A List

Bruce began his career working with Peter Rowland Catering whilst concurrently studying for a Diploma in hospitality and hotel management. He also spent a year working for The Spot less Group. In 1990 Bruce with now wife Chyka founded a small catering business called Big & Small Catering & Event Management, working out of his father’s office and respective parent’s kitchens.

Recognising a need for a fresh and original approach in the Melbourne catering scene the couple decided to turn a good idea into the model for a business. In 1991 aged 23, Bruce and Chyka founded The Big Group. Word quickly spread of their imaginative and exceptionally planned and executed approach. In 1992 Bruce and Chyka opened The Big Group’s first commercial premises in Armadale, Victoria, which included a specialty food retail store called Provencale. Also in that year the company undertook one of its largest events to date, catering for 7000 guests for the grand opening of Melbourne’s Southbank precinct.

By 1994, Bruce had closed Provencale to concentrate on the expansion of The Big Group to include large corporate events, private events and weddings and special projects such as catering for Melbourne’s Grand Prix.

In 1996, Bruce secured the tender to provide all catering services for the Old Treasury Building. Later Champions at the Australian Racing Museum in 2004 would also be exclusively managed by The Big Group.

In 2000, Bruce relocated The Big Group to new headquarters in Richmond which today, in addition to three more premises, houses a team of event managers, kitchen, administration, stylists and décor, logistics and dispatch.

2008 saw the evolution of a new business, headed by Chyka Keebaugh. The Design Depot is an event decorative hire and design business servicing all aspects of the industry.

Late 2009 The Big Group was offered conceptual space in the new luxury mall of Chadstone Shopping Centre, to design and implement the company’s first retail offer. This food and lifestyle offer, known as Capital Kitchen, has not only been extremely successful for The Big Group and Chadstone since the store opened but the store has become one of the company’s most innovative and fastest growing divisions. A second Capital Kitchen was opened at Docklands in 2010

The Big Group’s work is very detailed and design driven and the company’s reputation for perfection coupled with imagination and enthusiasm has seen it establish a loyal customer base of individuals and corporate clients, fashion, sporting, government, entertainment and business companies amongst them, who return time and time again for exceptional events. The Big Group has orchestrated events for many of Europe’s Royal families, International Presidents and Prime Ministers, Federal and Local Government leaders as well as most of Australia’s heads of business and their families.

Twenty years from inception The Big Group has grown exponentially to become Australia’s largest privately owned catering and event management company turning over upwards of $25 million per annum and is held in the highest regard amongst peers and clients for its exceptional record of delivering the consummate catering experience.

Both Bruce and Chyka maintain very active roles In The Big Group.