Garden Kitchen Witch*n - Sam Hawker

My friends !

It is time to take a new step on my catering adventure - I'm buying a kitchen trailer to really enable bringing local food feasts to the region. I've had the privilege and joy of catering at a retreat centre for the last few years where the epic garden produce has been the inspiration and basis of nearly every meal that I produced. I am now getting ready to do more private catering, with a kitchen trailer as the next wise step. Over the last few years I've also had the pleasure of catering a number of large events including weddings, birthday parties and special event feasts. I truly look forward to doing more of this throughout the region and getting to share this way of feasting more widely.

A commercial kitchen on wheels means that it can come with me to events, enabling gorgeous local food feasts to be made for you, on site. It also means it can come with me, wherever I go, just like the tiny home that I have built for myself over the last couple of years.

This one, I am not building for myself, I am planning to buy a second hand 3x2m kitchen trailer, already fitted out with all the necessary commercial kitchen bits and pieces, making it easy for me to get started on this new way of bringing glorious food to you and your loved ones.

Second hand, these are around $16 000 plus all the extra bits to do the Food Safety registration, vehicle registration, and any additions or repairs that I need to make to it. 

I am hoping to raise at least $12 000 from this campaign, in catering deposits, various rewards and generous gifting, and I will add the remainder myself through a loan.

I have been cooking garden to table meals for retreats in a large commercial kitchen for many years now, and involved in local food system work including growing, preserving, hosting and education work for over a decade.

Food is such an integral part of life and our choices have an array of impacts - nothing compared to billionaires, of course, but our food choices do have impact. From supporting extractive, chemical laden monocultures and desertification, to supporting agroecological systems that work with nature and focus on soil life and creating thriving ecosystems. From the long and fuel intensive supply chains of supermarkets, to buying direct from the farmer when you can.

I choose to work with food and directly with farmers because I love to take great care with how the food is grown, and the community connection it offers. I celebrate the farmers and tell farmer stories when I am able and I believe that my care and intention behind the food preparation is a small piece in reconnecting us to what truly nourishes us.

The kitchen trailer has been rolling around in my brain for years, and now is the time. It seems a bit crazy in the global times but everything keeps pushing me towards now being the time, so I am trusting that. A kitchen trailer is a very adaptable asset, and it can be used in so many different ways. If the original plan doesn't fit what is needed right now, there are so many other options, food will always be needed.

It is a hard time financially for most of us and this makes me all the more grateful and in awe of the generosity shared, including sharing this with others who you think may be interested. Thank you so very much.

As per all Garden Kitchen Witch*n income, a certain percentage will go to aboriginal-led organisations. This is one way that we take steps towards the big work of decolonisation. I invite you to join me in acknowledging that the lands we work upon, gather food from and live with every day, Always have been and Always will be Aboriginal Land. Here, we live with the lands of the Ngunnawal/Ngunawal, Ngambri, Ngarigu, Yuin, Gundungurra, Wiradjuri and more. Sovereignty was never ceded.

You can check out my work on Sunday 19 April at the Harvest Festival Long Lunch, on farm at Branch and Burrow, near Braidwood - tickets - https://southernharvest.org.au/product/autumn-long-lunch-harvest-festival-26/ 

Do you have a birthday, housewarming, engagement, wedding, farm to table lunch or other conference, event or course where you want quality wholesome food?? This trailer will allow me to come to you and cook for you, on site! In a paddock, by a waterfall, with your favourites trees … Or at your conference venue. All while sticking to my values of local, seasonal, wholefoods, knowing the farmer, good for the soil, good for our bodies…

Cooking for 20-150, and travelling within the region.

See more at my website - https://gardenkitchenwitch.wixsite.com/home

If this campaign is funded, the official launch of the kitchen trailer will be at the special event long lunch in Springtime. Tickets available through this crowdfunder !

Second hand, 3x2m kitchen trailers are around $16 000. These trailers are around $23 000 new.

Plus approx $2000 Food Safety inspections, vehicle registrations and insurance, towbar installation, any additions or changes that are needed to meet current Food Safety requirements and my own cooking requirments

Plus approx $1000 for the logo and signwriting to brand the trailer

Plus $2500+ (depending on quantity) for the cost of the stickers, tea towels, postage and costs associated with catering the launch long lunch

Around $21 500 altogether. 

I am trying to raise at least $12 000 from this crowdfunder, and I will be taking a loan to fill the balance of what's needed, if I can't cover it from my own funds. Raising $18 000 (my "stretch" goal) would give such an amazing start to this and get everything working smoothly and branded sooner. I truly appreciate any support given and hope that you are able to share it with others who you think might value this resource being available in the region.

If this campaign is funded, the official launch of the kitchen trailer will be at the special event long lunch in Springtime. Tickets available through this crowdfunder ! See you there !