When you sign up for the Aplenty experience, you’re in for bountiful chariots of ripe produce. Or cheese-laden spreads, with pickles and house-made crackers, styled to perfection. Or picnic-ready boxes of salads, gildas and topped focaccias. Aplenty’s founder, Michaela Johansson, is not a regular caterer – she’s a cool caterer.

The Redfern-based hospo hound brings her spin to events all over town, meaning she knows her way around. Here, she shares her tastiest picks of the city, her favourite Aplenty moments and her rule for dining at Sean’s Panaroma.

Michaela, what’s your go-to if you want a quick takeaway?
I love the chicken sandwich at Good Ways Deli. The tarragon mayo is so good and there is a generous smear of butter on the bread, too. They’re just around the corner from our kitchen, so if we’re too busy, that’s a weekly staple.

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What about lunch on the go?
Delish Pork Roll in Marrickville. I get a veggie banh mi with a fried egg and an orange, pineapple and ginger juice. However, from experience, it turns out banh mis aren’t the most forgiving meal to eat on the go – you end up covered in crumbs.

And your favourite spot for a snack?
For a low-key snack: North Bondi RSL for post-swim wedges and a Stone & Wood. Or, if we're talking fancy snacks, I love Fontana in Redfern. The baccala crostini is so good – I can’t ever stop at snacks there, and always end up just having a full-blown meal.

If it’s a special occasion, where are you going?
Sean’s Panaroma, for sure. The pace is so relaxed and charming and the team creates such an elevated but effortless experience without that we-do-things-a-little-differently-around-here vibe. The menu changes, and it’s more individual style, but I always insist on swapping plates half-way with at least one person I’m with. Recently I shared the pork terrine with pickled cherries and the roasted tomato gazpacho with some oysters on the side and it was heaven. Then a solo roast chicken.

Where’s your favourite coffee in Sydney?
My Flower Man in Tamarama is my local and it’s the best coffee in the east. I like to start some mornings there and do some emails – very good for people watching, too.

Do you have a go-to for a leisurely lunch?
I think my favourite restaurant in the whole of Sydney is Hai Au Lang Nuong in Canley Vale. It’s a Vietnamese barbeque restaurant with rotisseries on the street front. They used to have giant buckets of cockles and pippies on the street, but think they had to stop doing that. I saw it on Food Safari – the best show ever – and remember being like “What is that place?!” So, for the last eight to 10 years I’ve been going here for big group lunches. You can BYO, so we each bring a great bottle and sit there for the afternoon until they start to play a mix of Vietnamese music and Western cover songs.

How about a meal with a big group of family or friends?
I love Yiamas Greek Taverna on the Princess Highway in St Peters – very fun vibe and great food.

What’s your bucket-list restaurant?
I really want to go to Altro Paradiso in New York and King, just south of the West Village, New York. I draw a lot of inspiration from these restaurants in the food we serve at Aplenty.

If you’re after something sweet, where are you headed?
I love Mapo in Bondi (or Newtown) for a little gelato. Pistachio on the top, mango at the bottom.

What are some things on your Aplenty highlights reel?
My favourite dish that we’ve done is this pasta called spaghetti friggitelli. It’s a pasta I had in the south of Italy. It’s got hazelnuts, green peppers, basil and garlic – like a peppery capsicum pesto. We served it at our pop-up at Freda’s and it’s forever my favourite.

A favourite event we have catered was a collaboration with artist Lauren Brincat, where we made food for a 24-hour tearoom at Prince of Wales Hospital for the nurses. It was heartwarming and very special.

Is there a hidden gem in Sydney you feel like sharing?
I love Java in Randwick. It’s delicious Indonesian food and the family that runs it are forever under the pump, but so kind and hospitable.