Food & Desire

What Food & Desire does

Food & Desire is a privately held Australian hospitality company founded in 2001 and headquartered in South Melbourne, Victoria. The company operates a vertically integrated catering and venue business, owning and managing three premium event venues (Carousel at Albert Park, Half Acre in South Melbourne, and Sunnyside on the Mornington Peninsula) alongside mobile catering services and the Half Acre restaurant. Its core offering combines venue hire with full-service event planning and catering for weddings, corporate functions, private parties, and major events, with capacities ranging from intimate gatherings to 1,000+ guest events.

The business runs on a service-driven, relationship-based go-to-market model. Direct client engagement is conducted through dedicated enquiry forms on the company website and managed by event coordinators who develop tailored menus and themes. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the company's technology stack consists of standard hospitality and event management tools. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm employs 51-100 staff and is led by two directors: Leigh Worcester (strategy and growth) and Asaf Smoli (creative operations).

Food & Desire generates revenue from three streams: venue hire, catering services (at owned venues and external client locations), and restaurant operations through Half Acre. The customer base is highly diversified across 40+ disclosed enterprise logos spanning luxury fashion, automotive, finance, mining, pharmaceuticals, retail, media, and technology. Anchor partnerships include the Victoria Racing Club (Melbourne Cup Carnival Birdcage since 2019) and Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, providing recurring visibility and premium brand positioning within the Australian events market.

Name

Food & Desire

Legal name

Food & Desire

Website

https://foodanddesire.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Food & Desire is a privately held Melbourne-based catering and events company operating three premium venues (Carousel, Half Acre, Sunnyside) alongside mobile catering and restaurant services, serving weddings, corporate clients, private parties, and major sporting events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Catering and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Mobile Food Services (72233)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

Keywords

• Event catering services
• Wedding venues
• Corporate event catering
• Event management
• Fine dining catering

Headquarters

HQ city

South Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Revenue generated from hiring out company-owned venues (Carousel, Half Acre, Sunnyside) for events including weddings, corporate functions, and parties. Venues offer different capacity configurations and settings.
2. Catering Services: Full-service catering provided at company venues or external locations of client choosing. Services include menu development, food preparation, and on-site service for events of various sizes.
3. Restaurant Operations: Half Acre restaurant operates as a dining establishment seating up to 85 guests and hosting up to 150 cocktail style, serving as both a standalone revenue stream and venue showcase.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Food & Desire provides premium event catering and venue hire across three owned Melbourne venues (Carousel, Half Acre, Sunnyside) for weddings, corporate functions, private parties, and major sporting events. The company also operates the Half Acre Restaurant as a standalone dining venue and offers mobile catering at client-chosen locations. Services are delivered by an in-house culinary team with two-hatted fine dining credentials and dedicated event coordinators managing bespoke menus, themes, and execution.

