Silkwise Catering provide authentic, traditional French cooking with a contemporary twist throughout Wiltshire and beyond. Trained in high-grade French cooking schools and with decades of experience under their belts, the trained chefs at Silkwise Catering aim to bring high-class French cuisine to events of all types and sizes at an inexpensive price. With French food, Mediterranean Catering, Vegetarian and Vegan Catering, Crepes, and more on offer - the menu can be as bespoke as the event.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

For us to provide a comprehensive quote to a customer, ideally we need the event date, a brief explanation of the type of event they are hosting, the estimated number of guests, a budget and the location, and whether it's an indoor or outdoor event. From this, we can use our experience and expertise to put together a suitable menu to suit needs of the client. We would request a phone conversation to get a better over view of the request and needs of the client.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

I would suggest a background check by looking at any reviews on Add to Event, as well as also looking at their website and any online reviews. I would ask for references, too. I would have a phone conversation and/or a face to face meeting to have a personal feel of the person or the company as the final litmus test. It is important to pick just the right catering service for your event, so these steps are truly necessary.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I come from a small French village called Groffliers, on the Northern French coast, where my earliest interests were the cooking, the countryside, the sea and ‘La Chasse’. At age 16, I chose to study catering at Berck sur Mer and Le Touquet, continuing with a proper, old fashioned 3 year apprenticeship in Charcuterie and Delicatessen, a solid grounding in the French restaurant and hotels industry followed by a leap across the channel with unlimited ambition but limited English vocabulary and new English colleagues who taught me inappropriate words! Over 22 years, and after I earned the right to wear the tallest chef hat in the kitchen, I have also worked all over Europe and around the world cooking in prestigious hotels and restaurants, well known corporate events and people. Now, with my equally experienced team at Silkwise Catering, I can bring all my knowledge, energy and creativity to your events, while you can be certain that you have put your trust in the most flexible, exciting and reliable caterer locally.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I have only recently join Add to Event but it is growing on me with amount of bookings I have now secured! The few jobs I have done have been a great success with my clients as people appreciate my flexibility with their inquiries and the services I offer. I have to say this is an easy way to generate inquiries and most definitely offers the best return on the investment compared to local advertising with papers, etc. I love the way the site is built with the emailing and personal page, Add to Event is definitely a way forward for both clients and contractors.