Aditi Dugar, Sage & Saffron
Grazing tables are an opportunity to really have fun with the menu, because they can take on a variety of forms – the menu is totally flexible, so long as it’s easy to, well, graze. We often do ours with a Lebanese touch, with muhammara, toum, hummus and other dips, but also often mix in different pestos, grissinis, candied nuts and pickled veggies. For charcuterie boards, balance is key. Mix and match the cheeses between hard and soft, familiar favourites and something funky. Fruits and vegetables add in some necessary freshness, while pickles and olives balance out the fat. Meats, crackers and nuts round it out.
We started Sage & Saffron when we noticed a gap in the market for an end-to-end catering service – someone who could do high quality food, presentation and décor. There was still somewhat a lack of finesse in that sense, and that’s what the intention behind Sage & Saffron was.
In the early days, we were more dependent on word of mouth – we didn’t have as many marketing channels as there are now. As a smaller organization, teams, staffing, and space – considering we were operating from a home kitchen – were also a few of our challenges. Once we scaled up, we were able to move into a larger space.
Some of our recent highlights include 1000+ people weddings in multiple cities across India, catering for the Dior events over the course of a week for their first show here in Mumbai as well as for Anna Wintour’s visit, food for the VIP Nexa Lounge at Lollapalooza, and multiple celebrations and events for one of the world’s most prominent business families. We also worked to bring in some of the world’s most talented chefs to cook with here in Mumbai; earlier this year, we also did our first overseas wedding, in Dhaka.
Thai food is definitely one of our most popular offerings at Sage & Saffron – it’s a cuisine we love as a team and have put a lot of work into honing our skills over the years. Our Indian – both traditional and modern – as well as Middle Eastern and different East Asian cuisines are also popular. We also offer ingredient-focused stations that are quite popular: truffle stations, avocado stations, and the like.
We were seeing more concise menus – “less is more” as an ethos – and a variety of cuisines beyond what we usually used to see: middle Eastern, Latin American, etc. as well as modern Indian, showcasing a variety of local brands and regional foods. The ingredient-based stations are also popular, as well as themed dinners, flying buffets and sit-down formats.
We are looking to do more outstation events and are always happy to try something new.
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