Janet and Christine Blair began Two Sisters Catering out of their home kitchens in 2005, mainly catering for friends and family. The business grew modestly in the first few years, but has recently taken off, and the sisters are moving full steam ahead.
When asked what they think the biggest draw is for their customers, Janet suggests, “they really enjoy the uniqueness of our dishes. We provide food that many people won’t make at home, and it’s something our customers really enjoy”. Christine suggests that many of their clientele are looking for local food options; “there are numerous people in Smithers who support local food, and because we support local food, they support us.” She adds that, “many of our customers enjoy the farmers’ market, but they want more.”
Janet and Christine use local products in their menu, when in season. This week, they purchased bread from Meg at Rustica Bakery, and shopped at the Bulkley Valley Farmers’ Market early Saturday morning to stock up on local vegetables for a wedding they are catering later that day.
Janet admits there are challenges when buying local, “it’s not only the availability of the vegetables but also the variety of different and unique vegetables from rainbow beets to purple carrots”. The sisters are looking forward to establishing even more relationships with local growers to start providing unique vegetables for their dishes.
The Two Sisters have big plans for the New Year, including opening the doors of their new bistro & café in early 2012. They are currently immersed in renovating the space and purchasing all the equipment for what will be Smithers’ newest eatery.
In addition to providing healthy local food for customers, Christine and Janet also hope to provide some menu items for their gluten-free patrons. They plan to make use of the bistro space for community and special functions by hosting cooking classes for public and private dinner parties using guest chefs from the North. For private functions, a group of up to 30 patrons can pre-order from a select menu and wine list and enjoy dinner in an intimate setting.
Janet and Christine hope that many will take advantage of the unique opportunity to mingle with other food lovers from the area while being treated to a meal from talented chefs they normally would not have access to.
Two Sisters Catering
(250) 847-1706
(250) 847-2644
Smithers, BC