Behind the Brand – Barbara Russell Catering
Barbara Russell learned her craft at the famous Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London and went on to enjoy a highly successful career as a private chef. In 1990 she set up a bespoke premium catering business in the beautiful Suir Valley in Co. Tipperary. Barbara Russell Catering has been going from strength to strength ever since. Its success is based on sourcing local food of the best quality, and offering a service that is of the highest professional standards and personally tailored to each client.
The team are the backbone of Barbara’s business:
Barbara finds her team through word of mouth, and when she finds good people, she appreciates them and treats them well, as she would like to be treated herself. Some have been with her for over 30 years. Even on busy workdays when the pressure is on, they take time to gather around the table in Barbara’s kitchen and leave work behind for a while, enjoy a meal together and chat about life.
Excellent quality food, locally sourced wherever possible, prepared to perfection:
Great quality food prepared and cooked to perfection is of course at the heart of the business, and it all starts in the kitchen. Alice Evans-Bevan, trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School, runs the kitchen with Dorothy and Lisa. Her passion for food and respect for the environment is evident, and her energy and enthusiasm shine through, creating a positive vibe in the kitchen, even when the team are working under intense pressure. Alice and her team love to work with local artisan producers and are spoiled for choice in Tipperary! Crowe’s Farm, based in nearby Dundrum, suppliers of award-winning pork, bacon and poultry, is one such example. It is usually Drew that delivers to Alice and her team, and he will go above and beyond to ensure orders arrive exactly when needed.
A highly personalised service
The level of service provided by Barbara and her team is second to none. They pride themselves on providing a highly personalised service, based on getting to know their clients and pulling out all the stops to cater to their individual needs. Service of the highest standard can appear seamless and effortless, but behind the scenes it requires meticulous planning and attention to detail. Fionnuala takes care of that along with some of her team, Ciara, Robyn, Ivy and Susan, ensuring everything runs perfectly.
A memorable experience
The combination of excellent quality food, locally sourced and perfectly prepared, and a service that is polished and personalised, makes for a very memorable experience. Guests not only get to taste excellent food, but also get to hear the story behind it, how and where it was produced and by whom. Barbara and her team love to create such memories for people and every member of the team plays their part. As proud members of Tipperary Food Producers Network, Barbara and her team play a key role in bringing the story of Tipperary food almost nationwide.
Each occasion is unique and team members are specially chosen to suit. In all cases, guests are made to feel special. Barbara and her team take care of everything from food and drink preparation and service to tidying up afterwards so that the host doesn’t have to worry about a thing – they get to feel like a guest at their own party!
To find out more please visit: www.barbararussellcatering.com
