E6 S1 - Basque Gastronomy in the Heart of London: Recipe for Catering Success with Monica Gil Ruiz

In this episode, I sit down with the Owner of London Basque Kitchen to uncover the secrets behind her successful catering business in London. She shares her journey of moving from banking to studying at Leiths, growing the business, navigating the ups and downs, and gaining valuable insights into what it takes to thrive in the competitive catering industry of London.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Okay, so firstly, welcome. Do you want to talk a little bit about yourself and London bus kitchen? 

U2

Sure. I am Monica and I come from a very little village up in the north of Spain. It's an hour away from well, I was born in Bilbao in the bus country, and then when I was four, moved to a little village in the mountains an hour away from Bilbao. And I come from a very hospitality involved family, my grand grandparents, my grandparents, and they run like a kind of 3.1s a bar restaurant. And my mom's husband has it now still hotel and a family run hotel and a rest run. And yes, I never actually work 1s in restaurants or kind of before I came to London. I work as like yeah. 1.5s Easter, Christmas, things like that, just literally washing dishes or peeling potatoes, but not much. My family always encouraged me not to go into hospitality, even though I wanted to my uni, I wanted to go into Bilbao and do the kind of really famous cookery school. But no, I did business, I did business degree and after that moved to London and I actually worked for two banks. Five years in one, five years in another, doing currency sales, trading. And then after that I just realized life is too short to be stuck doing something that you really am not passionate about and I just couldn't see myself doing that forever. So I quit and I joined Leeds Cookery School, an amazing cookery school in London. And it was the best year of my life. I met amazing people, which I'm still really close friends with, and I learned a lot. I didn't know what actually wanted to do while doing leads, but I knew it was food related, so that really helped me. I did work experiences in a lot of restaurants, I did 1.3s food writing like TV programs as well, on the back. And I just realized that that wasn't actually for me. Then I did a lot of work experience with local caters and that's where I felt I fit in. Having different clients all the time, different kind of briefs. Could be a wedding, it could be a corporate, it could be a private party. Everyone is different, everyone wants something different and it's a variety as well. And keep learning, doing new diseases. That's what really inspired me. It's not only about the food as well, is the styling, is the meeting, the people, 1s doing bespoke menus 1.5s and I loved it. And then 1.1s actually after finishing leads, I set up a catering company with three of my friends from Leeds as a way of startup. Let's do this together. And we were called Amba, which was our initial, 1.5s and one was Italian, one was America and one was British, and then me. And it was lovely, it was a great year and he actually made me realize that that is what I wanted to do. But. 1.6s After a year, everyone had different agendas and some of them, they decided that this is definitely not for me. So I decided to everyone went their own ways and I set up on my own. And when I was thinking about what to do on my own at that time as well, basque cuisine and Spanish, generally Basque and north of Spain was matching trend on. And in London, there were a few restaurants opening lura 1.1s the Nostria, and it was like, well, this is my chance. 1.2s Why not? 1.1s I wouldn't say specialized, because I do every kind of cuisine, I was trained here and I love food in general, but it's incorporating a lot of the Basque and north of Spain's ingredients, not techniques, because our techniques are literally based on ingredients. It's super easy. It's just high quality, really high quality ingredients in season, bring it back to London and make really fun events 1.1s and yes, that's what I've been doing for eight years. Eight years now. Almost nine years. 

U1

Wow. That's amazing. 

U2

Sorry, it might be a bit long. 

U1

No, that was very interesting. So when did you obviously you're from the Bass Country, so that was kind of, I guess, what came from the name. Yes. But when you started, did you think, right, I'm going to stick to Bass Country food or did you kind of know you were going 

U2

to from the beginning? I love food in general, I love traveling and 1.9s I love the variety. 2s Everyone asks you, what's your favorite dish? Oh, my God. Really? 1s It's impossible because it really depends on the mood. Sometimes I really want a crab, like, literally just a whole Coroma crab, and give me an hour and I will literally demolish. But other times I want to carry I really love spices 1.3s or elaxao, I don't know, or Mexican. I love Mexican food, so it's really super difficult. So I didn't want to get stuck in doing the same thing over and over. And that was a really difficult part of choosing the name as well, because at the moment, I'm really struggling that people only see me as Basque caterer and maybe Spanish caterer. So I am trying at the moment to think how to deal differentiate. So it's on the plans, I'm changing a little bit of how it's going to work. But yes, 1.6s it wasn't only Basque. I always put an email on my website and it's like food from my travels from all over the world, but taking my way with my Spanish and Basque ingredients as well. 1s

U1

So that was obviously one of the challenges you probably faced. Was that at the start or kind of now you realize that challenge is sort of there. 

