Sydney catering company, Forte Catering and Events, has won the national award for best Caterer at an Event at the 2012 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards For Excellence – National Awards, held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday (29 October).

Having won the category at the Sydney & Surrounds awards in September, Forte emerged victorious at the National Awards ahead of outstanding event catering finalists from Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and Northern NSW.

Taking the National Award for Best Caterer at an Event; Forte Catering and Events.

The culmination of winners from nine events held around Australia, with more than 1400 businesses participating in the 2012 program, the National Awards for Excellence are designed to objectively recognise winners for their talent, innovation and commitment, while promoting best practice in the hospitality industry.

Forte Catering & Events was recognised specifically for its work in catering the Chairman’s Farewell, a 200 person event held as part of the 18th Biennale of Sydney in June 2012. Forte was selected as the external caterer for the 2011/2012 event period, catering for multiple events in the lead up to and during the 18th Biennale in various venues around Sydney.

The grazing style event featured three themed food stations dispersed among the event area, with the menu designed by Forte’s Executive Chef, Anthony Sullivan, and comprised of fresh ingredients sourced from the finest Australian providores.

The Slider’s Station allowed guests to build their own mini burger or go with the chef’s suggestions – all served with sweet potato crisps and a choice of chef’s accompaniments.

The Mushroom and Cold Antipasti Bar saw an array of seasonally available gourmet mushrooms served including slippery jacks, oyster, shiitake, Swiss brown, chestnut, enoki or pine mushrooms, all sautéed to order and finished with chopped parsley, ground white pepper and black truffle butter.

The Catalan Paella Station dazzled guests with authentic Catalan-style paella cooked in a 1.2 metre paella pan before being served to guests individually.

The Mushroom and Cold Antipasti Bar at the award-winning event.

“Having won the Sydney Metropolitan Award for Excellence in the same category in 2010, this is the first year we have taken out the national award for Best Caterer at an Event,” said Ross Mitchell, director of Forte Catering & Events. “Delivering creative event catering solutions for our clients is what we pride ourselves on, so I could not be more thrilled to see our exceptionally hard-working team recognised for their ongoing commitment, passion and dedication,” he said.

Forte has twice been recognised as Corporate Caterer of the year, having worked with an impressive list of clients including Mercedes, Network Ten, The Powerhouse Museum, Singtel Optus, Westpac, ING, The Canadian Consulate, the APRA Music Awards, Toshiba, the Biennale of Sydney and the Sydney Festival.