With Respects Catering
Executive Chef Led Funeral Catering Melbourne | Short-Notice Memorial Specialists
When you’re arranging a funeral or wake in Melbourne, you need catering you can trust. I’m Executive Chef Rodney Van Oirschot, and my team specialises exclusively in bereavement hospitality - from simple funeral food platters at home to full-service memorial catering at chapels, churches and memorial parks across Melbourne. Every booking comes with a 48-hour short-notice guarantee and chef-led quality from our Rosanna commercial kitchen.
Calculate Your Wake Catering Costs Instantly
Planning a farewell means making decisions quickly. Our Funeral Catering Investment Estimator gives you instant per-head pricing, staffing costs and beverage options for your exact guest count. Choose drop-off or full-service catering, adjust numbers, and download a PDF quote so your funeral planning budget is clear from the start.
Funeral Catering Investment Estimator
Chef Recommendation: Service Staff For Guests.
Total Estimated Investment
$0.00Planning a farewell requires fast, transparent answers. Use our wake catering quote builder to view per-head pricing and get a downloadable PDF quote for your funeral planning budget
Speak With Rodney DirectlyTrusted by Melbourne funeral directors, churches and memorial venues
We regularly coordinate with funeral directors, churches, chapel teams and memorial venues across Melbourne to ensure discreet setup, smooth service and one less thing for families to manage.
Chef-led and venue-aware: from church halls and chapel receptions to memorial venues across Melbourne, we understand the timing, access and service flow required for respectful funeral catering.
We regularly work alongside funeral directors and community venues including Mary Immaculate, Holy Trinity East Melbourne, Gabrielle Walsh Funeral Services, St Johns Anglican Heidelberg, Uniting Church Australia, St Peters Eastern Hill, Selwyn Allen Funerals, Raven Funerals, White Lady Funerals, Simplicity Funerals, Bare Funerals Melbourne, Dubock Funerals Brunswick, Greenhaven Funerals, Halls Funerals Diamond Creek and Jonathan Hepner Funerals Geelong.
The Chef’s Standard: Quality You Can Trust
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Commercial Kitchen Freshness: We prepare everything fresh. No frozen bulk items. This is restaurant-quality food adapted for memorial services.
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Logistical Precision: I understand the strict timeframes of Melbourne memorial parks. We bump in, set up, serve, and pack down discreetly.
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Dietary Inclusivity: We ensure no guest is left out. Specialised vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free funeral food options are standard in my kitchen.
Funeral Catering Packages & Pricing
| Service Feature | Drop-Off Package | Full-Service Package |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Intimate home wakes & private memorials. | Large services at chapels, halls, or parks. |
| Investment | $880 Flat Fee | From $21.50 Per Person |
| Food Quality | Chef-prepared trays ready to serve. | Premium buffet display with tablecloths. |
| Staffing | Contactless Delivery available. | Professional waitstaff & clean-up team. |
| Notice Required | 48-Hour Guarantee | 48-Hour Guarantee |
Specialist Funeral Catering for Melbourne Memorial Parks
Dedicated funeral catering Melbourne families trust at all major memorial parks, ensuring your service transitions seamlessly from the chapel to the wake.
Northern Memorial Park (Fawkner)
We provide seamless wake catering for services held at the Commemoration Centre, the Joyce Chapel, and the Cordell Chapel.
Springvale Botanical Cemetery
Expert funeral tea service for the Boyd Chapel, Renowden Chapel, and Wilson Chapel.
Bunurong Memorial Park
Professional catering logistics for the modern Cirrus, Stratus, and Cumulus Chapels.
Templestowe & Lilydale
Specialised service for families holding celebrations of life in the Yarra Ranges and Eastern Suburbs.
Serving Over 80 Suburbs Across Greater Melbourne
From our central commercial kitchen, we coordinate professional funeral catering Melbourne wide, including the following local government areas and suburbs:
Let Me Manage the Logistics
Trust an expert in funeral catering Melbourne to handle the food, the service, and the timing. Use my quote builder above or call me directly.
Call Rodney: 0422 038 817Back to Wake Catering Estimator
Bereavement Funeral Food Package
Thoughtfully prepared funeral food, beverages and memorial add-ons, presented in a calm, elegant format that suits both intimate wakes and larger bereavement gatherings.
Food
$21.50 per person
50 person minimum
Drinks
$4.50 per person
50 person minimum
Champagne Toast
$15.50 per person
50 person minimum
Grazing
Grazing options include Grazing Tables or Grazing Boxes
Platters
With Respects Catering Finger Food served buffet style
Professional Credentials & Compliance
With Respects Catering: Delivering safety, quality, and 20+ years of personal, family-led catering for every Melbourne engagement.