U2

It's been always from the start, but from the start. And also, I'm literally still relying on word of mouth. I haven't invested in any marketing so far yet, so I am at the stage now that I really need to think, I want where do I want to go? 5.5s I think at the beginning, maybe even less, because no one knew me. So it was like they just either friends or friends or recommendations or it started little by little. And of course, at the beginning I did a lot of paellas and a lot of kind of Basque food, a lot of pinchos, lot of stopAS. But then once you start creating your own clients, then they know that you do other things and that's when it start expanding. 1.1s At the moment, maybe what I'm not struggling, but once you get into approved caters list and things like that, is when a person only has a page to look at and you have eight different names of caterers. 1.4s They might not even click in my name because they see London Bus Kitchen. We want Middle Eastern. Why? I'm going to click there. So that's why at the moment, planning to change 1.6s and maybe have a specific London basket just for Spanish and Basque and then having a kind of sister company which is a bit more global. 

U1

Yeah. Can you just talk a little bit about approved catering? Because I'm sure some people know what that 

U2

means. Yes, 1.8s it's an amazing thing and any caterer will try to get into them. So an approved caterer at least is venues tends to be blank canvas venues, so nothing in the venue. It's a beautiful building, but completely empty. And then which are for weddings or big events, big corporate events, things like that. And they have a list of caterers. So if a client wants to get married there or a corporate wants to do a big function, there 1.3s actually some venues only allowed to choose from that list of caterers. So getting into one of those lists is very important. Of course, you have to pay commission, which the clients probably don't realize. So 2.4s every venue that I am an approved caterer, I pay commission every time I get the client. But it's a great way to get businesses. Once you're in an approved caterer, you tends to get a lot of inquiries. 1.2s So, yes, trying to get into as many approved caterers list as possible, they have a lot of requirements. At the beginning was very difficult because I didn't have back history or some of them is like, well, you need to promise me or not promise, but that you will get. 1.4s 25 weddings a year. I was like, oh, I can't do that. I've just started. So it took a while. It took a few years until getting into some of the list. You had to create 1.1s a background and kind of 1.1s history that you can prove that you have enough clients and you're going to bring enough business. How did I do that? A good way as well is trying to get into wedding planners. So if you contact a few wedding planners and say, listen, this is what I do, come and have a tasting, I will be super thrilled to work with you. Because then you get into those venues, the venue planner is already in the venue. The wedding planner is already in the venue. And then the wedding planner is the one that pays the commission and CEO, he is the one that can say, I'm bringing this caterer with me. And once you go into one venue, then they know you, they see what you do, and then it's all, well, I've done a few weddings here. It would be really amazing if I could have the possibility to be one of the caterers there. And that's how I've done it. And I still try to get more. 1.3s

U1

So with getting onto those lists, obviously people starting off, that's going to take a bit of time. 

U2

It does. 

U1

And you talked about, obviously, to gain sort of reputation when you first started. What kind of steps did you do to kind of get yourself out there, to give yourself that reputation or start building towards becoming to an approved caterpillar? 

U2

Well, I think it helped to start with 1.3s the, the year I did with Amba, it was four of us, and four of us come from very different backgrounds, but the four of us had careers before, so we literally went into every single person that we knew, and it's like, that's what we're doing. 2.4s And then once that finished, we were still really close friends. So all of those already contacts that we had in the year before, because we were four of us, 1.3s it started to create. Once you create one event, and that event tends to go really well, 2.1s from that event, you will get more business. You will definitely get more business. It doesn't matter if it's 1.1s a party for 15 people or a big party for 150. If it goes well, everyone is loud. Do you have a business card or, or just through the contact that you had? It's like, oh, I'm doing another party. So that's how I started to start with, 1.6s I think possibly because I was in banking and I had a lot of friends. 2.7s My my partner at the time as well, he was British and and he had a lot of contacts as well. So just try to literally tell everyone, you know, that I do great events and please book me. 