Product overview

Food & Desire is a hospitality company operating a platform of three distinct event venues (Carousel, Half Acre, and Sunnyside) alongside comprehensive catering and event planning services. The venues portfolio spans waterfront, urban historic mill, and rural estate settings, collectively accommodating events from intimate gatherings to large-scale celebrations of 1,000+ guests. The company also operates the Half Acre Restaurant and provides major event catering services for Melbourne's flagship sporting events. All venues offer wedding, corporate, and party services, with catering available as a standalone mobile service for client-chosen locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carousel Premium waterfront event venue along Albert Park Lake with sweeping views of Melbourne's city skyline, accommodating up to 1,000 guests cocktail style or 500 seated. Features open, light-filled design with floor-to-ceiling windows, available for weddings, corporate events, and private parties.
• Half Acre Venue Event space in a historic mill in South Melbourne featuring high A-frame ceilings, open floor plan, exposed brick walls, and a private courtyard, combining industrial charm with contemporary elegance. Accommodates up to 400 guests cocktail style or 264 seated.
• Sunnyside Venue on the Mornington Peninsula within 156 hectares of manicured gardens and vineyards, approximately 50 minutes from Melbourne. Offers indoor and outdoor spaces with bay views, accommodating up to 500 guests cocktail style or 260 seated.
• Catering Mobile catering service bringing culinary experiences to client-chosen locations, covering intimate gatherings to grand celebrations and corporate events. Emphasises honest, delicious food with genuine service and customizable menus.
• Half Acre Restaurant Restaurant in South Melbourne styled like entering a friend's kitchen, accommodating up to 85 seated guests and 150 cocktail style, focusing on sustainable, inventive, and delicious food for friends and family.
• Major Events Catering Catering and hospitality services for major Melbourne sporting and social events, including the Melbourne Cup Carnival Birdcage and the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix, working with brands such as Ferrari, Zagame, Porsche, and Lavazza.
• Wedding Catering and Planning Wedding planning and catering services developing menus, themes, locations, and unique requirements for wedding celebrations at company-owned venues or external client locations.
• Corporate Event Catering Corporate catering and event planning services for conferences, product launches, company milestones, business dinners, and team gatherings, tailored to reflect business philosophy and goals.
• Private Party Catering Party planning and catering for birthdays, dance parties, cocktail parties, dinner parties, bar mitzvahs, and milestone celebrations using locally sourced ingredients with international flavours.

Named customers44 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Victoria Racing ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Food & Desire has been an integral partner of the Victoria Racing Club since 2019, providing exceptional hospitality at the iconic Birdcage during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. They consistently demonstrate outstanding professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail in delivering premium hospitality experiences.
• Formula 1 Australian Grand PrixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppointed as catering partner for the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix. Works with prestigious brands including Ferrari, Zagame, Porsche and Lavazza, delivering innovative food and drink concepts at one of Melbourne's biggest sporting events.
• MITS (Melbourne Institute of Technology Solutions)minorOthersFood & Desire has been closely associated with MITS since 2016. Partnership includes gala fundraising dinners, catered events, and cooking programs with students.
• All Things EqualminorOthersHonoured to support All Things Equal, which focuses on providing industry training and opportunities for people of all abilities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo Australia: Global food services and facilities management major with significant Australia presence in event catering and hospitality services. Comparable on contract catering capability but at much larger scale and across multiple verticals.
• Compass Group Australia: Global contract foodservice and hospitality major operating across Australia, including premium event and venue catering. Comparable on contract catering capability but operates at vastly larger scale and breadth than Food & Desire.

Direct peers

• Black Tie Catering: Melbourne event caterer specialising in weddings, corporate functions and private parties with off-premise service. Comparable on mobile full-service catering model and Melbourne wedding/corporate overlap.
• Showtime Events Group: Melbourne-based event production and catering company delivering large-scale corporate events, activations and hospitality. Comparable on premium corporate event delivery and Melbourne event-services overlap.
• Epicure Catering: Premium event caterer operating within Crown Melbourne, delivering weddings, corporate functions and large-scale events. Directly comparable on luxury event catering and Melbourne premium market overlap.
• Bursaria Fine Foods: Melbourne caterer and venue operator offering on-site dining, weddings and corporate events across multiple venues. Closely comparable on combined venue-and-catering offering and Melbourne premium event positioning.
• The Big Group: Australian premium event catering and hospitality group serving corporate and private clients nationally. Comparable on full-service event catering model and premium client roster, though broader geographic reach.
• Peter Rowland Catering: Long-established Melbourne-based premium event caterer serving weddings, corporate functions and major sporting events. Directly comparable on catering service model, premium positioning and Melbourne hospitality market overlap with Food & Desire.
• Atlantic Group: Melbourne hospitality operator combining owned event venues with full-service catering for weddings and corporate functions. Highly comparable on integrated venue-plus-catering model and Melbourne premium positioning.

Regional players

• Zest Events & Catering: Australian premium event caterer operating across multiple states with comparable wedding and corporate catering services. Comparable on service model but broader geographic footprint than Food & Desire's Melbourne-only base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/foodanddesire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodanddesire
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodanddesire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food & Desire