AFTER forty-three years of working weekends, the king of catering has said goodbye to professional cheffing this summer.<\/p>\n
Peter Ford has retired after 20 years of running his own Ballarat catering business, keeping people well fed at parties and functions, while aiming to make those events more memorable.<\/p>\n
He said he won\u2019t miss taking thousands of enquiry phone calls, but he will miss his established clients, who for most of 2022, have been his sole professional focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cPost-COVID, we took work on for people we knew, which meant a smooth ride of job delivery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still enjoy the act of cooking… but I\u2019ve led kitchens since I was 21, so I won\u2019t miss being responsible. I\u2019ll also miss the camaraderie with the chefs I\u2019ve worked with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford began his career as an apprentice in a Mornington seafood restaurant, and at Fanny\u2019s on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne\u2019s CBD.<\/p>\n
In the late-80s he ran a farm and cafe in Barfold, just north of the Macedon Ranges, then stepped into the function and events world at Woodend restaurant The Bentinck.<\/p>\n
His next move was to conference venue Campaspe House where he got a real feel for catering, before a stint at the Convent Gallery in Daylesford, not only focused on food, but managing staff.<\/p>\n
Then came his shift to Ballarat, and five years working at Lydiard Street\u2019s Ansonia restaurant; the last chapter before the Peter Ford Catering story began.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent 25 years loving the thrills and spills of \u00e0 la carte cooking, but catering is a very different beast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning how to cater was a steep learning curve. When I started out, we didn\u2019t know how to anticipate sites, different working ovens and equipment, but we just got better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford said he\u2019s loved organising and serving food in such diverse places, as opposed to working in one restaurant\u2019s kitchen with the same swinging door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn catering, I\u2019m in a marquee, I\u2019m in someone\u2019s laundry, someone\u2019s kitchen, garage, under eaves, on tennis courts… It\u2019s been a blast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One of his most memorable jobs was the delivery of an \u201cunbelievable\u201d seven-course degustation to 150 people in a marquee at Woodend, but there are others that have consistently \u201cgot [him] in the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a bony-arsed cook… I love raw cooking, controlling fire, and timing the cooking of whole beasts for six or seven hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt WinterWild down in Apollo Bay, we roasted whole pigs on the fire, on the beach, for 150 people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the rustic, true taste of food, when you get it off the farmer or the producer. Don\u2019t muck around with it, just keep true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although he\u2019s had fun, the man often referred to as Chef MacGyver said there\u2019s been no shortage of challenges to overcome when out on site at events, like inclement weather, problems with hired equipment, and breakdowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s unbeknownst to the client, or they\u2019ve seen us overcome those issues that are not necessarily created by us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople pay for confidence. We\u2019ll be there on time, transform the space into a one-off amazing venue, and the food\u2019s going to go out smoothly because we\u2019ve done it numerous times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not building great edifices that people can come and look at forever, we\u2019re there to deliver memories for people. That\u2019s what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referencing a phrase coined by former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans when he left politics, Ford said it\u2019s time for him to step back as he\u2019s experiencing a bit of \u2018relevance deprivation syndrome.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed being at the top of the game,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not competitive… Well, maybe I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of competition, the passionate motorcyclist and sailor is set to head off on a single-handed passage to Hobart on his yacht in 2023, and that\u2019s just the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m part of the Round the World Clipper Race, joining 11 yachts to race around the world next year, and in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore that, I\u2019ll bring the yacht back from Hobart with my son, which I\u2019m looking forward to, six years after own father and I two-handed it to Hobart, when he was 80,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also going to spend more time with Louise; my wife, partner, finance legend, administrator, and all-round pal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER forty-three years of working weekends, the king of catering has said goodbye to professional cheffing this summer. Peter Ford has retired after 20 years of running his own Ballarat catering business, keeping people well fed at parties and functions, while aiming to make those events more memorable. He said he won\u2019t miss taking thousands […]<\/p>\n