U1

So that networking is 

U2

really crucial about networking. Yeah. And it's still to the day that the more you network, the more you get. Also, people like to talk to me. 1.7s If I keep growing and I have an event manager, 1.2s someone running their emails, it doesn't matter if I am in there and it's me who replies. People tend to feel more attached and more personal 1.3s and also that's what I like. I like to be involved. I don't want to be a massive caterer. I want to still have control and know what I'm doing, know that my food is absolutely spot on, that my clients are having an amazing 1.6s time and service. So yes. 

U1

Would you say that you're wanting to obviously stay a certain size where you're still involved? Was that always part of the plan? Is that something I always wanted? Yeah. I knew I didn't want to be a massive one of the big caters. 2.4s I think I'm. 1.6s I'm very particular 1.4s and I like to know what is happening. Sometimes I have three weddings on one day, which I try to avoid, but sometimes it happens. And of course, I can't be on two of them. But I've got an amazing team that I rely on, and they've been working for me for years now. And they know how I work. I know how they work as well. I trust them entirely. We do all the prep together as well, so that doesn't matter. It's about the few days before you get everything done. You owe as much as done as possible. Everyone knows what the food is like, how it tastes, and then everyone goes their own way and finish it off on the event. So 

U2

I'm always there, like, kind of managing. 

U1

How did you build your team? What were you looking for? When you start employing 

U2

people, for me 3.5s at the moment, it's a nightmare getting new chefs. But I am so lucky that I met such an amazing, passionate chef. So for me, it's about having a great palate. 1.3s And also loving what you do. 1.3s For me, my company is a very personal thing. It's my little thing. I gave up banking. I gave up a really good job to do this because it's my passion. So the people who work for me has the same passion, even though it's not their company. And that is an amazing thing. I can't thank them enough. They take so much pride on what they do 1.3s and they work like if it was their own company. So for me, it's a massive plus and I can't thank them enough. And I hope of course, I'm Spanish and I have a very strong personality and sometimes maybe I say things too direct or too but I think we have a really great relationship. So on top of being myself, we're friends and we are lucky to be able to talk to each other. And if I'm being a little bit of a pain, they will tell me and the opposite, because they're all big characters. 1.4s

U1

How big is your team? Obviously, I remember you saying you had some people that kind of come in and 1.3s

U2

literally it's really difficult, actually, to get people to want a permanent job because it tends to be that they actually enjoy the priority. So I try to book them as soon as I know that I'm going to have an event. It's like book, even if it's for October and we are like, it's January and I have it in December. It's like, Ben Steph, are you free that weekend? Booked book. So I have peace of mind that I have all that cover is when the problem at the moment is like, we had a few months of really quiet and of course they're freelance, so they need work, so they work somewhere else and it's lovely for them. 1s And then now we're getting super busy again and by the time corporates for one day to in a week, oh, can we do this? This, this? Sure. But my chefs are already booked, so I am now struggling to find 1.3s the same quality or the same kind of because it takes time. It takes time to build that relationship with them. It takes time to know how they work, but. To know if we're compatible as well because the kitchen is a very stress environment. So it has to be compatible. It has to be a fun place to work as well. That for me is very important. So in our kitchens, even though some days are stressful because there is a lot to do, we still have a laugh, which is the main thing. So, yeah, I've got all freelance. They're all freelance, but really 1.6s because they don't want to be permanent employees. 1.6s I've got men, I've got the staff, and I've got a really great network of freelance chefs. It tends to be all leads as well. Friends of friends and 1s a really good team. And then I've got a really good team of event. Like, Linda, my venue manager, is amazing. She's worked with me for years as well, and I trust her entirely. And she deals with all the kind of front of house stuff. Okay, so for staff, a chef was looking to come try with you or what kind of things would you want them to show? You said about great palette, but in terms of. 1.4s

U1

So maybe skill level or maybe kind of personality. 

