As a professional caterer, I spend most of my time whipping up a storm in the kitchen. I’m pretty well-regarded in the industry, which means I often get booked for expensive events with hundreds of people. My business has been so successful recently that I’ve had to hire out a new kitchen space just to accommodate all the new orders! It’s an exciting time.
Today I’m starting preparation for a large wedding ceremony. Apparently, more than 500 people will be in attendance, and after long discussions and planning sessions, the bride and groom settled on a rustic look for their meal plan. When I think ‘rustic,’ I think of wood, so I drove to a hardware shop near me in Cheltenham to figure out how to make this rustic thing work. In the end, I figured I would make a cheese board – something long and extravagant, something that none of the wedding guests will be able to simply walk past. There were dozens of tradesmen at the store, but I managed to snag the assistance of an employee who loaded me up with all the power and hand tools I would need for my project.
Next, after searching online for Cheltenham stores that stock timber, I visited another store down the road to pick up my materials. There was a range of quality timber, including oak flooring and cedar boards, but once I had scanned the whole store, I couldn’t stop wandering back to the first aisle. I’d seen a piece of wood there earlier, and it was perfect. Rustic, dark hues, and just the right size for my cheese board (which was great, as it would minimise construction time for me). On the way to the counter, I even picked up some paint to decorate the edges of the board. I’m thinking olives, nuts, jams and deli meats. I might even stop at the florist next to pick up some local Australian plants for decoration!