24 hours with Costas Sofocleous
The wedding planner
Anyone who has got married will tell you planning it is a nightmare. But doing it for a living?
There is very little chance to sit down for supper with Costas Sofocleous, his job as managing director of Sans Frontieres is 16 hours a day, seven days a week but he loves it. Sans Frontieres is one of the island’s leading catering companies. It arranges large functions for thousands at embassies and the Presidential Palace as well as intimate romantic dinners. It provides food for international conferences and corporate events as well as for the Armenian boarding school in Nicosia.
Born in Limassol in 1959 and educated at the Hotel Institute in Nicosia, Costas decided after his national service to travel to Paris to gain further qualifications and learn more about catering. He returned to Cyprus in 1988 and set up a company specialising in catering for parties and weddings.
The name, he explains, reflects his view that food should no know boundaries. It should take the best of all cuisines and that there should be a philosophy of flexibility – if it is humanly possible to do he will do it.
His day starts early, at 6am, with a visit to the gym. Keeping fit is vital for most days he will work non-stop until 1am. By 7am he will be at his desk. His company has grown since the early days, adding offices in Limassol and Nicosia, but its base is at the International Conference Centre.
Weddings are a particular speciality. He prides himself on being the Master of Ceremonies, creating perfect days with perfect memories. It’s a big responsibility. The average wedding he plans will have around 1,200 guests at a cocktail reception, then 200 for a sit down meal. He coordinates it all. Flowers, food, seating, waiters, cake, photographer, music, he can even see to the wedding dress and hire of clothes. On the day itself he will be there to guide the bride and groom and family through the protocol. He’ll start the clapping, make sure the toasts are on time, help get the first dance on the floor.
On a typical weekend in the height of the season he will have four weddings in a weekend. How does he manage it? “Meticulous planning.” The average wedding will use 100 kilos of chicken, so getting his ordering right with suppliers is crucial. He has to plan for every eventuality including his vans breaking down. He pays a company to be able to be with him in twenty minutes at any venue,
He tells me that ten years ago, people just wanted sit down meals. Now the trend is for large cocktail parties straight after the ceremony, sometimes at the family home but often outside the church or in public venues like gardens. The average wedding here will cost about £4,500. He supplies five hot, five cold items of food with three sweets and all the drinks for £2 per head. It sounds a very good deal.
Everything is coordinated with military precision. Tables erected, glasses shone, musicians hired, the food is always the last thing to arrive so that it can be as fresh as possible. It’s kept in specially designed trolleys which have a constant temperature for eight hours to meet EU health and safety regulations.
Having a successful party is, Costas says, like a recipe, you need to get all the ingredients right, down to the tiniest detail. “Good staff, good equipment, good food”. For each couple it is a unique day, and sometimes you have to be prepared for the unexpected. He tells me of a Greek wedding he did a few years ago where after eating, all the plates were smashed for good luck and then danced upon. He says at the time he just smiled. A discreet arrangement was come to afterwards to pay for the broken crockery. At an average wedding reception he will expect to have 100 glasses broken, which is a cost he will carry himself.
He manages the company with fifteen full time staff. It is always good to have your most trusted employee in the kitchen he says, “to be my ears and eyes”.
“Ah,” I ask “and who is that?”. He laughs, “My wife, of course.” But do they, as a couple, ever get to sit down to a meal together? He rolls his eyes to heaven. “If only… I usually have to eat on the run”. The phone rings. He is off to meet a young couple about to get married. Nowadays, although the cost will normally be split between both parents, it is the couple who will be responsible for making the decisions, planning will start at least six months ahead. Costas likes to talk to each couple very carefully about what they want. He will take them to the venues and discuss the tiniest details, down to the folding of the napkins and the direction of the sun. Most weddings happen here in Cyprus between April and October at around 4pm in the afternoon. He is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his marquee from England. He thinks the future will include winter weddings and weddings in the heat of the day, his marquee will solve weather problems.
What is the favourite part of his job? “Ah, the actual wedding day ” he sighs. “I love seeing people happy, and knowing that I have helped in creating that pleasure.”
Does he sleep well when he finally falls into his bed? He smiles, “Yes, but only when I know that have I planned the perfect party.”
