Titbits Vegan Catering
Suraj and I went to Brighton a few months ago and we were fortunate enough to be there when The Gourmet Girls had their once a week pop up. We had an amazing meal and that's how I found out Titbits Catering. They manage, host and cater for the weekly pop-ups!
If I can do anything to share news about vegan businesses with you, I will! Therefore, I'll leave you with Paula who will tell you all about Titbits.
What type of food does Titbits Catering make?
The kind of food I prepare for the weekly Friday night Pop Up Restaurant is globally influenced gourmet cuisine, using local, organic and ethically sourced ingredients as much as possible and is 100% vegan.
For a market stall, generally, just through the summer months then its Tasty Tapas! These are small bites using inspiration drawn from around the world.
Where is Titbits Catering based?
Brighton
Do you exclusively serve those who are local to you or do you cater for events outside Brighton too?
I tend to keep it as local as possible and not venture too far from Brighton. I try keeping my carbon footprint to a minimum by using a vehicle as little as possible!
What inspired you to create a business that solely focuses on providing vegan catering?
I have been vegan for 20 years and catering for just as long. I didn't want to contribute to animal suffering any more so gave up working in vegetarian restaurants to pursue my dream of providing inspiring, creative and nutritious vegan food.
Can you tell me a bit about the Pop Ups you organise?
The Pop Ups are every Friday Night at the same venue, a little cafe and deli in the Hanover area of Brighton called Fanny's of Hanover. The menu is a set 3 course meal with a different theme each week. The menus vary from Japanese, Spanish, Italian to 'Fish n Chips' or Gourmet Bangers n Mash.
I also organise Pop Ups in people's houses and for private events.
How easy is it for you to source cruelty free ingredients for your dishes?
I tend to make everything from scratch, using fresh vegetables, grains, tofu or pulses. I avoid using processed foods or ready made items so it isn't really a problem. On the odd occasion that I use anything say, like soya cream, then I visit Infinity. It's a fantastic organic supermarket that also does wholesale. Brighton has many health food shops and caters well for vegans in general.
Is Titbits Catering owned by, or in partnership with, another company that tests on animals or sell non-vegan products?
I am the sole trader and would not go into partnership with any company that tested on animals or contained any animal ingredients.
Tell me a bit about yourself before you launched Titbits Catering?
I became vegetarian at 13 and have been vegan for the last 20 years. I have always had a passion for cooking but it wasn't until I was 26 that I decided to pursue a career in catering. I think that at this time there were more vegetarian restaurants around and so I decided to go to catering college. My first job was with Terre a Terre here in Brighton; a vegetarian restaurant which has won many awards.
Since then, I have travelled through Asia extensively, and I lived in New Zealand for 7 years before returning to the UK in 2007. I have worked in many vegetarian restaurants, a veggie hotel in the Lakes and a vegan B&B in St. Ives.
What is your vision for the future of Titbits Catering?
As well as the Pop Up Restaurant nights I also run cookery classes. In the future I would like combine the two aspects of the business and run residential retreats with a focus on nutritional plant based cookery classes, holistic therapies and meditation, along with a gourmet dining experience!
I am currently studying to be a Naturopathic Nutritionist and would love to share the nutritional and spiritual aspect of veganism in a fun and creative way.