You mention that we ‘Take you on a food journey on your special day’ – what does this mean in terms of food, place and service?
We care about the environment and love building relationships with local suppliers and farming communities.
Please describe The Refectory?
Set within the historic Werribee Park only 30 minutes from Melbourne, The Refectory is nestled in 10 acres of formal gardens and expansive lawns surrounding the grand 1870s Mansion.
How do you suggest couples best use this space so that they take full advantage of the building, garden and surrounds?
Guests can host their wedding ceremony in the stunning gardens, enjoy pre-dinner drinks and canapes on the front lawn overlooking the stately Mansion and then move inside The Refectory for their beautiful celebration.
There are a number of ceremony locations to say ‘I do’. The majestic gardens feature a colourful parterre, ornamental lake and grotto, glasshouses, heritage-listed trees and expansive lawns.
Guests can also immerse themselves in the Victorian era with a ceremony hosted within the Werribee Mansion – a living, breathing postcard of the 19th century, built in the Italianate architectural style. Along with a ceremony Bursaria couples can request photography within the historic Mansion. We can also coordinate exclusive use of the main hallway, grand staircase, salon and first floor landing for post ceremony drinks.
What do you suggest as far as a styling a wedding here – what have you seen in wedding styling here that is particularly effective?
With its classic features, designer lighting and spectacular high ceilings, The Refectory has been recently restored with a combination of neutral tones and contemporary furnishings that provide an understated elegance.
We’ve seen spectacular ceremonies styled with arches overflowing with floral abundance and weddings with dramatic rich florals and golden place settings through to minimal accessories with only a hint of colour and soft greenery. We love that The Refectory offers an classic setting for our couples to create their dream wedding.