food fun and love

By Pauline Parry

Catering chefs are truly the unsung heroes of the culinary world. They can create eight-course gourmet meals in a closet. They are just as comfortable with Sterno as a heat source as they are a Wolf oven. They have been known to carry food into exotic locales on foot, cook a memorable romantic meal for two, then pack it back out. And they do it all happily, for the food, the fun and the love of it!


Every year many of the world's top catering chefs come together at CaterArts, a conference produced by the International Caterers Association (ICA). From August 8 to 11 they'll be at Sullivan University (a large culinary institution) in Louisville, Kentucky, and will attend classes taught by the best in the business. They will get demonstrations of new techniques, get hands-on experience working side by side and most important, continue to elevate the profession as they forge new bonds all over the world.

This year our chef, Joanne Purnell, has been an instrumental part of putting the conference together. She's been contacting the speakers and helping them formulate exciting new sessions and events. Everyone in our office has been in the loop as she talks about these chefs and what they are doing. We are impressed by their level of commitment, talent and creativity, and being that some of them could be considered friendly competitors, this is saying a lot!


But it's important to everyone in our industry that our clients and prospective clients know that so many wonderful catering chefs are on par with hotel and restaurant chefs. And because there really aren't a lot of places where you might learn about these people, we thought we'd take a moment here and introduce them to you. Here are just a few of the talented professionals we view as our own Top Chefs in Catering!



Elgin Woodman is Executive Chef of A Joy Wallace Catering and Production Design Team in Miami. She has been solely responsible for many of the food trends you see at events these days and continues to be one of those incredible catering chefs who always brings something new to the table. We are looking forward to her presentation on meat dishes -- one of those entrees that we all do, and that we are always looking to create anew.

And of course you know Joanne Purnell, Chef de Cuisine of Good Gracious! Events. She was ICA's Chef of the Year in 2009 and her work has been featured in my book, Food, Fun and Love as well as the ICA's Recipe Box of a Catering Chef. And she will be part of an eight-page spread about Good Gracious in The Art of Celebration. We can't wait!


Ron Rondo is the Executive Chef of Thomas Preti Catering in New York and Shawn Bittman is with A Thyme to Cook in Connecticut. At the CaterArts conference Ron is sharing his pasta secrets while Shawn will be demonstrating innovative breakfast menus. Yes! Catering chefs are always ready for breakfast, even after late-night events!

Karen O'Connor is Executive Chef of Toronto's Daniel et Daniel. Since her kitchen staff is part French, part Sri Lankan, she is presenting a lunch of fusion dishes. Curry souffle anyone? And Andy Craig from Castle Event Catering in Washington, will be presenting a food and wine pairing session (oh yes, this would be one of the hands-on sessions!) with Charlie Hopps from Fidelitas Winery and Adam Gooch from Greco's Gourmet Catering in Pittsburgh (more on Adam a little farther down).

And speaking of Greco's, another speaker is Jason Capps, chef/owner of Greco's. Jason is always looking for new ways to combine cooking and technology -- this year he started a cooking class podcast from his beautiful venue Bella Sera!

And Ken Barrett, the wonder boy of Different Tastes in Boston, will be presenting a session on design for caterers with Joanne Purnell. It's a three-part session that will be showcasing looks that you will be seeing on your tabletops and buffets come the holiday season! Ken will also be teaching a class called Re-imagining the Classics, putting a new spin on our most beloved dishes.


The two Andrews! Andrew Spurgin, Executive Chef of Waters Fine Catering in San Diego, Andrew has forged new ground for caterers and as a member of Cook's Confab (a group of restaurant, hotel and catering chefs who produce gourmet meals based around one ingredient), he's done a lot to get catering chefs recognized at the same level as restaurant chefs. His food is gorgeous, his ideas fresh and his passion is right on the plate...or rather, not on the plate. As an advocate of only using seafood that is raised in sustainable conditions (i.e. not over-farmed to the point of near or total extinction) he is an inspiration and a guide for caterers everywhere.

Andrew Alexander-Crossan, Executive Chef of CuisinEtc. in New York, is an avid explorer of cultural cuisine. Lately he's been fearlessly fusing where no food has gone; combining Indian fare with Jewish traditions and even with Asian dishes. At CaterArts he will be putting a little "spice" into a session on breakfast business with Shawn Bittman, once again fusing the known with the unexpected to great success. Breakfast martini anyone?


David Casteel, Executive Chef of Mitchell's Catering in North Carolina, takes pride in the tradition of Southern cooking while at the same time infusing it with current trends, ingredients and flavors. Adam Gooch, Executive Chef of Greco's Gourmet, has worked alongside owner Jason Capps to inform, educate and entertain his market with the freshest cooking.

Cade Nagy, Catering by Design in Denver, took home Catering Chef of the Year from Event Solutions magazine this year and he deserves it! Cade is always looking for new ways of seeing and presenting food. One of his signature styles is the "power of three," cooking amazing dishes using only three ingredients!

Mark Baldwin, Chef/Owner of Blue Ridge Catering in Roanoke, Virginia, has done a fantastic job of bringing awareness to the cooking styles and local ingredients of Virginia. In fact, he's even produced entire event using resources found only locally. This style of local cooking is something that all catering chefs have taken to heart.


Brian Aaron -- now here's a catering chef that is willing to try anything! We love to see what he's going to do next, from inviting all his Facebook fans to dinner to creating caviar using science. Brian, chef/owner of Aaron's Catering in Miami is a leader in the molecular gastronomy food movement and he'll be demonstrating some of his fast and furious moves with nitro at the conference.

And at the other end of the spectrum, Janet Woodson from La-Tea-Das in North Carolina combines Southern charm, slow-food cooking techniques and an eye for beautiful design. She will be speaking with David Casteel, also from North Carolina, and demonstrating new dishes and cooking techniques from that very food-loving region of the U.S.

So there you have just a few of the many catering chefs who will be teaching at CaterArts this year. There is something to learn from everyone and we are looking forward to being there.

If you want to join us, it's open to all professional caterers, not just ICA members. The date of the conference is August 8 -11 and there is more information at internationalcaterers.org

If you can't make it, don't worry! We'll be blogging about it so be sure to check back with Food Fun and Love around August 15!