SONAH creative event catering, in conversation with Eelco
With corporate event catering in Amsterdam, you also run into your competitors.
SONAH Catering was a name we kept hearing more often. Time to sit down with the entrepreneur behind the concept, Eelco Meerman.
Catering and kids
Job: Let’s start with the name, Sonah Catering. Where did it come from?
Eelco: My son is called Mason and my daughter is Leah. I took the last three letters of my son’s name and the last two of my daughter’s name. I thought, if my kids’ names are in it, it can’t go wrong.
Job: Did you tell your kids they are in the company name? How did they react?
Eelco: Yes, I told them and they loved it. They’re 10 and 12, so they don’t fully realize what it means yet, but later I’ll definitely explain it again.
The caterer and his team
Job: Who are you, and who are the people behind the scenes? Tell us about the team.
Eelco: I’m Eelco Meerman, owner of Sonah Fine Foods. ADHD, creative, always moving, and driven. I do everything out of pure passion. Julien Hoogduin is operationally responsible for everything. When Julien goes on holiday, I suddenly have to work hard, and I don’t like that. He’s truly the beating heart of the company, the glue between departments. He never complains and clients are always happy when Julien is on site. We’re family too: Julien is married to my youngest sister.
Job: Julien sounds like a key player. Is he an employee or also an owner? How do you work together?
Eelco: Julien received 10% of the shares this year, so he has also become a co owner.
The years before SONAH Catering
Job: What did you do before you started Sonah Fine Foods?
Eelco: Always hospitality. We couldn’t do anything else. Restaurants, hotels, and later catering companies.
Job: How long have you been active in catering?
Eelco: About twelve years. From a restaurant in Mijdrecht where I was a manager, I went to Famous Flavours (event catering in Amsterdam). That’s where I really discovered my passion for catering.
Job: Was the restaurant first, or did you start with catering?
Eelco: Catering came first. In the beginning I started completely on my own. During Covid I had a pop up restaurant with Wouter and it went incredibly well. Then we thought, let’s just open a restaurant in the village. We divided the tasks and thought, we’ll see how it goes.
Job: A pop up restaurant, that’s fun. What was on the menu? And during Covid, weren’t all restaurants closed?
Eelco: Yes, it was an exciting period. We ran the pop up during the moments the country reopened. We had periods with 1.5 meter distancing and outdoor dining. The first moment was in June 2020.
Job: I heard you’ve sold the restaurant by now. Is that right? What happened?
Eelco: Yes, that’s right. After Covid, the catering business did so well, it grew hugely. My attention moved more and more in that direction, while Wout stayed focused on the restaurant. Slowly we grew apart, also professionally. And a village restaurant is simply very hard work. Margins get smaller, staff is difficult to find, and guests spend less. So we decided to fully focus on catering again, the two of us.
Job: The two of you, do you mean you and Wout? Or you and Julien? Is Wout still a partner in Sonah Catering?
Eelco: Wout is a co owner. After Covid we merged the restaurant and catering and continued together under one flag.
Building, energy, and passing on the DNA
Job: What was the hardest part of starting your own catering company, and how did you overcome it?
Eelco: In the higher segment you are always playing Champions League. That means no matter what happens, you always have to perform. In the beginning you do everything yourself, which feels good because you have control. But you can’t grow if you want to keep doing everything alone. The hardest part for me was stepping away from the daily operation. You become dependent on others, and that felt exciting. Everything has to work the way you envision it, so the client is happy. I sometimes joke: in a restaurant a small mistake costs you four euros for a coffee, in catering a mistake can cost you ten thousand euros.
Job: Is stepping away from operations and daring to depend on others still difficult?
Eelco: Yes, I find it very difficult because you no longer have direct influence on what happens. So you have to make sure people take over your DNA and express it. That’s one of the hardest things, making sure everyone reflects the company DNA as much as possible.
Job: What do you do differently now compared to the early years?
Eelco: I now focus mainly on what I enjoy and what I’m good at. The rest I leave to people who are better than me. Operationally I delegate much more, so I have time to build the business. I’m really an entrepreneur now, whereas before I did everything at once.
Job: It’s great to grow as a person and trust others. Do you miss the action? You don’t seem like someone who likes sitting still.
Eelco: Yes, sometimes I miss it, but I make sure I’m present, especially during build up and at the start of the event. And it’s nice that I can go home after that, get up early, and continue building the business. Same energy, just in a different form.
Creativity, customization, artists, and designers
Job: There are many caterers in and around Amsterdam. What makes you different?
Eelco: We stand out through creativity. We create a lot of things custom made, exactly to the client’s wishes. The combination of good, recognizable food and a personal presentation makes people remember us. Maartje runs our creative department and workshop. We have our own workshop where we think up, make, and build things. We also work with artists and designers who create specific designs for us. That mix of craftsmanship, art, and a small but super enthusiastic team is worth gold. I sometimes say I never need to drive a Porsche, I would rather invent and build things that surprise guests. For me, catering is an experience.
Job: Looking back at last year, what is a moment you are truly proud of?
Eelco: In December last year we produced a fairytale event for 750 guests. Four worlds: Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Pan, and 1001 Nights. Half a year of preparation, four days of building. Guests thought the venue had always looked like that. You can’t get a bigger compliment.
Eelco: We also did a weekend wedding in the south of France this year for 100 guests. A full weekend of catering: Friday a barbecue, Saturday lunch, ceremony, dinner and party, and Sunday a hangover pool party. During dinner it suddenly started raining hard with thunder. Everything was outside, but the couple really wanted to eat outside despite the risks. Halfway through we had to move everything inside, fifty meters away.
Eelco: Within 45 minutes everything was ready again inside, together with all guests. Then dinner simply continued. It was truly magical, you never forget a moment like that.
Magical company events
Job: The photos you shared for this interview are truly magical. It feels like a fusion between catering and a theme park. The magic jumps off the page. What theme is it, and was it created by an artist?
Eelco: This is the fairytale themed event for 750 guests. Everything you see was made in our workshop. This buffet was 12 meters long. Fully covered with artificial grass, hills and desserts. In the middle, a river of M&M’s. This was the Charlie world. We recreated the chocolate river and the landscape from the film.
Job: Beautiful. Do you also have another ultimate dream assignment?
Eelco: I would love to get carte blanche for a themed corporate party where money is no object. Where you can make everything custom: program shows, design food stations from scratch, fully style different rooms with food, drinks, bars and entertainment. Something like a circus, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, or Mad Max. And then truly think through every detail, design it, build it, or source it. That would be fantastic.
Job: Those full concept projects usually sit with event agencies. Are you already connected there?
Eelco: Yes, our client portfolio is getting broader, and that includes event agencies as well. So it will come naturally. Rome wasn’t built in one day.
Charlie’s chocolate cigar
Job: Which assignments do you prefer to say no to, or what kind of client should not call you?
Eelco: I actually almost never say no. But if someone wants front row for a bargain price, they shouldn’t call me. And if I feel like I’m working for someone instead of with someone, then it’s quickly over. Nobody is happy then, and it doesn’t help the end result either.
Job: What are your signature dishes, the things people say wow about?
Eelco: Our chocolate cigar. It’s filled with whiskey mousse, tonka bean chocolate and ganache, caramel and hazelnut. A real wow moment.
Job: Sounds special. How did it come to life? Was it an artist, a chef, or did you come up with it?
Eelco: A lot of social media, internet, reading and watching. The world is full of ideas, you just have to see them and dare to make them. It was created by Estaphan, a patissier at a very high level. He’s a magician. He makes more desserts like this for us.
Catering for a themed party with wonder
Job: Tell us about the photos you shared. Is there a story behind them?
Eelco: They are from a twelve meter long Charlie and the Chocolate Factory buffet that we built completely ourselves. A full landscape, including a chocolate M&M river. It was an amazing buffet.
Job: And finally, how do you see the future of Sonah Fine Foods?
Eelco: I’m going full speed ahead. I think you have to keep standing out by being reliable, staying close to yourself, and staying flexible and creative. Custom work down to every detail, that’s where we want to go. It’s about taking full care of everything, but with a touch of surprise and creativity.
Want to know more about Sonah Catering? Visit www.sonahcatering.nl.