Photo by Jay Paul
From weddings to the Elbys, Ellie Basch, co-owner of the catering company Everyday Gourmet, along with Brian Coates, has never met an event she couldn’t handle. A native of Indonesia, 46-year-old Basch comes from a family of cooks and has more than 30 years of industry experience under her apron. Even when they’re battling downpours or electrical problems, Basch and her team manage to feed the masses with finesse.
Richmond magazine: How long have you been in the catering business?
Ellie Basch: Since I was 15, but full-time in Richmond for almost 18 years.
RM: Any words of advice for people entering the catering field?
Basch: Catering looks very glamorous from the outside, but it is really hard work and has a crazy schedule. It can be a thankless job, so you also have to really be able to find satisfaction and pride in the small things, like the smiles on your guests’ faces. At the end of the day, you are going to parties for a living and being a part of some of the most memorable moments in peoples’ lives, so embrace the joy in everyday celebrations around you!
RM: Do you have a catering mantra or philosophy?
Basch: Good service is the one luxury that no one should have to pay for.
RM: When did you start Everyday Gourmet?
Basch: In 2002, but I grew up with a mother in catering in Indonesia, so I worked for her for a long time. I always like to say the better the caterer is, the less people notice that we exist, or the smoother the event, the more likely people forget there’s a caterer — sort of a conundrum.
RM: Why do you enjoy catering?
Basch: Every event is different; I’m never bored. It’s a lot of work but also allows me to be creative. One day I could be cooking Southern or all-American cuisine and then making food from Asia or [for] an all-vegan wedding. It’s very satisfying for me to turn people’s wishes and wants into reality. It’s not just cooking, it’s also a lot of logistics and details. We ask questions, it’s always a collab.
RM: Did growing up around catering ignite a passion for cooking?
Basch: With professional cooking, yes, but in high school and college, I wanted to stay as far away as possible from catering because I knew how hard the work was. Once I got back into professional kitchens, though, it felt so good, and the skills I learned from my mom definitely resurfaced and influenced my cooking style.
RM: What do you enjoy doing outside of the kitchen?
Basch: Running — I coach with [the] Advanced 10K team in the spring and Sports Backers’ Marathon Training Team. Also gardening, hiking, reading, watching movies and hanging out with my husband and our friends.
RM: What foods did you grow up eating in Indonesia?
Basch: Rice, three times a day, 365 days a year! Seriously, I love rice. As a Chinese-Indonesian family, we also eat pork, so I ate Chinese dishes like foo yung hai, red braised pork, lo mein, steamed buns. My mom’s side of the family had been in Java for generations, during Dutch colonialism, so they sometimes would make potato croquettes, beef galantine, savory cream puffs filled with the equivalent of chicken pot pie filling, and chicken soup with cubes of Spam. Although I don’t eat Spam often because it’s not very healthy, I have a special spot in my heart for Spam. I ate a lot of fresh tropical fruit and veggies growing up. Whenever I go home, the first thing I check at the market is what fruits are in season, and I’d eat them every day. I’m very fortunate in that I was exposed to a wide variety of food early on, and in general parents there don’t make “kids’ food”; we eat whatever is on the dining table.
RM: Any exciting changes in Everyday Gourmet’s future?
Basch: We are growing! We are in the midst of outfitting a larger kitchen near Mekong [on Broad Street], and we’ll be moving at the end of October. We recently launched online ordering for corporate breakfast and luncheons, and also for our Well Fed service, our weekly meals delivery service for busy families.
