Private Dining: There’s No Experience Quite Like It
Revenge Travel
June 17, 2021
A Man for All Cuisines
June 17, 2021From lunch on your terrace to dinner aboard a luxury yacht, there’s nothing quite as exclusive as exceptional private dining – and that’s exactly what the talented team behind Chef Agents have set out to provide.
Article written by Jo Caruana - Finesse Group
Imagine your favourite place – perhaps it’s the garden of a beautiful heritage property, the rooftop terrace of a private home, or the deck of a stunning boat berthed in the Grand Harbour. Next, imagine not just being there, but enjoying a fabulous lunch or dinner designed around your favourite foods – made from the very best ingredients and presented beautifully.
This is exactly what private dining can deliver. You simply provide the location and the vision for what you want to achieve, and a private dining chef will do the rest – keeping your ideas at the centre of everything they create.
Experienced chefs Roderick Cauchi and Manuel Cucciardi had that exact vision in mind when they created Chef Agents, a private dining company that takes absolute pride in crafting unique dining experiences for its clients. “We take care of absolutely everything,” says CEO Roderick. “When a client entrusts us to cook for them, we handle the whole process – we come up with exciting menus based on their nutritional desires and requirements, and even match the event to the venue.
We launched a few months ago now, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the feedback we have received from clients so far. It highlights that our dedication towards creating something different really does pay off.”
Chef Manuel Cucciardi (left) and Chef Roderick Cauchi
Roderick explains that he has been passionate about food from a young age, and became even more interested in it as he got older. He sadly lost his mother when he was just six years old and, with his father working two jobs to provide for him and his siblings, Roderick found himself preparing food for the family at home. “That’s where it all started,” he smiles.
“I used to enjoy the whole process so much – from reading through my mum’s old cookbooks to asking our neighbours to share their favourite recipes. I was always driven to serve something exquisite to my family. Watching them enjoy my food meant the world to me, and that’s something I have taken forward into my career ever since.”
That career began in his teens when Roderick started working in an Italian restaurant that helped underline his passion for food even more. He moved on to other restaurants in the years since, including locally-based family eateries to fine-dining locations, and he credits this journey with giving him a very varied skillsbase today.
However, things changed for Roderick when the pandemic hit and he had to make some difficult choices. Ultimately, he chose to shift his work to the film industry, which yielded higher revenue at the time. “I worked at the Film Commission for a while and that’s where I met Manuel, an old acquaintance from one of the restaurants I had worked in previously,” Roderick continues. “I have always been impressed by Manuel’s experience in the kitchen. His background includes a number of top hotels and fine-dining restaurants overseas, including the Trump Hotel in Scotland.”
Roderick explains that he has been passionate about food from a young age, and became even more interested in it as he got older. He sadly lost his mother when he was just six years old and, with his father working two jobs to provide for him and his siblings, Roderick found himself preparing food for the family at home. “That’s where it all started,” he smiles.
“I used to enjoy the whole process so much – from reading through my mum’s old cookbooks to asking our neighbours to share their favourite recipes. I was always driven to serve something exquisite to my family. Watching them enjoy my food meant the world to me, and that’s something I have taken forward into my career ever since.”
That career began in his teens when Roderick started working in an Italian restaurant that helped underline his passion for food even more. He moved on to other restaurants in the years since, including locally-based family eateries to fine-dining locations, and he credits this journey with giving him a very varied skillsbase today.
However, things changed for Roderick when the pandemic hit and he had to make some difficult choices. Ultimately, he chose to shift his work to the film industry, which yielded higher revenue at the time. “I worked at the Film Commission for a while and that’s where I met Manuel, an old acquaintance from one of the restaurants I had worked in previously,” Roderick continues. “I have always been impressed by Manuel’s experience in the kitchen. His background includes a number of top hotels and fine-dining restaurants overseas, including the Trump Hotel in Scotland.”
As the duo reconnected, they hit it off and it was clear they were both passionate about food and being in the kitchen. “It was evident that we had similar ideas about food and clear concepts in mind, so we decided to partner up,” Manuel says. “We opted to start a personal culinary experience company to service guests in their homes and in other luxury locations, and that’s how Chef Agents was born.”
Now the pair enjoy bringing their extensive experience and indisputable creativity to their guests’ events, while handling everything from hosting to dishwashing. “It’s a very different experience to working in a restaurant but we absolutely love it. We’re passionate about ensuring our clients can enjoy the dinner they dreamed of, whether with friends, family or business associates.” In fact, both Manuel and Roderick say that Chef Agents is about so much more than just preparing food – it’s about creating a truly memorable experience.
“Honestly speaking, it is a gift for us to be able to prepare delicious food for people to enjoy. To us, food is as much about the overall experience as it is about the taste, and it is that belief that we bring to every client event that we are lucky enough to cater for,” the chefs say.
For further information about Chef Agents and to plan your next personal dining event, call Roderick on 9937 3740.
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