Queer Food Founder Andy de Groot with his original range of condiments. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Local social enterprise Queer Food is officially launching with a Halloween-themed event today (Friday, 25 October).
Chef Andy de Groot started Queer Food as a way to express his own queer, trans identity while also making the hospitality industry a more inclusive space for other queer and trans chefs. Storytelling has always been at the centre of Queer Food, with each menu item designed to tell the story of a local queer individual or organisation.
Starting with a few retail products in late 2023, Queer Food is now ready to officially launch the catering arm of the social enterprise business.
This launch event also celebrates the journey that the Queer Food team have been on in the past 12 months and gives a chance for the broader queer community to get together and have a good time.
“We’ve been lucky to do a really big range of events so far, from corporate events to even some smaller weddings,” Andy explained to Region.
“It’s been pretty amazing to create an autonomous queer space as a caterer. It’s been really nice to cater for queer events because people who come to the events can see their own stories reflected in the stories we are sharing through the food.”
The Queer Food team at a pop-up event. Photo: Queer Food/Instagram.
The Queer Food team has been running Friday night pop-up events at Cafe Stepping Stone Dickson. These monthly dinners are an opportunity for the queer community in Canberra to get together in a safe and inclusive environment, enjoy a meal and a drink, and support local queer artists and performers.
A recent queer event saw local comedian Holly Hazelwood perform, fresh from a run of shows in Sydney, while one-half of iconic Canberra duo The Cashews, Alison Proctor (aka Honey Roasted), performed a new set of solo material to an enthusiastic crowd.
The upcoming launch event will feature Sanguine Sovereign Faust, a Canberra cabaret performer known for their brand of macabre, horror burlesque (very Halloween appropriate!) Local NoeDee will also be performing and resident Queer Food MC Mama MadB will host the night.
“Halloween is like Queer Christmas! So we had to make the event Halloween-themed and get everyone all dressed up,” Andy said.
“It’ll be a meet and greet and a celebration. It’s about getting to know what we do and bringing the community together before the end of the year.”
Queer Food founder Andy de Groot with the certification for the business’s catering trailer. Photo: Queer Food/Instagram
Attendees are encouraged to get into the spirit of the season with a prize for best costumes from sponsor Chroma Wines, who have also collaborated on previous Queer Food pop-ups.
The catering part of Queer Food is available for private, public or corporate events with a range of canapés, individual or shared catering boxes, sweets and drinks, all themed around different queer icons!
This Ayam Goreng chicken dish on the Queer Food catering menu was developed for local trans-healthcare provider Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo. Photo: Queer Food/Instagram.
In addition to catering and pop-up events, Queer Food received a grant from the 2024 ACT Government Office of LGBTIQ+ Affairs, Capital of Equality Connection Fund, to run an employment training program to give support and opportunities to queer people in the industry. Andy has also committed to donating a portion of sales to support trans medical care.
“We’re grateful for the support from the community, and we’re always learning and improving,” he said.
Tickets to the launch event include a glass of champagne on arrival and canapés, with local wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase throughout the evening.
Tickets and more information are available via Humanitix. Find out more about Queer Food and follow them on Instagram.
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