U2

I think for me 1.2s it's more almost about personality and willingness, like that passion to learn, that passion to get involved. I don't want a chef because he wants to get paid, because he needs their job. I want someone who, who is really into food and whatever he's going to be doing is going to be the best he can do. I would probably tell them it's like, well, maybe lunch today and make me your favorite this, or whatever. 1.6s And I think that's a really great way to see if they're just there because they need a job, which is nothing wrong about it. But there's not what I'm looking for. What I'm looking for is someone who will take pride of what they're producing even if I'm not there, so I can trust them entirely. So, yeah, having a skills is amazing and that's why it tends to. 1.4s Be all Leafs related 1.3s but that's something that you can actually teach so for me it's more about having a great palate 1.5s and having the passion for this for catering, for feeding people 2.8s

U1

yeah, because it's quite different. I've noticed that the difference between and say restaurant chefs and private chefs and freelance stuff although people have those skills of say a certain level 1.3s I think there is a difference in personality towards the way they see food or the way they deliver food you do need that a different kind of energy 

U2

yeah, absolutely. Like Private Chef in is completely different as well because private I do it bit of Private Chefing because I've got a really good clients that I just like and I do them for them every year. But it's a very personal thing. You spend the whole time with them, like from the morning to the evening with them and their family. So it has to be a connection as well. 3s A very good, maybe quality about the chefs I'm looking for is to be able to think on your feet. Because in catering, a lot of things a lot of things can go wrong very quickly because you are in a different venue in a different environment. Every time we do event, as I said, in blank canvas venues, which literally we're in a container and there is nothing there. So you have to bring everything in. So you rely on the higher equipment. Sometimes the higher equipment doesn't work and you are about to serve, I don't know, a wedding for 160 people and it's like, oh, but I only have one of them. So you really need to think on your feet or you are in another wedding in a marquee in someone's garden and the power keeps going. 2.5s There is so many things that can go wrong. So you literally have to think on your feet and constantly, we can do this, we can do that first and then we keep holding it in thermo boxes. Or there's a lot of things that. 1.5s Someone who panics really easily is probably not great for kind of catering or private chefing or things like that. And sometimes you are there on your own or maybe just with another two which are relying on you to tell them what to do. So you do need 1.3s skills to come up quickly with IBS, 1.1s

U1

I was thinking one thing I noticed at Leafs was obviously the age of the graduates and I imagine those of us that have had careers before we've gone into Leafs probably fit into probably like slot into different areas in the industry differently. Like the younger people might be really good at going into a Mission style restaurant where they're just going to pick up all those skills and learn and they don't mind being told what to do. And then there's other of us who obviously maybe done really well in our previous careers, where we've been bosses or we've been in charge. 1.6s I don't want to be boss. It is interesting when the sort of skill sets you talked about, a lot of that I think comes with age and what job you did because you have to experience those skills to learn how to deal with stress, to deal with and so. 1.4s And even just people that come, the chefs that have come into lease the guest speakers, a lot of the ones that probably have catering or private chef or those kind of experiences, a lot of them have probably come from previous professions before they were at least. And I definitely notice a pattern that kind of where people go depending on their age is really interesting and the skills you talk about. I do think as you get older, you improve on those things, you learn a bit more. 1.6s I was asked about weddings. So how does it from when a client contacts you about a wedding to the actual event? What is the sort of process you go through with them to secure a successful event? 

