David and Jess Nathan are the founders of 23aubergine, a local catering business that has taken the industry by the storm with its artisan canapes and French-European flavours.

In operation for some 13 years now, this catering business enjoys a nationwide clientele, with a special focus in the Klang Valley.

A catering business that began with a humble dream

23aubergine sprang to life when Jess, the Picasso behind the beautiful, creative canapes, decided to open a business of handmade and artisan food.

Having worked in F&B companies previously, both Jess and David decided to apply their experience and embark on a new-age business venture, which later took off in a totally different direction.

David recalls, “At first, we planned a food delivery service. But since this was before the days of smartphones and apps, it was hard for us to go in that direction and Jess was already booked up with many catering gigs. So we decided to become a catering business.”

For such strong, experienced personalities working closely together in the F&B business, it was a challenge to find a balance in their dynamics as partners.

“Both of us contribute equally in matters of growing our business or the strategy that we are going to apply in ensuring the best possible way our business can grow.

“However, when it comes to numbers and accounts, I take responsibility. Jess is great in the creative aspect. She is an expert in the food department.

“However, when it comes to the little details in operations, like how much flour costs and such, that is where I come in,” he said.

Strategies for unique catering services

For a catering business that has survived for as long as they have, what’s their strategy?

“There is no exact strategy, to be honest. We go with the flow and persevere. Catering is unlike most businesses. It is a tough one indeed. You cannot be too prepared because you never know what will go wrong.

“All you can do is take the criticisms, if given, in a positive light and remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, if you know what I mean,” David quips.

23aubergine’s calendar is filled with multiple catering gigs, whether intimate parties or grand, large-scale functions. However, 23aubergine is different from your regular catering service.

“We do not set a particular number of gigs we will accept in a month because with catering, it is usually very incidental. We tend to go with the flow and take up as many as possible that we can handle.

“We usually are able to take up a lot of catering gigs because we work fairly fast. Although it depends on the size of the event itself, we typically are able to prepare within three days.

“However, this does not include the purchase and event day itself.”

The practicality of having your own menu

Loving the idea of coming up with new creations, David and Jess do not limit themselves to food they are comfortable with.

“At first we did not plan to have a menu, but on the advice of our clients, we put up a menu list on our website. Why? So that potential clients can see what we can offer them.

“However, we are flexible to receive requests to tailor-make our menu according to their tastes,” he said.

To ensure that 23aubergine stays relevant, David and Jess are always experimenting and discovering new food that is now in demand. Their new Globyte menu brings a new twist to comfort food with a healthier and nutritious spin.

“So far, our menu is quite wholesome. We place the utmost importance on the quality of our ingredients and the way we prepare it. Our best-seller is our mini-burgers. Our clients love it so much simply because we make everything from scratch, bread and all,” David said.

Ain’t no mountain high enough…

Being a caterer is no walk in the park and managing a catering business is unlike managing a cafe or restaurant.

How does 23aubergine overcome issues of insufficient food, lack of service stands and more?

“We firmly believe if we aren’t able to step in and do the work ourselves, we have long-term challenges.

“We managed to avoid problems in staffing by collaborating with private universities and colleges. Culinary and hospitality students were hired to help us with the service during big events that our team could not handle.

“When it comes to ensuring there is no shortage of food, communication is the key. You have to communicate with your clients and ensure exactly how much extra food we have to prepare without wastage.

“However, with our years of experience, we are able to calculate how much to allocate etc. We are blessed with a great team,” he said.

Catering is not an easy feat. It is unlike running a restaurant or an eatery. In the catering scene, the unexpected must always be expected, David said.

“In any business, you must remember that the customer is usually right, never always. Clients need to know when they come to a food service professional, they need to have some level of trust and faith – unless they don’t have a good feeling about it, in which case both parties shouldn’t continue with the transaction,” he said.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com

Butterkicap is a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of her people, food and places.