Interview with a Kamloops Private Chef / Wedding & Event Caterer
After working with Paige from Sage and Plate and experiencing her talent first-hand, I was eager to hear more about her experiences in the hospitality industry and how she works with couples on their wedding day to provide a unique and authentic dining experience. Find more info and contact Paige for all your catering needs below —
Paige Badminton
EMAIL: sageandplate@gmail.com
Tell me a little bit about you. Were you born and raised in Kamloops?
I'm born and raised in North Vancouver, but have been back and forth from Kamloops my whole life. I’m currently living in one of our most beautiful neighboring communities, Pinantan. I’m 28, engaged to my best friend, and have 2 kitties and an Aussie; I'm obsessed with all 4 of them. Out of work hobbies include over night hike camping, mountain biking, paddle boarding, snowmobiling, rock climbing, music, art, yoga, and just loving on my friends and family.
What made you decide to become a chef? How long have you been in the industry?
I've been professionally cooking since 2009, earning my certificate in 2014. I started my first job when I was 15, at what is now called the Sandman Centre as a cashier, but asked if I could be in the back working on the grill. That summer I left and moved to a fast paced pub where I enjoyed the rush and loved working fast and smart — I learnt a lot there while finding a passion for taking pride in my work and my stations. I ran into few an experiences that made me want to move forward into professional cooking, so I called my uncle and told him I wanted to move back to Vancouver to pursue cooking. I got accepted into the Art Institute of Vancouver, and from there I worked in high end restaurants in Vancouver, pastry shops, and high scale casual dining.
When I moved back to Kamloops I ended up working in a handful of notable restaurants in town (Terra, Brownstone, Noble Pig.) I was also a private chef in Quensel, BC and worked at a pastry shop in town. After finding my rhythm in this town, I then helped open up Iron Road Brewing and then Forno (now called Underbelly) to now having my own little business Sage and Plate. I'm very grateful to have worked in so many different settings and really absorb as much as I could have, and that's allowed me to create what I do now.
Tell me a bit about the process of hiring a caterer for a wedding day and what your job is day-of.
The first steps are the usual — inquiring about dates, budget, guest count, and location. Once that's done, we make some custom menus or send you our chefs premade canape and dining menus; all seasonal of course. After that's done, we move to contract and deposits and wait for the big day.
Once we get to the day-of, I ensure we have a great stacked team to ensure the whole day goes off well and will match the guests’ energy. We start with unloading and setting up our stations. Once everything is in the house, the kitchen staff sets up the kitchen, the floaters/servers set up the tables with the wares that have been rented and they make sure all the labels and serving utensils are set, while the bar staff (if the clients ask for some) get their bar set up with garnishes, ice, etc. Once service begins, those in the kitchen fire the food, the servers/floaters are there to bring them out and help the guests if they need, and I generally make a plate or two for the wedding couple and vendors. Once service is complete, we do a full shut down of the kitchen, bar, and wares!
What are the key benefits of hiring a private caterer for your wedding day?
I find with my personal business, the beneficial aspect is the experience I have and the fact that I'm able to customize weddings for couples; really make their dreams come true. OUT are the days of mashed potatoes, prime rib and green salad, and IN are the days of slider bars, chicken ‘n waffle canapés, pavlova towers, forno pizza, 200 person show-stopping grazing tables and so much more. We are able to offer so much flexibility and really enhance this experience. Never taking away from the couple, but always ensuring they get to express themselves through food.
What's one thing you wish couples knew when hiring a personal chef?
It's much more than just cooking; it’s creating experiences and giving experiences. I ensure that the team knows what's happening in order to best serve the clients. We make sure that we execute and balance everything to our best capabilities. It’s not just food on a plate — it’s all the steps to get there and to execute the vision.
Do you tend to stick to a theme or do all your weddings and events look completely different?
There is a bit of a theme here in Kamloops, we make sure we always have a structured wedding menu for the main part of the night — but I'm finding people are getting more excited about exploring some wild canapé options we have, or having a dessert bar instead of your traditional cake! If there was to ever be a theme — it’s been asked of by the couple.
What are some trends for food and drink you are living for the 2023 season?
I'm LOVING where the food trends are going for 2023 because it aligns with what I love to do. Finding new and innovate and artsy ways to serve the food is so much fun to me. I'm really enjoying painting with buttercream to decorate the cakes. Champagne towers are my dream! I’m even doing it at my own wedding. And I'm loving that people are wanting to do a high end private dining rehearsal (honestly some of my favourite events ever.)
What's your favourite part of a wedding day? What's your favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of any wedding day is the wedding couple telling me how much food is important to them and how much they enjoyed it!
My favourite part of my job is that I get to do what I love and be fulfilled — is there anything better than that?
What are a few of your favourite BC wedding/event venues in and around Kamloops?
Some of my absolute favourites are: