Event Organiser Profile, Impulse Events

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Impulse Events is in mint condition following the launch of a new sister company specialising in outside catering. Annica Wainwright meets the men behind a very clever partnership

It all started with trouble. On the eve of his young company’s first Christmas party season, Simon Mitchell of Impulse Events found himself let down by a caterer. ‘This guy had just taken on too many clients and, while he somehow managed to produce really good food, the infrastructure just wasn’t there. We had to work really hard to compensate and I came away from that experience thinking “I could do better than this”.’ Fast-forward a couple of years and that’s exactly what he has done.

Last September, Simon joined forces with catering ace Pete Phillips (best known for his seven-year stint at Rhubarb) with whom he now co-owns Mint, a brand-new company with a suitably fresh approach to catering. Specialising in seasonal British food, it operates as an independent business while ensuring Impulse events are always well catered for. It’s early days yet, but the pair couldn’t be more excited about the future. Watching them prance around their vast new Willesden premises – formerly the hub of the ASK pizza chain and now among the largest outside-catering kitchens in London – is like watching two schoolboys run riot in an oversized playhouse.

‘Have you ever seen fridges this big?’ asks Pete with an ear-to-ear grin as he swings open the chunky door of a whopping great walk-in. ‘And how about this for a prep area? Look at that kitchen! Oh, and you’ve got to check out these blast chillers…’ His excitement is palpable, which is perhaps not surprising for someone who has worked at the top of his trade for some years but only recently launched his first company.

Simon, too, is all smiles. He knows that the launch of Mint has added an edge to his events business. ‘I’ve always put great emphasis on food as I think that’s what a lot of party packages fall down on. I couldn’t tell you how many events I’ve been to where the organisers had spent lots of money on the decor but insisted on serving naff food,’ he explains. ‘Last year, we were able to cater for our own Christmas parties and it was just sensational. We got feedback from clients like I’ve never seen in my life – people were over the moon!’

While positively glowing with enthusiasm for Mint and its groundbreaking British menus, Simon is the first to admit he wasn’t instantly won over by Pete’s ideas. ‘I knew that things like spring rolls and mini burgers always go down very well, so when this guy presented me with his first canapé menus, I nearly fell off my chair. I mean, there I was, thinking British nibbles would translate into things like bangers and mash, and he suggests roast beetroot cups and corn beef hash with quails’ eggs – I just couldn’t see how it would work,’ he remembers.

Far from discouraged, Pete insisted on inviting clients for a tasting – and the rest, as they say, is history. ‘The food was sensational. People were blown away and this place was just buzzing with excitement. We got everybody sold on the concept and I’d now stick my neck out and say our Mint-catered events are the best packaged Christmas parties on the market,’ ventures Simon.

Christmas is clearly a key niche for Impulse Events but Pete is keen to extend the package portfolio beyond December. ‘What I said to Simon is “you’ve got all that passion and all that knowledge and you use it once a year”. I want to do a summer season, as well as some really high-end hospitality nights through the year,’ he explains. There has, for example, been talk of Mint-catered Burns Night dinners and Impulse has already put together some unusual packages for the World Cup football this summer, including a sports bar-themed live screening event at Lord’s.

Both are also keen to develop more bespoke business – even at the package level. ‘It doesn’t always take much to turn a good party into a great one and we want to help our clients achieve that by offering bespoke options for each element of our events, from the look of the venue to the choice of entertainment and food,’ explains Simon.

Pete insists that even seemingly small details, such as the choice of glassware, can make a huge difference and Simon is quick to agree: ‘It’s so important! I mean, what’s the point of serving real Champagne if you’re going to offer it in shitty little glasses? It just takes away the whole sense of occasion. If you use nice, long-stemmed flutes, guests will immediately go “wow – this is different”. That’s what it’s all about.’

And it doesn’t stop at drinks. ‘I’m always working on new ways of serving things,’ says Pete, who now uses cardboard sleeves similar to those fitted around takeaway coffee cups to serve innovative single-portion puddings. ‘These are great as they allow us to offer anything from frozen soufflés to hot rhubarb crumbles in containers that are comfortable to hold,’ he explains. Currently under development is a very hush-hush project the pair believes could bring about ‘the next big thing in desserts – a replacement for the chocolate fountain’.

As our interview turns into something of a brainstorming session, with Pete suggesting ‘how about we do this…’ and Simon lighting up and going ‘I like the sound of that – let’s go cook it now’, it’s clear they love bouncing ideas off each other. But that’s not the only way they work well together. For instance, Simon thinks getting involved in the catering business has made him a better event organiser.

‘To be a great party planner, you need to know every part of what goes into an event. I’m very comfortable front-of-house, where I always know what needs to be done, and I want that kind of knowledge about the food side too,’ he explains. Pete, meanwhile, is less eager to multi-task: ‘I don’t want to spend days sorting out security for an event, I want to concentrate on the food – that’s my passion. I eat out a lot and do a lot of research. Gavin [Mint’s head chef] and I are always tweaking the menus.’

They may be very different, but it is clear Simon and Pete enjoy each other’s company. Each in charge of their own ‘baby’ and often working on separate projects – ‘we don’t want to alienate clients who want to use one of us and not the other,’ explains Pete – neither can quite disguise their preference for working on Mint-catered Impulse events. Christmas 2006 is already being mapped out and Simon is adamant this season will be his best yet. ‘It’s all about people’s reactions and I’d like them to be wowed,’ he says. Something to look forward to, then.

Click through for Mint & Impulse Events’ reviews.