Think of the best meal you can remember. Perhaps it was the meal over which your partner proposed, or a meal of mum's special home cooking enjoyed at a dinner table surrounded by your whole family...whatever the meal was, it was probably the people you shared it with and the situation, rather than the deliciousness of the meal itself, that made it so wonderful. For that reason, DiningStory carefully considers the story behind each dinner table.
When I worked in the kitchen of a top international restaurant, the whole team would work silently to achieve the best possible quality. For all of the orders that came flooding in we would strive to achieve a consistently high quality. While we were constantly rushing about, our key priority was ensuring consistency, rather than considering the story behind each meal - who the diners were and what the situation was. It was like working in an assembly line. Then one day while I was travelling overseas, I experienced the best meal I can remember. It was a simple meal served without any special trappings or fanfare, but the flavours of the ingredients and the spices were exquisitely balanced, so much so that it felt like the food was 'speaking' to me. Afterwards when I thought about it, I realised that although the food itself had been delicious, it was my state of mind at that time and the story behind that meal that made it taste even better and turned it into an unforgettable meal.
That's when I started working on preparing truly delicious meals my way, using my experience working in top restaurants. DiningStory was launched at the end of 2008 and it is rooted in the concept of preparing truly memorable meals by paying attention to the diners' stories. The indispensable elements required to produce each dining story are: a travelling chef who comes to you, a customised menu and a small dining group.
Why Organic?....
I feel very lucky to have produced dining stories for many clients. As I helped out with memorable occasions such as marriage proposals and surprise parties, mums' and kids' birthdays and early motherhood, new dining stories were written. My philosophy is that food that is good to eat should be even better for the body. After I had a baby, I became particularly mindful about the foods I put in my body, so I started to choose organic foods, foods that were low in sugar (rather than foods that contained refined sugar), foods sourced from local farmers and foods that were free of additives and preservatives. I am a licensed dietician and believe that physical and mental health are more balanced when we are in harmony with the earth. From 2012, I want DiningStory to create cuisine using natural produce in its natural state, and to produce your dining story based on this concept, from carefully selected organic ingredients.
Chef and Director Sachiko Marchand
