After hearing some rather outlandish rumours about how Dish Catering will be using their new space at 1024 Wellington Street W., I decided to contact the catering company directly. Firstly, Dish Catering is presently located at 119 Ross Avenue in the West Wellington Village. Its Chef/Owner Erin Clatney opened the small catering company in 2002. Since then, Dish has established what she feels is a strong brand in Ottawa for quality food, made from ingredients sourced from a local community of small independent producers. Her menus are very seasonal. She and her cooks know their farmers (meat and produce), their butcher, and their cheese maker.

Dish's philosophy is to create beautifully presented great food with a personal touch. It is a primarily "offsite" caterer for large and small events. One of their more recognizable clients is the newly opened Canadian Museum of Nature. Chef Clatney and her team offer food-focused full-service catering. But, because of its size, Dish's owner is often on-site at events. Size-wise, Dish's website profiles 8 people, including its passionate chef/owner.

According to my chat, Chef Clatney is a veteran of the restaurant industry. Discovering that it is not conducive to a balanced life, especially with four children, she opened Dish. Since then, demand has grown. So, she looked to 1024 Wellington Street to create an intimate dining space. It will not be a wine bar. It will not be a 56-seat eatery. It will not be a gastropub. In fact, the lease she signed has a non-compete clause with an existing restaurant tenant I presume to be Cozy's Restaurant (1008 Wellington Street W.). As a result, despite Dish and Cozy's preparing completely different cuisines, she cannot serve food for retail. Food service cannot be the focus of her business. Instead, the space will be exclusive for event rehearsals and private dinner parties. It will house a much larger catering kitchen, which Dish will move into. It may offer a retail component, called "Dish It Out", which will allow people to order from a preset menu of "catering-in-a-box" solutions. Essentially, for small events, Dish will prepare dishes and package them for pick up from the location, something Chef Clatney referred to as do-it-yourself take-away catering.

Regarding the rumours of Dish opening a patio at 1024 Wellington Street W., Chef Clatney is somewhat apprehensive of applying for a variance given the difficulty soon-to-open wood fire pizza purveyor, Tennesy Willems (1082 Wellington Street W.), had with theirs. Having clarified the issue with members of the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA), the reason Tennesy Willems' variance was opposed is because, had the patio been built, it would have had 6" clearance with a nearby house. Dish's new location does not have any houses directly behind it.

For the time being, the dining space will be licensed for 25 people. It is something, Dish's current Ross Avenue location lacks. To differentiate Dish from Urban Element on Parkdale, it will have no open kitchen. The kitchen will be a catering one. The space is not designed to be a teaching environment. Chef Clatney envisions holding wine/food tasting for clients.

Chef Clatney hired 2H Design to create her exclusive dining space. As of our conversation, it will include an 8' floating wall and an elegant long table. The floors are yet to be determined, but during demolition of the former hair salon, workers discovered a tin ceiling. She hopes to restore it.

Regarding why she chose Hintonburg to expand her business into, Chef Clatney told me neighbourhood is key when you set up shop. She has lived in the Hintonburg neighborhood since 1999. Her children go to school there. She wants to be able to ride her bike from home to her place of work. The Parkdale market is nearby. She does not want Dish to be in a commercial park.

While the West Wellington Village was a great place to start out, the Hintonburg neighbourhood has a different charm. Besides rental costs (sometimes $50/square foot) that are causing neighbouring businesses in her West Wellington location to turnover around her, she prefers how the natural sunlight fills up her new space. The light at the Caroline Bridgehead and Cube Gallery can be at times intense. Accordingly, Chef Clatney has been looking around Ottawa for a larger space for years.

Here are key considerations Chef Clatney recommends when looking for a space to set up or relocate your catering business:

• building and readiness to install a professional kitchen
• location (especially lighting)
• diversity of residents
• available parking
• rental cost

This past weekend, Jenn, fellow Ottawa blogger Katilin (@kaitli) of the Heartful Mouthful blog, and I visited Dish at their new location. For the Taste of Wellington West event, Dish erected a tent and grilled mini-lamb burgers on brioche buns. They were served in pink take-away containers on a bed of lime popcorn.

Grill

Pink Take-Away Containers

Lime Popcorn

One Tasty mini-Lamb Burger

Particulars:
Dish Catering
119 Ross Avenue
(613)761-1302



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