An Interview with Trevor Childs – Catering General Manager – Searcy’s at Church House
Part of London’s hospitality scene for over 175 years, Searcys are award-winning caterers that believe in serving fresh, seasonal dishes that focus on sustainability alongside extensive well-procured Champagne and wine lists.
Searcy’s now serves several prestigious venues and restaurants, including Church House! We are proud to be able to offer our guests culinary experiences that satisfy the most demanding of tastebuds!
Since joining the Church House as General Manager for Searcy’s back in April, Trevor has quickly become a staple part of our team who is well-liked; and extremely effective.
To celebrate this partnership and help our clients get to know our team better, we interviewed Trevor about his time with us so far, and his vision for the future of the Church House/Searcy’s partnership.
Tell us about your career journey so far; and how you came to work with Searcy’s.
I started my career at the tender age of 15, working as a kitchen porter in my local pub. I wanted to get involved in the kitchen, but they wouldn’t let me near the flames and knives until I was a bit older!
After 7 years of cooking, I completed my bachelor’s degree at Bournemouth University and then moved into the world of contract catering. I’ve been privileged enough to work at some incredible locations and venues throughout my career, from historic royal palaces to current royal residences, churches, cathedrals, livery halls, museums and even a ski chalet.
I started with Searcys in 2019 at the Saatchi Gallery where we were looking after a pop-up café for the Tutankhamun exhibition.
Unfortunately, that experience was cut short due to the covid pandemic, and so I found a new home at the Honourable Artillery Company, near Old Street. During my recent time there, I worked with an amazing team and together we developed and grew the events business before I moved over to take on the role at Church House Westminster.
What excites you about the new partnership between Church House and Searcys?
I think there is an excellent synergy between the values and goals of Church House and Searcys. Church House have a great ambition for how we can operate in a fully sustainable way, and this is also at the core of what Searcys strive to achieve. I hope to draw inspiration from over 300 years of combined experience that the two organisations have and use that to help us operate in a thoroughly modern and forward-thinking way. In the short time I’ve been here, I feel a very positive energy around the venue, and I feel that together we can deliver an amazing guest experience; creating lasting memories and long-term relationships between Church House, Searcy’s and our joint clients.
Tell us about some of the most memorable events you have been involved in hosting.
Where to begin? I have so many fond memories of events of all different scales and profiles. Her late Majesty’s Garden parties were certainly some of the highlights of my career; being part of the team that looked after some 7000 guests for afternoon tea is something I frequently look back on with fondness and awe.
However, something that I often take a moment to reflect on was a much smaller and humbler affair for a handful of London cabbies and their passengers. These black cab drivers rallied together every year to transport hundreds of sick children on a magical trip to Disneyland. Before doing so they were fed breakfast in London’s docklands, and I was honoured to be a part of the team that in some small way contributed to such an incredible cause.
Do you have any advice for those who would like to forge a career in the Catering & Events industry?
Get stuck in and enjoy every moment. The events industry is lively, fast-paced and constantly keeps you on your toes, but you always get out more than what you put in.
If you’re new to the industry, absorb all the information you can from those who’ve been around a bit longer. There is no shortage of great people in our industry who are passionate about nurturing and developing the next generation, so find those people and you’ll soon catch the bug!
What is your favourite cuisine?
Maybe I’m biased, but I think British cuisine is the best in the world! We’re lucky enough to have some of the most passionate and innovative farmers, growers, and artisan producers right on our doorstep so they inspire our chefs to constantly push the boundaries. The innovation you see at every turn is astounding and the pace that the food scene moves at is fast enough to make your head spin. There’s always something to be excited about, whether that be new flavour combinations taking inspiration from around the world; or new ways to weave sustainable principles into the very fabric of our menus and practices. And this is the very reason I fell in love with food and hospitality in the first place, there’s always more to know, talk about and even more to experience.
If you are interested in hosting an event at Church House, where the setting and the food provided are really something to write home about!…. Get in touch to book a show round, tasting, or just to discuss your options using our contact form, alternatively, give us a call on 020 7390 1590.