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Running a restaurant can already be taxing and demanding—just imagine running a catering company where the locations constantly change, the menus and table setups are tailored to the client’s preferences, and the service depends on precise timing. It’s pretty overwhelming just thinking about it even!
Catering is a totally different ballgame and it requires patience, leadership, and meticulous attention to be great at it. It’s a good thing that these qualities come naturally for Patricia Locsin Cheung.
A graduate of Culinary Arts and Management Technology at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), Cheung—fondly called Trish—has had many years of training before entering the time-consuming, labor-intensive, and high-pressure world of event catering.
She trained for 11 years at Cibo di M Signature Catering under Margarita Fores, whom she considers her mentor. And she also developed a couple of restaurants, including Good Earth Roasts, WOKBY 4900, and dining and co-working space Paseo 59C.
“I started with the love for catering—the food, the details, the joy of every set-up. But growing the business taught me that it’s also about the system, numbers, and leading a team. It’s where creativity meets discipline,” she says. “I love the pace and creativity of catering. No two events are the same, and it pushes me to constantly evolve—new themes, new dishes, new ways to bring a vision to life.”
Scale Isn’t About Volume—It’s About Systems
As the captain of the Feliz ship, Cheung oversees everything—from client meetings and menu planning to kitchen execution and event styling. She has been at it for 10 years, and though they started small, focusing mostly on intimate gatherings and family celebrations, they have expanded and taken on more full-scale celebrations, weddings, and large corporate events.
“Our biggest to date was catering for 3000 guests,” she recalls. “What looked like scale was really about precision: layered logistics, synchronized teams, and a clear system from kitchen to service. We broke it down into stations, timed every release, and built a team that moved as one. It wasn’t just about feeding a crowd, it was about delivering the same level of detail at scale.”
She also considers catering for the 1st FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup event, which ran over 17 straight days, to be another feather in her cap. They had to curate and execute menus for guests of different nationalities, each with their own tastes, preferences, and cultural nuances, from daily lunch and merienda to dinner service.
“Every day called for a new level of creativity, precision, and adaptability, balancing consistency in quality while constantly customizing the experience. It pushed our team beyond routine catering, and into a rhythm of global flavors, tight logistics, and high volume execution without compromise. It was exhausting but deeply rewarding.”
Beyond the business, Cheung sees strong parallels between catering and motherhood. As a doting mother to 10-year-old son Ramoncito, she makes sure to find time for her son amidst all the cooking mayhem. “Catering and motherhood go hand-in-hand for me. Both are about care, intuition, and showing up no matter what. Different worlds, same heart.”
5 Expert Catering Tips for Running A Successful Catering Business
Running a catering business will always carry a huge responsibility. “Clients trust me with their most important celebrations, and so I have to deliver flawlessly,” she says. “But the most gratifying part is that same trust—when they keep coming back, celebrate milestones with me, and become part of the journey.”
1. Master your systems, not just your food.
Great dishes will get you noticed, but solid systems keep you in business. Standardize recipes, timelines, costing, and workflows so every event runs consistently even at scale
2. Plan logistics like a production.
It’s like you’re opening a restaurant everyday. Think in terms of flow: prep-transport-set-up-service-breakdown. Assign team leads, create zones, and always have buffer time. The smoother the logistics, the more effortless it feels to the client.
3. Know your costing and numbers.
Pricing isn’t just about ingredients. Factor in manpower, rentals, transport, overhead, and contingencies. Profit is made in the planning, not just the booking.
4. Build and train a reliable team.
You’re only as good as the people executing the event with you. Train them not just in tasks, but in standards, timing, presentation, and how to handle pressure during live events.
5. Protect your brand through details and relationships.
Clients remember how you made them feel. Clear communication, thoughtful touches, and consistency turn one-time clients into long term ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Patricia Locsin Cheung, also known as Trish, is the founder of Feliz Dish and Details, and a hospitality entrepreneur with experience in catering, restaurants, and event management.
Feliz Dish and Details is known for customized private events, weddings, family celebrations, and large-scale catering with a focus on quality food, elegant setups, and professional service.
She studied Culinary Arts and Management Technology at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA).
Large events require careful logistics, food stations, synchronized teams, timed service, and clear communication from kitchen to floor operations.
A trained team ensures quality standards, proper timing, food presentation, and the ability to perform under pressure during live events.
She compares catering and motherhood as similar roles built on care, intuition, and always showing up when needed.
