Yorkshire born and bred, it was in warmer climes that the young Jimmy discovered his taste for cooking and good food
Growing up in Wakefield in “God’s own country”, it was his Spanish father who ignited his love of cooking. In the summers, Jimmy and “Papa G '' would holiday in his father’s family home in Asturias, Northern Spain, hike in the mountains and cook meat, fruit and veg to perfection over the flames of a fire pit they had built. At 19, he took on his first “chef” job working in a luxury ski resort in France, followed by stints as a private chef on Mediterranean superyachts every summer as he continued to hone his skills in breaks from university.
Fast forward a few years and aged 24, Jimmy was stuck in a city job as a broker, his head was swimming with thoughts about cooking and hosting, so much so that he simply couldn't ignore it any longer. His first “restaurant” was born, 25 covers, in his living room at his flat in South-West London, having borrowed tables and chairs from the local church!
Word of mouth soon meant that evenings kept selling out and for Jimmy to stop irritating his flatmates he knew he had to find other options to continue hosting these “supper clubs”. Going on to host guests in wine shop basements, warehouses and gardens, before using a Balham pub in winter of 2014 to introduce a ski-chalet, fondue led concept called “The Lodge” it was very soon that “the King of Pop-Up’s” tag started to appear alongside Jimmy’s name.
The Lodge has grown into “Fire & Fromage” and has become a regular part of the winter festivities on Southbank, complete with beautiful, twinkly igloos. Southbank has also been home to Jimmy’s summer pop up “the BBQ Club” for the last 6 years and just across Waterloo Bridge you’ll find Jimmy’s other winter pop up “Chalet Suisse” at Somerset House.
Pop-ups are only half the story though. Today, Jimmy Garcia Catering is garnering a reputation as being the bravest of a new breed of event caterers. Making your special occasion – whether it’s a wedding, a conference, a Eurovision party, a branded product launch or anything in between – even more special through creating a spectacular menu from delicious, local, seasonal produce. This is Michelin quality catering in the event space.
From humble beginnings in the front room of a rented flat, Jimmy and his team are now catering for up to 2000 people at a time and in venues as prestigious as Somerset House, Old Billingsgate, Kensington Palace, The Roundhouse and more and for clients and brands like Google, TikTok and Liberty Global amongst others.
Having successfully turned his hobby and passion for food into his business, Jimmy’s approach remains the same. Ensuring people feel entertained by the food in front of them and are wowed by an abundance of flavour is what puts a smile on Jimmy’s face. Add to that an insistence on using the finest seasonal and locally sourced produce and employing like- minded people to his team to continually go beyond expectation and all his guests are smiling too.
Jimmy now has a young family of his own and lives on the South Coast, how soon until the junior Garcia’s start beachside cooking with their dad I wonder?
