The Wilderness Kitchen: Bringing Gourmet Dining Anywhere

At The Wilderness Chef, we pride ourselves on our ability to cook in any location with our innovative Wilderness kitchen setup. Whether it’s city venues, mountaintops, sand dunes, remote forests, or even a secluded island, we bring gourmet dining to your dream location. With fully customisable catering packages, we offer everything from canapé service and banquets to buffets, individually plated, and alternate drop dining. Our focus on sustainability means we source seasonal, local produce to support farmers and reduce our environmental impact, ensuring both quality and ethical dining experiences.

We’ve cooked all up and down the east coast of Australia, and even ventured to Tasmania and New Zealand to cater for weddings. Our commitment to creating exceptional meals no matter the setting is at the core of what we do.

Our Wilderness Kitchen Setup

We bring a fully equipped mobile kitchen to your event, capable of creating restaurant-quality meals anywhere. Here’s a look at what’s included in our setup:

• 3 x Heatlie gas roasting ovens

• 4-8 large catering tables with extension leg risers

• Hi-output portable gas stove

• 4-6 gas bottles

• Portable deep fryer

• Extension cords and power boards

• Cordless LED lights

Catering utensils: Everything we need, from chopping boards and tongs to micro-planes, blow torches, pots, pans, and sanitiser. Our fully-stocked kitchen is equipped to handle any menu, no matter how complex.

Additional Equipment

• Catering tents: While not included in our standard packages, we can assist with sourcing tents or marquees if needed for covered kitchen space.

• For events with 70+ guests, we require a 6m x 6m covered area next to the dining space.

• For events with up to 70 guests, a 4m x 4m area will suffice.

Cooking for Large Events

The number of ovens and equipment we bring depends on the guest count and the dining style chosen. For example, a canapé service requires fewer ovens than a banquet or plated meal, as canapés are cooked and served over a longer period. However, a banquet requires all food to be cooked and served simultaneously, demanding more oven space. Menu items like wok-tossed greens or deep-fried sides may also require additional fryers or stoves.

What Makes Our Setup Unique?

Unlike many catering companies that heat up pre-cooked meals, our chefs prepare everything on-site to ensure each dish is cooked and served at its peak. We use temperature probes for all proteins to ensure they’re perfectly cooked and safe to eat, delivering a restaurant-quality dining experience no matter the location.

Whether it's a remote forest, a beachside wedding, or a mountaintop elopement, we specialise in delivering high-end dining in locations with no kitchen facilities. We mean it when we say we can cook anywhere.

Behind the Scenes: Memorable Setups

One of our more memorable events took place on Clark Island in Sydney Harbour. We transported all of our Wilderness Kitchen equipment from Newcastle to a jetty in Sydney, loaded it onto a barge, and sailed to the middle of Sydney Harbour. After unloading everything, we carried our equipment over 100 metres to set up for a media brand launch, a truly unique experience!

There was also a memorable elopement in Kangaroo Valley that tested our nerves! “It took about 9 trips to set up,” says Cooper, “on the fourth trip we are coming down the track again and I had this big table on my shoulder, something else under my arm” He continues “Ash was in front of me and she screams, “Ash and I encountered a huge brown snake crossing our path. It wouldn’t move, so we had to carefully make our way past, using the table as a barrier between us and the snake! Thankfully, we never saw it again, and the elopement turned out to be one of the most beautiful locations we’ve ever worked at, with stunning rivers, rock formations, and trees surrounding us.”

These experiences truly show that when we say we can cook anywhere, we mean it!

If you’re planning an event in a remote or unusual location, our team is fully prepared to bring incredible food and seamless service to your special day. Let us know how we can make your vision a reality!