Our first conversation is with supplier and friend, Rebecca Rhodes-Evans, Founder of ethical catering company, Rock My Bowl.
It was early in my career as a young photo assistant that I came to understand how important food on-set was. One of my jobs was to pop to the supermarket to get some classic packet sandwiches that once eaten, made you want to fall asleep in the corner of the studio!
Attitude to food on-set was functional, however when time permitted, I would rustle up some hot food for the team to eat. I often joke that this simple action kept me in the job… and perhaps it did!
Fast forward 10+ years and food plays a massive part in our shoots. It’s soul food. Fuel to keep the troops marching on.
More importantly, it’s an opportunity to take a break. A chance for our clients, agency and crew to get to know one another, to bond. A simple good nourishing lunch break is a relationship builder. Food is a talking point, food is social, food connects people.
Alongside our role as a sustainable, full-service production agency, our job is to manage the energy levels of our teams on set. It’s our job to ensure we give our crews some time to step away from their cameras and computers and to offer a little respite from the sometimes-intense schedule.
Rock My Bowl provides us with interesting, healthy and colourful food that always delivers both in look, taste and conversation.
It is also a brilliant example of a better business. With a closely aligned mantra, we approached Founder Rebecca Rhodes-Evans to discuss sustainable ideas that we can all adopt; small steps we can take that collectively make a big difference to our future.
Liam Bergin, Perma Collective
Founded in 2016 by Rebecca Rhodes-Evans, Rock My Bowl is a boutique catering company specialising in breakfast and lunch, producing beautiful, nourishing food for shoots and small events.
The sustainable menu is largely plant-based and cooked seasonally from scratch wherever possible.
Renowned for knowledge and use of seasonal ingredients, Rock My Bowl works with clients to create menus and styling to suit their brief. The company’s impressive client list includes household names such as Instagram, Pinterest, Liberty, Browns Fashion, Tommy Hilfiger and Elemis plus a range of other ethical and sustainable brands.
Rock My Bowl describes its food as unfussy, nourishing and beautifully presented.
Liam: Can you give us the back-story of Rock My Bowl? What inspired your career in catering?
Rebecca: Growing up my mum was not massively into cooking. She was a single parent without a lot of money, but she made these amazing hand-cut chips! I’m pretty sure the fryer would not be allowed now! We had them with fried eggs at least once a week and it was my favourite part of the week.
After having my son, I felt unfulfilled in my career. I was always cooking for my family and friends. I was the one with all the inside knowledge on new restaurants etc. At that point I was making a lot of granola and the breakfast cafe scene was massive, so I decided to try to get a market pitch selling my granola. Today my business is five years in the making and I still sell my granola alongside my shoot catering! I am delighted to say I’m now in the process of taking on an assistant to help expand the granola business too.
Liam: We all have our go to cookbooks and our food heroes. Who inspires you and your cooking?
Rebecca: Cooks like Anna Jones and Nourish Atelier are massively influential for me and I have learned so much about plant based cooking from them, but I am mostly inspired by my family and friends. I am so lucky to have an incredible support network of amazing women who inspire me in little ways every day.
Liam: We pride ourselves on being well-prepared to allow for productions to run as smoothly as possible. This includes picking the right menu for the job, as you know from the numerous times we’ve enjoyed your falafels over the years! What is important to you when planning your menu?
Rebecca: We are mostly led by the seasons and the feel of the brief. We don’t have set menus as such, but we have “hero” items that clients request over and over.
One of my signature dishes are Goodness Bowls – a very fancy selection of salads. These bowls are a great way to avoid waste and I tend to use whatever I have leftover to make them different and varied: pesto from leftover leaves and herbs or a crouton from bread ends. Cauliflower leaves are especially tasty when lightly baked with sea salt.
I always have a pot next to me when I’m chopping veg so I can just throw the ends into a stock. I think we all still throw away too much and I am constantly striving for zero waste.
Liam: Like you, we’re aspiring to be a better business and are inspired by many B-Corp organisations. All businesses need to look properly at their waste management. Do you have any other tips for our readers?
Rebecca: We tend to look at the week’s bookings and then order a big batch of seasonal veg and build menus around that. Literally nothing gets thrown away in the kitchen. We use veggie leaves for soups, bread ends for croutons and all the odds and ends go into stock. A plant-based diet runs more in-line with being zero waste. It’s much easier to adapt and change recipes with veg being the main ingredient.
Liam: We try to purchase production supplies close to shoot locations to reduce our carbon footprint. Can you tell us more about your local supply chain?
Rebecca: I use a company called Oui Chef for most of my veg produce and I have great relationships with lots of other suppliers local to me.
Jones of Brockley sources incredible artisan products and I often turn to them for unusual items, sometimes at the last minute! I also try to purchase my bread from Little Bread Pedlar in Spa Terminus – in my opinion they are by far the best micro bakery!
Liam: Do you have any other sources for your ingredients?
Rebecca: I don’t grow food as yet. My garden/ kitchen is a work in progress! I’m adding things all the time to make it a more eco and evolving space.
A green fingered friend of mine is helping me to put together a herb garden and I’m hoping we will finish that in the coming months. I have also found some great foraging spots in Brockley for sage and wild garlic.
I have started to make all my own dressings, sauces and pastes and I have enjoyed sharing some of my store cupboards essentials on IG Live TV.
We can all make so much more from scratch than we realise. The difference in taste is incredible and once you start making your own condiments you won’t go back!
Liam: When we set out our vision for Perma, we decided one of the main focuses was on building a company which allows a positive work/life balance. What do you do for fun? How do you switch off?
Rebecca: Eating out is something me and my partner did a lot before. We like little weekend breaks too.
I have to exercise daily (for everyone’s sanity), so a lot of yoga and some weights, reading, dancing in the kitchen. I’m a party girl at heart and I seem to have not got the memo that I should probably hang up my dancing shoes!
I adore La Paloma in Ibiza: a small, relaxed informal cafe and restaurant in San Lorenzo, in the middle of the island. Everything on the menu is seasonal and simple, mostly using produce grown in the beautiful grounds. That’s my ultimate happy place.
I was an avid visitor to BLOK London before Covid. Obviously I’ve had to adapt my regime so I’ve been doing rocket/dynamic vinyasa with the wonderful Rachel Walsh. She is one of BLOK’s teachers and I love her strong but fun practice. We have ended up becoming friends and I have catered for her at events in the brief periods when we were out of lockdown.
Take a look at Rebecca’s Yellow Thai curry with Turmeric and Cumin recipe. The dish uses seasonal roasted cauliflower which comes into season in both Spring and Autumn. Sustainable, tasty, inspiring.