With restaurant prices on the increase, and home entertainment enjoying a new lease of life, more people are turning to home caterers instead of eating out
Restaurants may not be booming at present, but it’s not because the general public has lost its appetite. If the experience of Hungry Caterers is anything to go by, people are actually eating more, not less. It’s just they’re choosing different ways of enjoying the experience of “eating out”: namely, “eating in”.
Nick Camilleri-Preziosi – one half of the Hungry duo, alongside Alex Mattei – cites numerous possible reasons to account for this sudden interest for home catering. Not least, the global economic recession.
“With less disposable income, people still want to be entertained, but are more wary about how they spend their money. There are others factors, too: the smoking ban is one; another is convenience. Hiring caterers for a private dinner party can offer better value for money in a much more casual and familiar atmosphere... with all that you would expect from a top restaurant: excellent service, delicious food, etc.
“We primarily cater for a niche market of clients who want original food using the best quality ingredients available on the local market,” he adds - placing enormous extra emphasis on the word “quality”.
Judging by the public response to Hungry Caterer’s services to date, it seems there is no shortage of demand.
“From our experience, people can’t get enough of it. They love the fact that the whole evening is hassle-free, and a guaranteed way to impress guests.”
In keeping with a growing trend among the more conscientious, quality-oriented restaurants – and also food connoisseurs – Hungry Caterers insist as far as possible on using local ingredients.
“It would be nice if more caterers and restaurants supported local ingredients and producers more, rather than falling back on cheaper, imported goods,” Alex maintains. “The mentality is still to offer large portions of inferior, cheaper produce... and this unfortunately still seems to please the masses. Malta and the Mediterranean diet has so much to offer, but people seem to be more impressed with what they consider to be more exotic or fancy. But really, what’s better than Maltese tomatoes, basil, fresh gbejniet and good quality olive oil?”
However, for all the attraction of exotic alternatives, the typical Maltese diner appears to have retained a cautious scepticism regarding anything new or outlandish. And in spite of a recent surge in appreciation for Japanese cuisine such as sushi and sashimi - something of a Hungry Caterers’ speciality – Nick explains that the idea of eating raw fish is still off-putting to some clients.
“Sometimes we find ourselves adapting Japanese dishes to Western styles: using smoked fish or cooked prawns instead of raw ingredients in sushi. Having said that, there is also a growing niche of niche of clients who appreciate authenticity, and for these we provide the real thing.”
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