U2

So they tend to contact you first. Oh, we've seen this venue. We've seen that you are a proof cater there. 1.6s We really like the look of your menus. So 1.2s straight away we tend to 1s call them or an email asking as many questions as possible. Because it is true that some of these venues, because they are blank canvases, people don't know actually the whole cost that is involved. It's not just the catering. 1.3s I have to hire a whole kitchen. So we tend to do is like, okay, let's go through kind of what the day you think is going to look like. What time do you need us there? 2.7s And then we try to create a quote. If they are happy with the quote, then we say, well, come to the kitchen. 1.6s Sometimes they won't be spoke menus because maybe Cescottis and he's South African, and then want to incorporate some of that heritage into their menus. 1.1s Sorry, sometimes I have to create new menus, spoke menus, send those, and then they come back as like, well, let's put the date in the diary. You come to the kitchen, you meet us personal, and then we test. A lot of this is cannapes, a mixture of cannapes starters, main dessert. We have a great night. They always enjoy with wines as well. And then from there, they like it. And I think I have 100% heat ratio there 1.3s tends to okay, well, from there, they book it. They have to pay 10% of the kind of quote just to confirm the date. And then from there, it tends to happen because there's the two kinds. People who literally called you, we're getting married in three months, or people who is like a year and a half. And it's like, well, for the three and a half months, we need to get everything ready right now. For the one and a half years, let's keep in contact. But it's still too far ahead, so we have a kind of time plan, and it's like a few months before we keep getting in contact. We go through once they've chosen the final menu, we can go and say, well, what this is do you want to go on those? Because maybe this will look really lovely in a blue place. Or let's go white, plain white. So we go through that. We go through my event manager. Then, linda is the one who actually deals with most of that. I tend to deal just with the food related. 2.2s Items and then sees the one who will speak constantly with them about the schedule for the day, when are the speeches, are you bringing a cake? All of that kind of detail, 2.1s all the details from the day. And then probably maybe a month and a half before the wedding, we just tends to like, okay, this is getting real. We do like a kind of linda goes to the venue with them again and do like a kind of rehearsal of how the day is going to go. 2.4s We do an event seat which has all the details with all the names of everyone, all the dietary requirements. We get the dietary requirements from the clients as well. Because as you can imagine in weddings, there is a lot of dietary requirements which at the moment I'm trying to dietary requirements is great. Fussiness is not. We are not dealing with fussy people in a venue where I don't have things around me all the time. I need to plan ahead. And they are getting better. They are getting better. So I think that's it. And then a few days before the wedding, it is all ready. Um. 1.7s And then we deliver the wedding and they are super happy. 

U1

What are some of the 1.3s interesting challenges you faced at a wedding, like, where you're like, oh, my God. You talk about thinking on your feet and being not panicking. Can you give us a few examples of, like, when it's been like, oh, my God, what do I do? 

U2

Well, yeah, there is loves. I mean, when you work in new places as well, you know, until you actually work there. So you go into a venue and then you plug three 1.1s portable events, three inductions, because I remember one of the weddings, they wanted pasta, and they wanted two different pasta diseases for all their starters. So we had like four inductions going at the same time. Well, the power came, literally, the power every time one of the inductions went on, 3.3s okay, this is not going to work. This is not going to work. So let's switch off all the ovens. We don't need the ovens until the second until the main course, and let's concentrate. So literally, it was removing the whole kitchen. And it's like, one induction is here, one induction is at the other end. One induction is there, and then the other one is outside because they are in different circles. 1.4s But then also when you don't know, because if you know, you can plan, well, I might need another set because everyone is in a different place. If I am here with two inductions, I can do two things at one, but if I'm there and there, I can't be on both. So it's just literally just, okay, let's try to work this out. And then now it's not fusing. It's okay, it's okay. So it's just a lot of running around and a lot of last minute panic, but we make it work. That's one of them. So we had to make a lot of saucepans with water baskets to try to get the pasta ready. 2.8s Because of the power. Another times maybe you go into a venue and they said, oh yeah, we have an oven. We really have an oven. And you arrive in microwave. 1.9s I was like, okay, well, I have a pan. 1.1s Because maybe you did arantini or something like that 3.4s instead of you've already maybe fried them in the kitchen because you didn't want to create any smoke or any kind of a smell. But now you're in there and you can't reheat them because the microwave will not reheat them well and not crisp them up. So now it's like, well, I have a pan and I have oil, so I'm going to double fry them. 2.8s Things like that. It's just small things. Or you arrive and the oven is not what you what you expect it to be. A hire an oven is a new hire equipment company because we are in the middle of countryside and when you arrive, the oven is not a gastro. No morbid. It's a kind of little oven. So you have to go quickly into a supermarket and trying to get no gastro trays, literal foil containers that is going to go into an oven. 10.9s

U1

What are some of the things you could do? What things do you put in place to sort of limit your potential? 