Certified Kitchen
Registered Class 2 Food Premises fully compliant with the Victorian Food Act 1984 for professional catering.
Our kitchen operations are structured for consistent food safety, clean preparation workflows and reliable event execution.
This gives families and venues added confidence that every service is prepared in a compliant professional environment.
Family Owned
We are family owned and operated and offer personal, compassionate care shaped by genuine understanding.
Families deal directly with a caring team rather than a faceless booking pipeline, which helps keep planning clearer and calmer.
That personal approach is especially important for funerals, memorials and celebrations of life where sensitivity matters.
RSA Certified
Fully RSA Certified staff for professional, responsible, and compliant beverage and bar management.
Fully Insured
Backed by $20M Public Liability Insurance, providing comprehensive coverage and peace of mind for every venue.
Insurance matters when working in chapels, halls, memorial parks, schools and community venues with formal supplier requirements.
It helps streamline approvals and reassures venue managers that your event partner is properly covered.
WWC Cleared
Current Working with Children Checks for all staff, ensuring full compliance for school and community events.
This is important for school, parish, sporting and broader community settings where child-safety compliance is required.
It allows the team to support a wider range of events without creating extra administration for organisers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Funeral Catering Melbourne Specialists
Answers to the most common funeral catering questions in Melbourne
Planning a wake or memorial in Melbourne comes with time pressure and a lot of unknowns. These FAQs explain how our funeral catering works so you can make decisions quickly and confidently.
How much does funeral catering cost in Melbourne?
Our full-service funeral catering starts from $21.50 per person for the Standard Funeral Menu and from $34.50 per person for the Premium Memorial Menu (plus GST). For smaller gatherings, our Drop-Off Package is $880 for 40–45 guests, plus delivery.
How much notice do you need for a funeral or wake?
We specialise in short-notice funeral catering in Melbourne and can often assist with as little as 48 hours’ notice. As soon as you have a date and venue, contact us or use the quote estimator so we can secure your kitchen and staffing allocation.
What food do you recommend for a wake?
For wakes we recommend hand-held comfort food – chef-made sandwiches, frittatas, sausage rolls, pies, quiches and petite sweets that are easy to eat while standing and talking. Our Standard and Premium menus are designed around these styles so guests are fed without needing a knife and fork.
Do you offer drop-off funeral catering?
Yes. Our Funeral Catering Drop-Off Package is ideal for home wakes and intimate memorials. It includes the same food selection as our Standard Funeral Menu, delivered from our Rosanna commercial kitchen ready to serve on trays, so your family can host without worrying about cooking.
Do you provide staff, setup and clean-up?
Our full-service funeral catering includes professional waitstaff, buffet setup using the venue’s tables, service equipment, tea and coffee urns where required, and discreet pack-down at the end of the wake. If you only need food delivered, the Drop-Off Package is a simple self-serve option.
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes. We regularly cater for gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and other dietary needs. Because everything is prepared in our Rosanna commercial kitchen, we can plan specific platters and clearly label items so guests with allergies or preferences are not left out.
Which Melbourne areas do you serve?
We provide funeral catering across metropolitan Melbourne, including major memorial parks such as Northern Memorial Park (Fawkner), Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Bunurong Memorial Park, and suburbs across the northern, eastern, bayside and western regions. If your wake is in Greater Melbourne, we can usually come to you.
How do I choose between drop-off and full-service catering?
Choose Drop-Off for smaller, informal gatherings at home or in a private hall where you’re happy to self-serve. Choose full-service catering for larger wakes at chapels, memorial parks or venues where you need staff to handle timing, service and clean-up. If you’re unsure, we can recommend the best option based on your guest count, venue and budget.
With Respects Resources
Wake Catering Heidelberg | Scots Uniting Church Drop-Off
Wake Catering Heidelberg at Scots Uniting Church. Chef Rodney Van Oirschot delivered a ready-to-serve drop-off package, including gluten-free sandwiches, arancini and chocolate raspberry brownies.
Vegetarian and Gluten-Free Funeral Catering in Bulleen | Respectful Service
Vegetarian and gluten-free funeral catering in Bulleen for a 230-guest service at St Clement of Rome, with dietary-specific options and a standard funeral menu for the wider gathering.
Funeral Reception Catering Melbourne | Sts Peter & Paul’s South Melbourne Case Study
Funeral reception catering Melbourne with full-service bereavement food, drinks staff and clean-up. Discover how our online funeral catering calculator helped a South Melbourne family plan with confidence.