My Food Journey

Hey there, I’m Teresa Julian, owner of crEATe Catering Co. I’m a New Plymouth local where I live with my beautiful teenage daughter. I’d like to share a little with you about where my food journey began.

My passion and love for cooking started when I was a child. I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my mum growing up. Watching her in the kitchen always fascinated me. Mum’s love for not only feeding her family, but also her friends and people in the community, was something that always brought her joy. Delicious smells always wafted from the kitchen and this ignited a fire in my belly that eventually drew me to work with food. 

Mum would often say to me, “The secret ingredient to anything you make is love”. I have always remembered this and have lived by this philosophy ever since. I used to joke and say that even a bowl of cornflakes will taste amazing, so long as you put love into it! 

My mum’s love for food and cooking led her to open her own cafe. In my teens, I went on to complete a catering course, then eventually helping mum in her cafe.

During my 20s, not long after I left home, I lost both my parents on the same day. From that moment, I shied away from cooking food as it was so closely connected to my Mum, and too painful for me to bear at the time.

It wasn’t until I had my beautiful daughter in my 30s that I started dabbling in cooking again. I met an amazing couple who used to feed the youth from around Taranaki every week. This re-ignited the fire in my belly and the drive and passion to reconnect with food again.

I decided to study cookery at WITT to chase my dreams, which opened up so many opportunities. Now, I’m working at a school, feeding hundreds of kids every day—a job I truly love and have been doing for three years. 

After many years of slowly working towards my dream and developing my skill set, I’ve finally launched my own business: crEATe Catering Co. This journey is fueled not only by my passion for food and how food brings us together to connect—but also to honour my mum and carry on the amazing legacy she left behind.