Belinda Sullivan
Founder & Managing DirectorFor her, hospitality has never simply been a career. It has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.
Meet Our Founder
Woman in Business
Growing up on the Gold Coast with parents who owned and operated hotels, Belinda was introduced to the industry early – very early. She was changing bedsheets in the family hotels by the age of seven, washing dishes in their restaurants by ten and waiting tables by thirteen. Hospitality was quite literally the family business, and those early years gave her an appreciation for hard work, great service and genuinely looking after people that has stayed with her ever since.
After meeting the love of her life, Matt, Belinda moved to Sydney for love – and quickly fell in love with Sydney’s food scene too. She went on to work for a national catering company, where she saw an opportunity in the market for a catering business that placed as much importance on genuine service and the client experience as it did on the food.
So, in 2004, from very humble beginnings, Belinda founded Flavours Catering + Events.
What began as a small corporate catering business has grown into one of Sydney’s leading catering and events companies, delivering everything from daily corporate catering to large-scale events, weddings and celebrations.
More than 23 years of Flavours later, Belinda remains a true hospitality lifer and an unapologetic foodie. Eating out is one of her favourite things to do, travel invariably revolves around where to eat next, and her social media feed is almost entirely restaurants, cafés, chefs, food, beverages and hospitality. She loves discovering different cuisines, experiencing brilliant service and bringing those ideas and inspiration back to Flavours.
And then there’s the styling.
Give Belinda beautiful napery, the perfect platter, gorgeous crockery and cutlery, florals or a table that needs styling and she is completely in her element. She firmly believes we eat with our eyes first – and anyone who has worked with her knows she has some very definite opinions about how a platter should look!
But as much as Belinda loves food and beautiful events, it is the people and the true meaning of hospitality that she is most passionate about.
Belinda often reminds her team that the word hospitality is about being hospitable – welcoming people, looking after them and making them feel genuinely cared for. To her, great hospitality isn’t simply delivering food on time or setting a beautiful table. It is anticipating what someone needs, paying attention to the details and creating an experience that makes people want to come back.
That belief sits at the heart of the Flavours philosophy: understand your clients, deliver what you promise, create exceptional experiences and turn customers into clients for life.
At a time when some of the traditional skills of hospitality can feel like they are disappearing, Belinda is determined to play a part in keeping them alive. Developing young hospitality professionals, giving people opportunities and watching them build careers within the industry is one of the parts of Flavours she is most proud of.
For nearly two decades – long before international sponsorship became commonplace within Australian hospitality – Flavours has supported international hospitality professionals in building careers and lives in Australia. Many have gone on to achieve permanent residency, and a number remain part of the Flavours family today. For Belinda, seeing someone join the business, grow in confidence and capability, and create a future for themselves is one of the greatest privileges of owning Flavours.
And when Flavours says family business, it really means it.
Belinda and Matt’s son Charlie practically grew up at Flavours, working his first event at just four years old when Belinda catered an event for the school he would attend the following year. After leaving school, Charlie completed his chef’s apprenticeship, became a qualified chef and today plays a significant role in the Flavours business.
Their other son, Spencer, chose a different trade and works as a carpenter alongside his father Matt – but apparently escaping hospitality completely was never really an option. When one of Flavours’ big events rolls around, Spencer can still regularly be found moonlighting behind the bar or helping run food service. Once you’re born into a hospitality family, it seems there really is no getting out!
Belinda has always taught her sons that being part of the family business doesn’t automatically earn you anyone’s respect – you have to earn it. Her philosophy is that they should work harder than anyone else and lead by example to earn the respect of the people working alongside them.
Her approach to business is equally straightforward: never burn a bridge, look after your people and only do what you know you can do well. She firmly believes there is nothing wrong with saying no when something sits outside your expertise or you can’t deliver it to the standard your client deserves.
That philosophy has helped shape Flavours into the business it is today – a company built around great food, exceptional service, strong relationships, opportunity and a genuine love of hospitality.
After more than 23 years of building Flavours, Belinda is still incredibly hands-on, still obsessed with food and hospitality, still excited by a beautifully styled event and still looking for ways to make the business better.
Because for Belinda, great hospitality has always come back to something very simple:
Make people feel genuinely looked after, and give them every reason to become clients for life.
Two days of big ideas, personal branding, great conversations… and plenty of good food. ✨
We loved collaborating with Matt Purcell for his Branding Workshop, bringing together an incredible group of business owners and professionals for two days focused on personal branding, social media, marketing and learning how to show up with purpose.
