Culinary whiz Susannah Gaterud has finally graced the West Coast with Smaak Catering!
"She's someone who can get the job done,"
Catering to Fashionistas, New York Post
Susannah Gaterud is the founder and force behind Smaak Catering. Smaak first opened in New York City, where it was favored by fashionistas and elite private clients, including Marc Jacobs, Madonna, Prince, and Karl Lagerfeld. Considered at one point to be one of New York City's premier caterers, Susannah was profiled in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, New York Post, Fashion Wire Daily, and a number of Scandinavian culinary journals.
Susannah first learned her craft at Maxims culinary school in Paris, France. She began her career as an apprentice in a reputable restaurant in Paris. In an effort to diversify her culinary expertise, she then moved to the Caribbean where she worked at various French restaurants on the island of St. Martin.
In 1990, she moved to New York City where she attended Peter Kump's New York Cooking School. After graduating, Susannah managed the catering operations at Industria Super Studio, the premiere fashion studio in New York, where she worked for legendary photographers, such as Richard Avedon and Patrick Demarchelier.
Susannah opened Smaak Catering in 1996, creating the culinary components of extravagant events, private parties, photo shoots and trunk shows throughout Manhattan. Through Smaak, Susannah incorporated her Swedish heritage, Smaak meaning taste in her native tongue of Swedish, implicitly good taste of course. While Susannah's clients may be some of the loftiest names in the fashion world, her food philosophy is decidedly down-to-earth and practical. The best food follows the same principles of Scandinavian design: straightforward, functional, and elegant in its simplicity.
In 2000, Susannah decided to take a break from the intense kitchen work and threw herself into the world of fashion. She opened two retail stores, one on each coast. Both stores, also called Smaak, featured the best of Scandinavian designs.
Because of her lifelong passion, she could not completely stay away from the kitchen, so together with her husband she sought to bring her passion for traditional French cuisine to realization. They opened the very successful "Sophie's Bistro", a Parisian-like restaurant with a classical menu. Susannah oversees the delectable menu at "Sophie's" from her new hometown, San Francisco.
Now in San Francisco - new location, new venues, and new clients, Smaak still combines the same gloriously fresh and innovative food created with respect for the traditional and best ingredients. Susannah and her team will create an unforgettable culinary event for all her clients making sure that everything is seen to - explore a new taste of Smaak!
