Due to working with fresh ingredients, the team is extremely mindful of food safety

• A chat with Platter It Up Founder Nima Faiz

Many would agree that Nima Faiz, the mastermind behind the popular Platter It Up - platters and grazing tables, is an individual who has made a significant shift from the corporate world to creating foodie fantasies with her unique and vibrant charcuterie boards. Platter It Up currently has over 15,000 followers on Instagram, and has reached a wide audience since its launch.

So how did she do it? What motivated her? What challenges did she face? We’ll delve into the secrets behind Nima’s success, her love for food, and the creative process behind her visually stunning food business.

After graduating with an economics degree, Nima decided to shake things up and dive right into the food and beverage industry. “Who knew my foodie dreams could turn into such an amazing journey? From brainstorming menu concepts to creating mouth-watering dishes, every day has been an adventure. And let’s not forget about the customers - watching their faces light up with each bite is truly priceless,” Nima told The Daily Morning Brunch.

Could you tell us about your business, platteritup.lk?

Platter It Up is, as the name suggests, a platter business. We specialise in cheese platters mostly, but over the years have experimented with fruit platters and brunch platters too. Our cheese platters are our most popular product, and they include a variety of cheeses, cold cuts, fresh fruit, crackers, dips, antipasti, etc.

What led you to start a platters and grazing table business?

It was really spontaneous and random. No thought went into it. I just remember being at a restaurant where they were serving cheese platters and I really wanted it, but it didn’t look that great and I said, “I can do a much better job than that” - and that kicked it all off. I started the Instagram page right there on such a whim.

What are some of the main disadvantages and difficulties of running platteritup.lk?

I think in the last couple of years, the main difficulty has been the constantly changing economic situation of the country. Last year was incredibly difficult as prices kept changing so often and ingredients became so scarce. I felt like giving up because I was unable to give customers the same quality product. And I did take a break for four months because I always want to do my best and maintaining quality is the number one priority for us - it’s why we have such a loyal client base who keeps coming back for more.

Tell us about the preparation of a grazing table for a client? Do you prepare all the food at the location or is there anything you prepare before arriving at the client’s location?

There’s a lot of planning and work that goes into a grazing table. What you see on Instagram and in pictures is the final product that can take weeks to plan. We start prep about 8-10 hours before we need to be at the venue and we also do some prep whilst at the location to make sure everything is fresh. We draw the tables out so that once we get to the venue, we know exactly where everything goes and are not wasting time - at the end of the day we are working with fresh food and need to be careful about food safety.

How did you learn to arrange food in such an eye-catching manner? How long did it take you to perfect different styles with different food?

I am self-taught. It was a lot of practice and a lot of time spent looking at pictures of my platters and thinking, “oh, if I could re-do this, I would change this”. It took me about two years to actually be really happy with my style of platters, but it still changes even now. The learning never stops, I feel like I’m still improving and figuring out how to make things better. There is always, always room for improvement.

What has been your biggest achievement since you started your business?

Oh gosh, that’s a difficult one. I feel like we’ve had so many amazing things happen in the last four years. I think the main one that comes to mind is how successful our workshops have been and the response we’ve had for them - did I ever think I could sell out multiple workshops? No way. I am so grateful for the support Platter It Up has garnered over the last four years.

Tell us a little about the team that helps you set up such amazing platters and grazing tables.

They are amazing. I wouldn’t be doing Platter It Up without them and it would be impossible to keep up with orders by myself. It took me a really long time to train them and I still check in on orders from time-to-time to make sure they are up to standard. But they pretty much do all the work from prep to setting up the platters.

How do you ensure to get fresh food items on time? Do you have a stock or do you get them based on clients’ requirements?

We keep a stock of certain items, but other items are ordered on a weekly basis. All platters are made to order, and are made right before the customers want it - which is why we need at least two days’ notice for all platters.

Tell us about some of the local brands you’ve collaborated with so far.

I work with some amazing local brands. It’s one of the things I am really proud of that Platter It Up can support so many local businesses. Ciao is our main supplier of cheese - their product is always consistent and they are innovative. Tamarind Gardens is our second cheese supplier who is based in Kandy - we absolutely love their products and customers love it too. Kremeux is another home business we’ve been working with for a long time and they make cream cheese - their herb and garlic cream cheese is a hit on our platters.

BOX

Three tips for a beginner wanting to step into the platter/grazing table industry

• Be passionate about what you’re doing - and I think this applies to anything and not just for platter businesses. If you’re passionate and love what you do, then I don’t think you can fail
• Be creative - at the end of the day platters are art. So experiment, try out different things and don’t be afraid to do things that haven’t been done before. Get inspiration from others, but don’t try to copy
• Be consistent. It’s not easy to break into any industry. But consistency is key. Don’t give up and just keep going

Photos © Sampath Karunathilaka and Nima Faiz