Chef of the Year caters to Cairns tastebuds with her newest venture
An award-winning chef with more than 30 years experience has opened her first dedicated catering service in Cairns.
Cairns
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Esteemed chef Catherine Pacey has opened her first solo venture after more than three decades of service at some of Cairns’ best restaurants.
Ms Pacey, who has been a mainstay of the Far North’s restaurant scene, has branched out on her own with the opening of Hook and Sail Catering at the Cairns Cruising and Yacht Squadron.
“This is the first time I’ve really backed myself,” Ms Pacey said.
“I’m really excited about taking this business and growing with it and expanding into other areas like a la carte, off site and onsite catering and developing the team.”
Ms Pacey said the move to catering from working a la carte was the natural next step in her career.
“I love catering, I love everything about the cooking world in general.”
The acclaimed chef has more than 30 years experience in hospitality, having previously managed restaurants in and around Cairns, including the social enterprise venture Wild Thyme. She was also crowned 2022 Restaurant and Catering Hostplus NQ and NT chef of the year.
Ms Pacey said she and her team will deliver good food from a range of cuisines with a focus on local ingredients.
“I honour a good quality product,” Ms Pacey said.
“We use fresh, local produce and like collaborating with our local suppliers so we can deliver that great product.”
Ms Pacey will continue running classes at the Cairns Cooking School alongside her new business and hopes to bring students into her kitchen.
“Something I’m really passionate about is training and teaching,” she said.
“We do promote school-based students and give them a space to grow their skills.”
Hook and Sail Catering provides onsite and off site catering for private and corporate events and is open for a la carte dining from 11am to 2.30pm Tuesday through Saturday and 5-9pm on Friday nights.
Originally published as Chef of the Year caters to Cairns tastebuds with her newest venture
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