While Matt led the room, the Flavours team made sure everyone was very well fed. 🤍
Across the two days, we served morning tea, fresh salads and sandwiches for lunch, hot buffet dishes, sweet and savoury bites, cold pressed juices and, of course, afternoon tea to keep everyone going.
From build-your-own yoghurt cups with fresh fruit and crunchy toppings, to generous lunch spreads, colourful salads and a hot buffet featuring gourmet meats and seasonal sides, every break brought something different to the table. And because no workshop is complete without something sweet, there were plenty of beautiful mini tarts and treats along the way.
For us, catering a workshop like this is about more than putting food on the table. It’s creating those moments between sessions where people can recharge, connect, share ideas and come back ready for more.
A brilliant two days collaborating with Matt Purcell and the Kyu Media team, and connecting with so many great people and businesses along the way.
Loved sharing the room with:
@keaprintwear @thepropertyeducationcompany @mr_andrew_copeland @bmeealliedhealth @_barnzey_alex_ @thirdramp @kyu.media @_indigeco
Matt Purcell x Flavours Catering + Events ✨
Personal branding, connection and very good food.
#FlavoursCatering #MattPurcell #PersonalBranding #SydneyCatering #CorporateEvents
R U OK? Day is almost here, and there’s still time to get your team involved. 💛
From conversation-starting cupcakes and lemon tarts to wellbeing breakfast boxes, individual grazers and our Pavlova Mini Tower, we’ve created a range designed to bring teams together and help get the conversation started.
Last chance to order for R U OK? Day!
Explore the range and place your order today via our website. 💛
#RUOKDay #RUOK #CorporateCateringSydney #WorkplaceWellbeing #FlavoursCatering
Day 1 of personal branding, social media, marketing… and plenty of good food ✨
Our team had the opportunity to attend an incredible workshop with @mattpurcellofficial diving into personal branding, how we show up online, creating meaningful content and building a stronger presence across social media and marketing.
And while we were busy learning, the Flavours team was also doing what we do best... keeping everyone very well fed. 🤍
Across the day, we catered all three breaks, starting with morning tea filled with a mix of sweet and savoury bites, followed by a fresh lunch spread of sandwiches and colourful salads. And because no full day of learning should end hungry… afternoon tea made an appearance too.
Such a great opportunity to experience the day from both sides, learning, creating and connecting as a team, while showcasing the catering that keeps a full-day workshop fuelled from morning to afternoon.
Matt Purcell × Flavours Catering + Events ✨
A pretty special Day 1!
#PersonalBranding #FlavoursCatering #marketingevents #sydneycatering #sydneyevents
Yes, we really do shoot it all in-house. 📸✨
Every dish you see across our socials, website and menus is created by our chefs, styled by our team and photographed right here at Flavours HQ.
No stock images. No dishes made just for the camera. Just our food, our chefs and our marketing team working together to capture what we actually create every day.
From the kitchen to the camera, it’s all done under one roof, which means the food you see is the food our clients actually get. 🤍
A little creativity, a lot of teamwork… and usually someone waiting very patiently to eat it once we’ve got the shot. 👀
#FlavoursCatering #SydneyCatering #FoodPhotography #BehindTheScenes #sydneycaterer
Building a balanced plate starts with having the right options. 🥗
From fresh greens and colourful vegetables to wholesome grains, healthy fats and protein-packed ingredients, our salads are designed to bring both flavour and nutritional value to the table.
For corporate catering, it means your team can mix, match and build a plate that works for them — without compromising on taste.
Healthy, satisfying and made for the workday. 🌿
Shop our salad range today! 🥗
#FlavoursCatering #CorporateCatering #SydneyCatering #HealthyCatering #OfficeCatering #BalancedPlate #CorporateLunch
A message from our Founder & Managing Director, Belinda Sullivan. 🤍
For Belinda, Meals That Matter is about more than providing a warm meal, it’s about comfort, dignity and a sense of stability.
We’re proud to partner with The Haymarket Foundation and support the vital work they do within our community.
#MealsThatMatter #FlavoursCatering #HaymarketFoundation #CommunitySupport #SydneyCatering
Contact Us
We book up in advanceNo matter whether you’re planning a small, intimate party or a huge, lavish celebration, Flavours Catering + Events can provide you with birthday party catering that will dazzle and delight. Contact our friendly team today to discuss your requirements or to ask for a quotation.