Treat Your Tastebuds With Black Truffle Catering

Hospitality can be a demanding industry but Evonne and Jason Darakas, founders and owners of Black Truffle Catering, know that success comes with careful curation.

They’ve built their Melburnian catering business to be the food provider of choice for corporate occasions and large-scale events, gaining a reputation for providing premium quality that is tailored to the satisfaction of each customer.

Evonne and Jason have now expanded their Black Truffle offering through their new prepared meal service Black Truffle@Home, which allows customers to enjoy their signature healthy, gourmet meals from the comfort of their couch.

CrowdInk chatted to Evonne and Jason about Black Truffle’s commitment to customer service and their desire to “let their food do the talking”.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Our inspiration is Evonne’s passion for food preparation and entertaining with European heritage and values. We let our food do the talking!

How did your business get started?

Evonne acquired an existing catering company of mainly business clients (and some locals) in Caulfield back in 2006, before moving a little closer to the city to Richmond in 2010. We commemorated the move by changing the name to Black Truffle Catering with a greater emphasis on corporate and event catering, with Jason joining the team soon after in 2011.  Five years ago, we shifted to our current inner city Collingwood factory premises with over 30 staff and nine delivery vans.

Tell us a little bit about your business – what are the products and services you offer?

Black Truffle was created to fulfill the goal of providing a bespoke catering service to Melbourne’s most discerning clientele. We cater for all event types including corporate events, weddings, private functions and many more. At the moment, we are broadening our business to produce healthy gourmet meals to companies and consumers.

Who is your ideal customer?

Our ideal customers are those who have respect for the gourmet food industry, fresh ingredients and the teamwork required to curate the best food experiences for guests and clients alike. The clients are largely from the corporate and university sector who require regular drop off orders (multiple times a day/week), and regular large-scale events (100 people functions, often weekly). Black Truffle trained chefs and waiters are key to the final food and beverage presentation and enjoyment.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

No one goes into business to fail, but not everything that you do will always be successful. Learning from your mistakes and what went wrong will help you make better decisions in the future. Have a good foundation for your business from the start; know your products, your price points and pathways to grow. Expect to work hard, sometimes with little reward; hospitality is exciting but competitive and demanding. Timing is crucial, especially for events. Food must be served in the correct sequence for both your tastebud experience and visual presentation freshness. “We let our food do the talking” is more than our promise, it’s our values and culture at work.

What life experiences have helped you create your products or services?

Getting into the mindset of our customers to pinpoint exactly what they need and want from you, even though sometimes they don’t know themselves. Tailoring your product and service to what suits them; let the market tell you what it wants, instead of insisting clients take what you want to offer them. Some caterers can be arrogant with their latest trends, but we do the listening to understand your objectives. Some clients like the basics, we do these happily and many would argue, perfectly. We strive to provide a great service and customer experience from start to end. COVID-19 encouraged us to prepare meals that can be simply microwaved as single serves at home and at the workplace, which we have called Black Truffle@Home. Now those same meals are the best treat for staff to enjoy Black Truffle quality and convenience at work and home.

How can people connect with you (e.g website, social media channels, links to your business)?

You can connect with us through the Black Truffle website or via social media on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Whether you are looking for event catering or a gourmet take home meal, Black Truffle Catering is your one-stop-shop food destination.

Let the food do the talking and discover the Black Truffle difference today.