A number of hardrock miners who are stationed at basecamps for several weeks at a time can tell you about the importance of a great head chef on staff.
Don Beattie used to be that chef at a gold mine in Gogama, along with 20 years experience in fine dining in the Toronto area. Over the past two years though, he has transitioned to become the owner of a catering company based in Sudbury.
Beattie owns Boy Gorgeous, which is described as upper echelon catering for weddings, corporate functions and events.
“I came back from the gold mine camp and was asked to cater a dinner party. The presentation was shared on social media with the appetizers and plating, and the catering just took off from there,” he said.
Given the timing with the lockdowns and pandemic restrictions, Beattie started with small weddings and private dinner parties with live edge chacuterie boards.
He’s now grown to serve large-scale functions with 400-plus people for clients including Cinéfest, the Northern Cancer Foundation and NORCAT.
Beattie services the Sudbury area from his South End certified kitchen, but has many past industry connections and often visits and runs events along the Highway 400 and 401 corridors.
His fiancée, Hilary Blunt, helps with the special events like luxury picnics.
“Our vision is to one day run the catering company like a full-service hospitality company for weddings and events,” she said.
This Feb. 10, the duo will feature its third annual Valentine’s Day pop-up event delivered to your front door.
The meal for two will feature four courses with optional items including hor d’oeuvres, an arugula salad with shaved pears and lemon truffle vinaigrette, deconstructed chicken, Beef Wellington and a choice of desserts.
The dishes that really stand out by Boy Gorgeous standards is the Beef Wellington.
“People love the concept of having a nice fillet beef, and then up the ante with fresh truffles, (and) a four-day demi glaze sauce,” Beattie said
Beattie said the Boy Gorgeous pasta game is pretty strong, too, citing he makes the best rigatoni alla vodka in town.
“The risotto is also a nice treat. Vegetarian customers appreciate the truffle risotto with caramelised fennel all made from scratch,” he added.
Beattie has a catering trailer, complete with sanitized items, portable fridges and checklists for every occasion.
He works closely with specific locations like Maple Hill Farms in Val Caron to cater weddings and other events on site.
“We are comfortable in that trailer with everything we could possibly need organized in a tight space because catering days are long 10 to 12 hour days,” he said.
Don said he often relies on his old gold mine contacts for staffing functions and will plan events on their time off.
And the name of the catering company, if you're wondering, is an ode to Don’s son.
“The first time my aunt laid eyes on my son, Kolby, she called him ‘Boy Gorgeous’. We wanted a name that resembled him and in an instant we knew that was the name for the business,” he said.
You can learn more about Boy Gorgeous on the website.
The catering firm can also be found on Instagram and on Facebook.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
