Behind the scenes with Krachtvoer, a crew caterer
Amsterdam has caterers working across many niches. One is the crew caterer, cooking for film productions and commercial shoots.
Karin Josowidagdo of Krachtvoer is a caterer in Amsterdam who specialises as a crew caterer for commercial shoots and productions across the region. With her mobile kitchen, she feeds crews through long, demanding shoot days. We talked to her about working on set, managing budgets and dietary requirements, and staying sharp in a competitive market.
Talking to a crew caterer in Amsterdam
Job: How did Krachtvoer start, and how did you end up as a film and crew caterer?
Karin: My love of cooking started in the student house I lived in. Whenever there was a party or a dinner, I was always the one who volunteered to shop and cook. As a student job, I worked as a cook in Utrecht’s eetcafés — that was my first real taste of hospitality.
During my studies I did an internship on a film set, and on my first day I turned up with my own homemade sandwiches. That’s when I discovered the cast and crew were fully catered for by a caterer. I quickly found the catering department the most interesting part of the whole production.
After my internship and graduation I had a few different jobs, but the idea of becoming a caterer stayed in the back of my mind. After a year in an office job, I decided to take the leap and start out as a caterer.
Job: Was it hard to break in, or did the work come straight away?
Karin: I really started from zero. I had no experience as a caterer and no formal training. What I did have was a lot of goodwill from people who believed in me.
Right as I was leaving my job at Oxfam Novib, one of the directors announced she was also leaving — and would be getting a big farewell party. I plucked up the courage and asked if I could be their caterer for the day. It was pure bluff. To my complete surprise, I got the job.
Cooking for 350 people was genuinely insane. It cost me a few years of my life. But I’ve always thought: “If I can do this, I can do anything.”
After that, jobs came in through friends and family and things started rolling. Because I also knew people in the film world, I could tap into those contacts once I started working more as a film caterer.
Crew caterer vs. commercial shoots: budget and expectations
Job: What makes working as a crew caterer on film sets different from being a caterer on commercial shoots?
Karin: Honestly? The budget. On film and TV productions, everything comes down to money. Unfortunately, budgets keep shrinking while costs keep rising. On commercial shoots, money is practically sloshing around — the client is paying, and those are generally companies with deep pockets. In return, a caterer working on a commercial has to deliver an absolute horn of plenty.
Job: Film sets are known for long days and early call times. How do you prepare for 10-, 12-hour production days or longer?
Karin: When I first started as a film caterer, days ran 14 to 16 hours. Thankfully that happens far less now. Still, a 4:45am alarm is nothing unusual. Planning well ahead is essential.
Long shoot days: energy, flexibility and focus
Job: You’re currently running two back-to-back five-day stretches. How do you handle that kind of intensive work period, physically and mentally?
Karin: If you know about it in advance, you can prepare for it. As a film caterer, flexibility is a requirement. It happens that the schedule suddenly gets flipped, and instead of three days you’re doing five in a row. That can be mentally tough.
Job: How do you keep your energy and focus up during such long shoot days?
Karin: Despite the long days, the work also gives me a huge amount of energy. I get to put my creativity into building a different menu every day. It’s also a logistical puzzle — finishing breakfast on time, shuttling lunch around, moving the kitchen van from one set to another.
When it all comes together, it’s a huge boost. Getting to bed on time and enough sleep obviously matters too. But the most important thing is the people I work with in the van — there’s a lot of laughter.
Dietary requirements on set: balancing service and feasibility
Job: Film crews include omnivores, vegetarians, vegans and people with gluten intolerance. How do you handle that? How do you build menus that keep everyone happy?
Karin: That’s sometimes a real source of frustration. It used to be that you only had to think about vegetarians. Nowadays there are so many dietary requirements and allergies. You plan a menu in advance, and all those individual requirements really pull you out of your flow.
I have to be honest that over the years we went a bit too far in trying to accommodate every wish. The word “no” simply didn’t exist, and because of that the boundaries kept getting pushed further. I’m trying to gently pull that back.
For people with allergies and intolerances we always make a separate menu, as we do for vegans. But if, say, someone is following a keto diet, we make sure they’re not short at lunch — for snacks and the evening wrap, that’s on them.
Job: Those different dietary requirements mean extra sourcing and extra prep time. How do you deal with the extra hours that costs?
Karin: Unfortunately producers tend to underestimate how much time that takes, and it’s still not really up for discussion. I have now built into my terms that special dietary requirements are charged as an extra cost per person per day. But that only applies to genuinely specific requirements — gluten and lactose don’t count.
Budget, quality and expectations on set
Job: How do you balance a production’s budget restrictions with the need to cook well and with variety?
Karin: Experience has taught me to buy sharply. Because of that, almost nothing gets thrown away, and whatever’s left over usually gets turned into a soup or another meal.
You vary between more elaborate days and simpler ones. One day I’ll cook with pricier ingredients and plenty of side dishes, the next I’ll make a vegetarian pasta with a salad. As long as I’m cooking with heart and flavour, I can turn any dish into something delicious.