U2

Absolutely. Doing a site visit. Absolutely. And I've started because before it's all new and you always learn 1.2s while doing it, but I didn't charge to start with for site visits. And some people get like, Whoa, that's quite well. It's a whole day of my whole day in my week that I can't do anything else because I have to go an hour and a half from London to see the venue, to make sure that the venue has the right things. 1.2s But yes, absolutely. Do a site visit, see what is there, what do you need? 1.6s That's one of the things. Another thing, do list as prep as you are, the better. I've got kind of page with I need to tick in every event. If it's for paellas parties, it will have one thing. If it's for cannabis or something, it will have another thing. But it's like utensils that you need to take napkins. Sometimes you go literally you pack everything and it's like, oh, I'm so prepared today. And then you arrive like, I have not packed napkins. So it's literally and even if it's not there, the chef can go and take tick. Tick induction. Hobs. 1.9s I don't know, the pistol, if you're doing sauces and things like that. So it's little things that if you just have it with you, and then when you're packing, it tick, tick, tick, tick. 1.8s It makes it easier. 

U1

So speaking of challenges or how did COVID affect you during? Because that was what was it? You're probably, what, five years, five years, six years into your business when 

U2

COVID hit? It was it was bad also, because I literally just 1.4s went into a new industrial kitchen, my own as well. Before, I was kind of subletting from someone that already was a caterer in a kitchen, and I just sublet part of the kitchen. So now this was my own kind of kitchen, and I had the lease with my landlord. This happened. So it was a lot of outgoings, because my landlord didn't give me a single penny for free or a month or nothing. So I had to work. I had to make it work. So literally, me and a friend who was in the same situation, it's like, well. 1s Um, let's set up another company. And within within a week, we had a website, a new website. Together we joined forces and we did London Kitchen Deliveries, which was like a kind of delivery service. We started from the very, very beginning, we started literally delivering fruit, vegetables, flour, where everyone wanted flour or bread. Really lovely sour to to just houses around southeast London, because we live in Southeast London. From there, my team of freelancers, because they have cars, one will go north of London, one will go west London, and then from there we started doing three course meals, weekly meals. So we will prepare the whole week, and then on a Friday we will deliver them. And every week we will change the menus, start and main dessert. Everything done, they just needed with instructions of how to reheat and maybe plate up. And then from there we went into nationwide. So we opened an account with DPD and then on Thursday they came collect and we're doing boxes all in thermals and send them Nationwide. It was hell. It was total hell. I don't think I've ever worked that hard in my life. There were days that we were there from eight in the morning until, I don't know, eleven at night, because we got into corporates as well. So corporates were doing like, sending packages to employees, so they were having a meeting and they wanted to do afternoon tea for everyone. So at Christmas it was crazy as well. We had, I think, a Christmas meal for 400 people, so it was 400 boxes to pack in a small kitchen. So we had a big team of people, some people cooking, some people packaging, labeling, yeah. But we made it work and I'm very proud of what we did. We survived. We gave work to our freelance chefs and it got closer together as 

U1

well. So. 2.1s What kind of at what point were you like, Shit, we we need to because obviously when COVID was starting, it kind of wasn't very clear. Like what? 

U2

Well, for us, it was I think it was I went to Spain in February for a friend's birthday, and when I got back, I was feeling a bit ill. And then literally, it started top about it, and I was like, I'm going to stay home. I'm going to stay home. I'm going to quarantine. And then my friend said, yeah, I'm not feeling great either. I'm going to quarantine. So without both of us quarantine in their own house, we decided, I think this might go a bit longer than everyone thinks. 1.2s Why don't we set up this anyway? Because I'm going to go crazy. I live on my own and I need things to do, 1.4s so at least I have a purpose. 1.9s I remember 1s she was doing 1.4s behind the Grounds website. I was getting the ingredients and cooking and taking pictures for the kind of website. So it was like a split roll, costing everything and kind of finding all the packaging. But, yeah, for the very beginning, I think we were one of the first people delivering food boxes around, at least around southeast London. 1.2s

U1

So kind of getting in early really helped you cement your place of where you're going. 

