Napoleon said an army marches on its stomach and the same can be said for a film crew. Great food is the morale booster a team needs to combat gruelling work-hours and challenging conditions – something Executive and Concept Chef Byron de Carvalho knows all about. Trained by some of the best in the business – Garth Stroebel alone is a legend amongst legends – Chef Byron heads up SheSha, a multi-faceted catering company that not only services the local and international film industry, but also offers Pop Up eateries and the delivered-to-your-door Munch Box. A valued customer of N1 Restaurant Suppliers, Chef Byron kindly took time out to answer a few questions about SheSha Film & TV Caterers and the film industry at large.

What was it that first drew you to the food industry?

I grew up in a household full of foodies. At home, growing up cooking was a huge part of my family. Dinner was always cooked by my father and I. Being Portguese, played a huge role in our home culture, all sitting around the table eating and discussing the food at dinner time.

You began SheSha nearly ten years ago, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in starting up?

Cash flow was a major challenge. I managed to save R60K from my wages as a chef over 3 years and built our first kitchen. Second challenge was learning the film industry, its hours and demands.

Sourcing high-quality produce is essential in your business, how far back does your relationship with N1 Restaurant Suppliers extend and what would you say is your overall experience in dealing with N1?

N1 are amazing, delivery time and overall product is definitely top of all the meat suppliers in South Africa.

Who would you say is tougher to work with, local or international film crews? And what is the general response of your international clients to the quality of the food available here?

It depeneds, in Jozi the crew are more chilled when it comes to food but in Cape Town we have all those food snobs. Our international clients come for service and this is what we pride oursleves on, so we generally find it much easier to please them than our local clients.

You must have set up in some interesting locations – which has been the most challenging to date?

We have worked on some really crazy locations in South Africa. If I think back, we did a shoot on the side of Table Mountain which entailed a climbing rig to get to the location, which was rather challenging with food and equipment. I also won’t forget doing a 9am breakfast for 500 crew members in Grabouw, then doing a huge unit move for lunch in Cape Town, ready for 12pm.

No less challenging must be some of the egos you’ve had to deal with – without naming names, what are some of the stranger requests you’ve received on set?

Hahahahaha, good laughs as I chuckle with so many silly situtaions passing through my thoughts... The best one yet, was a film director that had a small Jack Russel hound that required a meal plan that was out of this world. Grilled ostrich, slamon roles and wait, to top it off, baked  chocolate cake with lamb nuckle, but we made it happen. The second was a camera man that insisted in having apples imported from Fiji at R1000 an apple. When we ran out we had no choice but to buy our local apples and he ended up not knowing the difference.

And finally, what or who continues to inspire you in your fast-paced, ever-changing industry?

I am an ex-drug addict and the film industy is simply my new drug of choice. The reason why I’m in this crazy industry is to be that bit closer to my parents that contributed their lives and deaths for the passion to create amazing film creatively and professionally the best.

South Africa is known for its vibrant and growing film industry, so we rest assured that customers like SheSha Film & TV Caterers will go from strength to strength in this dynamic field. Thank you again to Chef Byron for taking the time to chat with us. And we hope to bring you more in the series of ‘The N1 Spotlight falls on’ very soon.