Men with Knives Catering is a locally owned and operated company serving Collingwood, the Blue Mountains and the Greater Simcoe County Region. Men with Knives provides a range of services, from onsite catering and mobile event catering (food truck, wood fired smoker) to meal delivery services and participation in community events and fundraisers . With their 28ft mobile kitchen they can access every type of location to provide full service catering for events of all types and sizes including weddings and corporate retreats.
For clients looking for a venue itself, Men with Knives is the exclusive caterer for two private event venues (The Larder & Lounge and Alpine Ski Club) as well as a preferred vendor at several additional venues in the area. The Larder & Lounge is a unique licensed lounge, dining room and event space that has recently been remodelled to fit groups of up to 100 people, while Alpine Ski Club is a 48,000 square foot building that services a membership of over 2000 during the winter months and can host up to 750 people for private or corporate events.
About the team!
Men with Knives is led by Julie Carter and her business partner Ashlea Kennedy. Carter notes, “One of the reasons we feel we are so strong and that we still love what we do is the legacy of my late husband Gareth. Men with Knives was his heart and soul, and we always want to make him proud that we have kept his dream alive.” Men with Knives currently operates with 10 year round full time employees as well as a casual event team of upwards of 50. In the winter, the company operates the Food and Beverage program at Alpine Ski Club and boosts their team up to 50 seasonal employees.
Prior to joining her husband in Men with Knives, Julie Carter worked in the not-for-profit sector with a focus on community engagement and fundraising. It is a passion she still continues in her current role through close collaborations with local organizations that are fundraising for different causes. Recent collaborations for the Men with Knives team include the October Hospice Collingwood’s Spirit of Collingwood Fundraiser, The New Farm Fundraiser ‘Farms for Change’, the Copper Kettle Festival in Creemore and most recently hosting the Theatre Collingwood Speakeasy Fundraiser at The Larder and Lounge.
Why Collingwood?
“We always say Collingwood chose us,” says Carter. Living locally and raising a young family in the area, Collingwood had been an easy choice as a destination for the business. Reflecting on the experience of being in the town, Carter notes that Collingwood offers a tight-knit community while also providing businesses with a robust economic outlook and culturally diverse clientele.
In 2012, the Men with Knives team won the SPARC entrepreneurial competition organized by the town’s Small Business Economic Centre, which came with an award of approximately $30,000 in both cash and non-cash benefits. Carter recalls that the award played an important role in helping them put together their first business plan and the purchase of their mobile kitchen which the business still uses today. “We have really enjoyed being able to grow with this town,” says Carter.
Ingredients for success
Carter notes that being flexible and open for change is one of the defining characteristics for their business. The Men with Knives team is always looking to stay on top of trends in catering and event services and constantly takes on new opportunities for innovation and growth. For example, their pivot to online delivery during COVID enabled them to keep their team and develop a new revenue stream during the challenging years where customer facing opportunities disappeared. “Because we are not a restaurant, we don’t have a fixed menu or format that we have to stick to. We are flexible and open for requests or ideas from our clients and the community. We see these as opportunities for us to get innovative and creative,” says Carter.
Men with Knives is committed to using local ingredients and supporting vendors and partners in the area. They also value close collaborations with community organizations and small businesses in the area . Wherever you find them, the MWK team is dedicated to creating special experiences for its clients whether it is small dinner party or a large corporate gathering.
Looking ahead to the future!
The Men with Knives team is looking to expand and grow the business while still remaining deeply rooted in Collingwood. “We love what we do, and Collingwood will always be at the core of our operations. As our team evolves and changes, we know that every person from the chef in the kitchen or the cashier out front makes us tick and we are made up of all the faces that you see at every event. We are all part of the machine and we celebrate the full MWK family. No matter what happens next, we are proud to be where we are today, and we love the people who engage with us whether our clients, partners or staff,” says Carter.
Learn more about the Men with Knives team at menwithknives.ca
Photo Credits: Dave West Photography davewestphotography