Job: On film sets you sometimes get actors or crew members with very specific, demanding requests. How do you deal with people acting like a real “diva”?
Karin: That’s a tricky one. It’s often about timing. If breakfast wrapped up an hour ago and an actor comes asking for a fried egg, that’s genuinely difficult. I try to find a middle ground — if there’s room for it, I’ll do it, but sometimes “no” is also an answer. Luckily this is the Netherlands, so the diva factor is fairly mild.
Job: How do you stay professional and calm in those situations?
Karin: Setting boundaries. I think I speak for every film caterer when I say we genuinely want to please people, but that often means we push past our own limits. The risk is that we end up frustrated and bitter because we can’t meet every request.
Talking to the production earlier about what is and isn’t possible helps. Making good agreements up front is essential.
Atmosphere and teamwork on set: crucial for every caterer
Job: What’s the key to a good atmosphere on set for a caterer?
Karin: For me, the atmosphere in the catering van is everything. You’re standing together in a small space for so many hours. If we’re enjoying ourselves, that radiates out to the set too.
I’ve worked out of necessity with people I had no real click with, and suddenly the day feels endless. Good communication with the assistant director is also important — they’re the channel for everything happening on set, and pass on the caterer’s requirements and timings.
Job: How do you handle locations with few facilities, or where you have to work mobile?
Karin: It makes you very resourceful. Working at locations like that is genuinely challenging.
That’s when the location department becomes your best friend. Good location managers think ahead and work with us. I make sure I’ve communicated what I need beforehand, and the best feeling is arriving to find a plan already in place — tables, tents, power and bins already sorted. That’s pure gold.
If a location does a half-hearted job, it affects every department downstream.
Experience and consistency as a differentiator
Job: What sets Krachtvoer apart from other crew caterers in Amsterdam?
Karin: If you work with us, you know you’re getting quality, professionalism and experience. We deliver good food, think along with production to solve tricky situations, and we’re always in a good mood. We get the job done!
Job: You’re an experienced caterer in this industry. How do you compete with young, new caterers entering the market?
Karin: We offer consistent quality. On shoot day 48, that standard is exactly as high as it was on day one.
Job: Do you see differences in approach between experienced crew caterers and newcomers? What do they do differently?
Karin: I think newcomers haven’t learned the word “no” yet. As for approach, I’m not entirely sure what the “youngsters” actually do differently. As a film caterer, the structure you follow is fairly fixed:
Breakfast — set catering with rolls, coffee and tea — a warm, full lunch — afternoon snack — evening wrap.
How you present that differs per caterer, and it’s also a way to stand out. Some go for a very elaborate setup.
Memorable productions and the biggest challenges on set
Job: Which productions or shoots have stayed with you most, and why?
Karin: We did the series Spangas for three years — around 100 shoot days a year, at a fixed location. That was actually quite pleasant.
And then Covid happened. Something nobody will forget.
Job: What has been your biggest challenge on a film set so far?
Karin: For me, the biggest challenge is when someone on set has a life-threatening allergy. You’re working in such a small space that cross-contamination is almost impossible to rule out completely.
The stress I feel while that person is eating… it weighs heavily. I’ve now reached the point where I refuse to cook for someone with a life-threatening allergy. That’s a responsibility I no longer want to carry.
From crew caterer to high-end caterer
Job: What does being a crew caterer really demand from an entrepreneur, in your view?
Karin: Flexibility — a film set is constantly subject to change. Resourcefulness — you’re cooking out of a kitchen van, which demands a different mindset than working in a fixed kitchen.
Job: How much longer will you keep working as a crew caterer?
Karin: This year Krachtvoer Catering turns 20. Krachtvoer isn’t done yet, but the film world may well have reached its own expiry date.
Job: Does the film world have an expiry date? Do you mean for you personally, or will films simply stop being made soon?
Karin: For me personally. There will always be films and series being shot.
Job: Okay, so what comes next?
Karin: A fixed production kitchen focused on delivery and high-end catering.
Job: Nice — what will you be making, and who will your customers be then?
Karin: More towards corporate and event catering — a new challenge in terms of larger numbers. I’m also looking forward to developing myself further, culinarily and creatively. I draw a lot of inspiration from
Committed and consistent
With Krachtvoer, Karin Josowidagdo has carved out a lasting place among Amsterdam’s crew caterers over the years. What began with a healthy dose of nerve and sheer persistence has grown into a reliable partner for productions and shoots, where quality and flexibility go hand in hand.
As a caterer in Amsterdam ourselves, we have a lot of respect and admiration for crew caterers who consistently deliver something great, often on tight budgets. Where we’re usually ready for a breather after three back-to-back events, being a crew caterer is a different intensity altogether: five long shoot days on set, on top of the days of sourcing and prep that come before it.
As on every set: the show must go on.
Want to know more about Krachtvoer as an on-set caterer? Visit their website or follow Karin on Instagram.