There aren't many places across the district where Elizabeth Smith and her Fabulous Feast catering team haven't been.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sadly, after 33 years of cooking spit roasts just about anywhere - "from the back paddock to little old halls" - she has decided to call it a day.
The coronavirus has had a severe effect financially and on her own health, she said in a post online, so it was time to "bring forward" her retirement.
"We have done everything from birth to death, and all the birthdays in between," she wrote.
"Thousands of weddings, which were catered in all locations from the backyard, park, halls of various sizes, marquees in paddocks, or farm sheds, not to mention the Hens parties, Bucks parties and yes even a divorce party.
"It would be interesting to know how many kilometers we have traveled or how many dishes we've washed."
An emotional Ms Smith said the closure of the business was beginning to sink in as she was selling off the equipment - there were more than eight spit roasts still in her shed.
"We've done some crazy hours in some crazy places, but we worked hard," she said.
"I just had a guy come out, who was wanting us to do a function for his business - we've done quite a few for them - I had to say 'sorry, we're closed', and he said 'well, could you fit in one more?', I had to say we couldn't, everything's gone.
"There were a lot of late nights, we were cold and tired, but it was the pride of someone walking up to you when you're serving, and they say 'that's fantastic', or 'fabulous, you live up to your name', and that's what it was all about."
The team has worked in a snowstorm in Talbot, a dusty volcano caldera, and one event on a muddy farm that needed tractors to tow in the work van.
"At the top of the hill, they had pull-out pergolas, and it was lucky it was a nice day otherwise, there were no side walls, and I asked where's the access to water? He said why do you need water?" Ms Smith said with a laugh - no water, just two prep tables, and nothing colder than eskies.
"There's wind blowing, there were like a hundred people, and we have to work out in that area, and they give you one per cent of a marquee with no walls."
Ms Smith ran the business with her husband David for 22 years until his death, taking it all on her own since then.
"You do learn a lot, I know how to do the accounting, the OHS, safe food handling, looking after all of it," she said.
IN THE NEWS
"One of the things I was taught way back was to keep it simple and we've always kept it simple, we keep the menu simple - this is what you get, and that's what we do.
"It worked out very well.
"My son's just gone into business himself, and I said to him, don't forget the rules, keep it simple, because when it becomes complicated, that's when you become unstuck."
- Partners in Wellbeing helpline provides one-to-one wellbeing support and free access to financial counsellors to businesses. Phone 1300 375 330.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.