Staff on break

Location catering is totally about amazing staff!

When the rest of the world is happily playing or sleeping, you will find behind the scenes, our staff putting in the long hard hours, loving every chance to make your event a great success. From enquiry to account settlement, our people are the essential link to happy customers.

Read on about our flexibility in meeting unexpected challenges, often anywhere in New Zealand, far from our base.

Dancing on our feet - The only constant things when location catering is constant change and long hours on running feet. Filming projects for instance, often demand this. Crews can be late for meals, or even worse, early! Then, just when food is ready on the buffet, far more than expected may appear.

Locations can change just as quickly. “Sorry girls, we know you have already done your 12 hours but we have to change locations for breakfast tomorrow and by the way, could you pick up a few bits from the supermarket and fuel the Ford on the way?”

Tight schedules and unexpected turnarounds - Then there's the unexpected.  “I know you have done ten days on the trot but can you come in to base and help with the pack-down and the pack-out for the bereavement tomorrow.”  Flexible staff, supported by our wide range of equipment, allow us to cater for tighter schedules and events back-to-back, same time even, over wide distances.

Meeting challenges far away from base - Several annual engagements, demand eight to ten day stints away from base.  Being on location anywhere throughout New Zealand, necessitates living in accommodation with less-than-ideal choices, poor communications with the outside world and long hours without breaks, not to mention the weather. Rain, snow and frosts can quickly lead to towing trucks through bogs!  Just to complicate matters, the boss is likely to be working on other challenging enquiries at the same time.

And so, the challenges roll on…

 

Lovely Grub catering equipment DSC07172

Our two standalone mobile kitchens are able to travel throughout New Zealand and its backcountry.

Lovely Grub's location catering service is based around fully-equipped and self-contained mobile kitchens comprising of:

Two kitchen trucks - each powered by gas and electricity generators, containing:

  • Gas heated ovens, hobs and brat pan
  • Pressurised hot/cold water system and sink
  • Fridges and freezers
  • Cooking mixers and equipment
  • Work benches
  • Pantry
  • 32A single phase generator
  • 2x275ltr fresh water tanks
  • 2x275ltr grey water tanks
  • 90kg gas compound

Kitchen trailer - towed by the larger kitchen truck, our 5 metre long heavy gull-wing trailer folds-down into 21 metres of extra work space

Pantry truck - 3 metre long

Chiller trailer - 3 metre long walk-in chiller (ideal for any bar, large or small)

Two canopy trailers - tandem wheeled

Ford Ranger - 4x4 towing vehicle

Additional vehicles - Extra trucks or unimogs are hired for large scale functions. We have considerable experience in fitting them out for specialist use

Dinner set - 400 piece

Catering equipment - 2 shipping containers worth

Marquees and additional equipment - We have a long-standing association with Hirepool Ltd for arranging all manners of equipment

Food prep 103

Lovely Grub has been operating for several decades. We often cater for weddings, family celebrations and other occasions, and many significant events throughout New Zealand.  Read about some of our most notable work here...

Major events

We have extensive experience in catering for large sport and leisure events throughout New Zealand. We have also joined with partners to provide one-stop-shop range of services, from facilitation to clean-up hiring any necessary equipment.  We have long associations with rowing, shooting, multi-sports, rugby, dog trials and music festival organisations.

Read more about the range we cover here...

Film & television crew catering

Our self-contained kitchens allow us to work for long periods on movie locations throughout New Zealand. Movie and commercial location shoots we have worked on include: NZs 'Snakeskin', EI Lago, Indian 'Something I have to say', Canterbury Draft commercial, Korean Beanpole commercial, and Chinese fantasy adventure film 'L.O.R.D.'.

Read more about our services here...

Weddings

Lovely Grub caters for around 30 weddings per year, many we consider as 'destination' weddings. This specialist work requires high service levels delivered in many unusual and remote locations. We often coordinate the marquee and complete range of hire equipment including bar facilities.

Read more on our wedding page here...

Corporate catering

Lovely Grub also specialises in client dinners or luncheons, field days or product launches and venue openings. They can be either a special day or at a major event like the South Island Field Days or the Canterbury A&P Show. Service usually involves a morning & afternoon tea with some sort of luncheon.  Cafe, beverage and bar services can be supplied. The many and varied locations we operate at require strongly focused attention to the logistical detail of service and supply.

Our Client Portfolio includes: Alliance Meats Ltd, ASB Bank, Balance, Bank of NZ, Bicycle Victoria, Blackwell Motors Ltd, BNZ Partners, Black Cat Cruises, Bloody Good Events, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd, Claas Harvest Centre, Cochrane’s of Canterbury, Cookie Time Ltd, Farmers Mutual, Fonterra, GEA Farm Technologies, Hyundai, Ideal Electrical Ltd, Dow Agrosciences (NZ) Ltd, Lincoln College Foundation, Pine Gould Corp, PGG Wrightson Ltd, Rabo Bank, Ravensdown Fertilizer Coop, South Island Field Days, Westpac.and many others.

Logo Clients

GavinMarshall

Managing Director, Logistics & Sales

Cell 027 253 3155
(often out off range)
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Managing Director, Logistics & Sales

I am an amateur photographer who has taken most of the images on this site. I enjoy travelling around the world to see family and other cultures. Being a proud Kiwi I am privileged to earn my living travelling to the many beautiful remote locations throughout my country.

JudyMarshall

Accounts, Administration and Staff Support

Cell 021 067 0685
(often out off range)
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Accounts, Administration and Staff Support

Life revolves around my grandchildren when I am not working. Given that two of the 3 families live overseas I get to do my next most favourite thing which is travelling. At home I have two cats and a small garden.

Nicki Craw

Function Coordinator

Nik has a lifestyle block north of Christchurch where she lives with her partner and various pets.

Maggie Harper

Chef

Maggie can be found out in the paddock of her farmlet caring for, or riding her horses when not looking after her two wonderful boys and husband.

Janene McIlwrick

Front of House Manager with Cooking Experience

Hi I am Janene. When I am not working for Lovely Grub, I spend my time with horses and family. I also teach conversation English in rural Cambodia. Come say hello if you see me on location.

Helen Beer

Relief Cook

Hi, I am Helen Beer, married to Geoff and mother of four wonderful kids, Kerin, John, Michael, and Leah. I live in Invercargill, Southland - the best place in New Zealand to live! I work part time caring and cleaning for my clients in their own homes. I enjoy sewing, patchwork, crafts and my vegetable garden.

Shane Hand

Location Manager

I enjoy fixing or making things in my spare time. A carpenter by trade but also like mechanics. Fishing and reading are my other leisure time activities. I enjoy the challenge of driving one of the kitchen rigs, the setting up the sites and being part of the Lovely Grub team on location.