U2

Okay. Yeah. And it literally was more survival. I live on my own. I needed I will go crazy if I don't have anything to do. 1.3s You 

U1

said you got an industrial kitchen, which is not just for COVID. 1.9s At what point did you shift from, say, renting subletting with someone else to going, actually, I need my own kitchen 3.5s

U2

because it's the scale. Before, I didn't have that many jobs, but I didn't have that many outgoings because I was subletting someone else's kitchen. So my rent was small. Then it started creating bigger jobs and big jobs, and it's like, Well, I need a bigger kitchen. I need more space. 1.7s And then at the same time, the person who I was, my friend, who 1s I was hiring the kitchen from, had a different agenda as well. They were leaving the kitchen. They were doing something else, so I needed to find somewhere else. So instead of going into another smaller kitchen, I just looked for a small unit, and I found one near my house is like ten minutes from my house, and it's like, okay, this is an investment. I had to kick it out as well, and I had to do a little bit of reformation. It had the messenger level, but it was very small. So I extended the messenger level so we have a tasting room and kind of storage. 1.2s But it was the only way, if I wanted to. 1.5s It was a push because he was leaving the kitchen anyway. But it was a good time because I was growing and I couldn't get bigger jobs if I didn't have a bigger kitchen. 1.5s It all kind of plan at the same time. 

U1

Okay, so to kind of finish a couple of questions, one question is what's next? 2s How are you guys growing? What's sort of the future of gym? 

U2

I think at the moment I am in the process of 1.5s kind of restructuring and the plan is to really have two all linked together, but one will be completely specific for Basque cuisine and Spanish cuisine. So everyone looking for something in Spanish. They will find me straight away and then have another sister company which is in the more global travel 1.3s company, which people will associate with London Basket, but with the name they will know that I do something else apart from Spanish and then I can focus maybe going into a little bit of marketing. I want to get more into corporates as well because 1.1s it's a great, easy, really nice job on a weekday. Weddings are great and I love them and you get to know the couples, but it takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. It's very personal and it's weekends while if I get more business, regular business from corporates, also a wedding, you do it once a corporate, you're going to do it lots throughout the year. It's a customer that you're going to have for a lot of years and a lot of events. So, yeah, I'm trying to focus more a little bit into because I'm happy with the way weddings are and I'm getting into a new venue as well, but I'm going to try to concentrate to get a little bit more on corporate. So weekday things. 

U1

Next one is if people want to find more about what you do or want to see what your website, stuff like that. 1.5s

U2

I think if they want to. I'm in the process of redoing the websites as well, but I think the most they can see about me is in Instagram. I do try to put as much as possible on Instagram. It's at the moment, me, I don't have anyone else doing it, so it's very personal. 1.6s I have been told that I need to appear a bit more because it tends to be all food related and apparently people actually want to see me too. So I'm going to try to do it maybe a little few videos or a bit more involved. 

U1

And if anyone wants to do some work experience 

U2

yes, please 2.3s email me. Please email me. I pay for work experience as well. 1.3s At the moment, we are really struggling to find new chefs. So I'm just waiting until all your lot finish in June and then I will be there. 1s

U1

So if they want to email you, what's your 

U2

email? It's monica at Londonbaskitchen. Co UK. That's my personal kind of direct one. And then we have an info at Londonbaskitchen Co UK that goes to my whole team, so the Vend manager as well will have 

U1

it. So you're looking for chefs, so anyone who's looking for a job should definitely 

U2

yes, please. 1.4s

U1

Okay. We 

U2

always provide you an amazing lunch as well. 

U1

There we go. Well, thank you so much for your time. I've really 

U2

enjoyed my pleasure. More about 

U1

catering and what you do and your journey, and hopefully people email you for work, but hopefully they also inspire them to go down their own road of catering. 

U2

Yes. And if anyone needs any kind of bud to, say, mentoring, but I am super happy and super open to share any of my experiences. If they're struggling with costings or things like that, they can always email me. I'm happy to 

U1

chat. Yeah. Also work experience, because that's a great way to learn on the job and get paid. Thank you very much your time. Have a lovely weekend and take care. You too. Bye. 

U2

Bye. Bye. 1.1s