Wedge Co-op Catering with Online Ordering
Tashi at the Wedge Table
How did you get into the catering business? What did
you do before you started working at the Wedge?
My family has always been very into cooking (my mom
owned a bakery in our hometown of Alexandria), so
choosing to work with food was a very natural choice.
I helped cater events with my parents when I was in
high school, and then I started working as a line cook
in college. I was at Pizza Lucé before I started working
at the Wedge three-and-a-half years ago.
What aspect of the new commissary kitchen are you
most excited about?
The space, it’s huge. At the old
kitchen, we probably had a tenth of the space we have
here. Now you can really spread out, and it makes
production much faster because you don’t have to do
everything in a space that’s literally as wide as
your body.
What are some of your favorite ingredients to
work with?
Honestly, I just like working with new
ingredients or working with ingredients in a different
way than I’ve done before. We have great access to
seasonal ingredients, which is always fun. And I really
like the challenge of working with people’s dietary
needs, finding great recipes that are gluten-free and
vegan is really enjoyable.
What’s it like pulling together a catering event
such as the annual owner meeting?
There’s a lot
of planning, making lists, gathering ingredients,
and figuring out equipment rentals, but it’s pretty
rewarding when it all comes together. I actually really
like it because it’s the whole Wedge community, all
the staff is here chipping in, setting tables, and doing
dishes and everyone’s in it together.
What kind of music do you listen to while you prep
and cook?
Before we had to listen to whatever was on
at the store, but now we get to choose our own music.
I like to keep it lively, something danceable. It definitely
has to be something groovy.
What are your favorite things from the catering menu?
I really like the miniature sweet potato black bean
burgers. They’re vegan and gluten free but they’re
actually really good! And they come with a delicious
guacamole on the side. And I’m a fan of the middle
eastern tray because it’s got a great variety of cheeses,
dips, tabbouleh, olives and pita that looks really
beautiful. It’s something that’s appealing for people to
snack on whether it’s at a business lunch or at something
more festive, like a party.
Do you have a favorite event you’ve catered for the
Wedge?
I like them all. Weddings are nice because
they’re so festive. But I also enjoy the work we do on a
daily basis, like making school lunch for the kids at the
Waldorf School right up the street. And I like driving
the catering van around town; I feel super flashy now
that it’s all decked out.
How do you see the catering business growing
in the future?
Right now we mostly do business
luncheons and conferences. But my hope is that we’ll
start doing more events-like weddings and dinner
parties-now that we have more space and equipment
at our disposal. I’m also hopeful that our catering
services will be a draw to the space we have here at
the Table; you can have your event here and the food
will be made right in-house.