Entrepreneurs tend to find inspiration in the most unlikely places. Mine came from around a dining room table.
I’m lucky to have a large, loud, loving family where massive get-togethers were the norm growing up. My mother and grandmother tended to host most of them and loved planning parties where even the tiniest details—from the candles on the table to the china used to serve their delicious meals—were delicately mapped out. I remember having birthday parties with candy buffets, themed homemade cakes, exquisitely presented dinners, entertainment of all sorts and elaborate gift bags. When my mom wasn’t planning the next big event, she was spoiling us with home-cooked meals each night, beautifully presented on our table—which seemed magical with its ever-changing centerpiece decor.
In our family, food was a passion and a reason for togetherness. Those experiences would shape my life and career to come.
So, it’s no surprise that I found my way into the catering industry as a coordinator and account manager. During those early days, I couldn’t resist rolling up my sleeves to help in the kitchen, delivering meals or serving food at events. I learned a lot, namely that to be great at what you do, you have to work in every area of the business. Also: making unforgettable food and throwing awesome events takes time, attention to detail and real care.
Along the way I saw a lot of catering companies that tried to cut corners—and to me, life’s too short to settle for a bad meal or a boring event. I could have gotten jaded, but again I found inspiration. I founded Kiss the Cook Catering as a full-scale catering business dedicated to creating mind-blowing memories through food. For us, that meant setting the stage for pure, unabashed culinary creativity.
We built the Food Studio—our in-house kitchen, complete with a bakery and deli—to ensure we could make our yummy creations fresh from scratch daily, without ordering frozen products from external suppliers. It also gave us the chance to develop innovative dishes for gatherings ranging from five to 5,000 people. And what’s a full-service kitchen without cutting-edge cooks to fill it with incredible aromas and delicious delicacies? We hired some of the best chefs in the business—the reason why people literally try to hug and kiss our cooks after events!—and let them work their magic, infusing modern culinary trends with recipes and cooking techniques passed down through generations.
But what about the WOW factor? That was the challenge of designing and delivering customized, unforgettable experiences that cater to a range of budgets. Outsourcing such an important consideration wasn’t the right move, so we built an in-house event design team to get the job done right.
We work with our clients to set objectives, budgets, and timelines, then develop a branded event plan complete with mood boards and a creative theme to guide our approach to everything from floral arrangements to menu design.
Whether it’s a simple backyard barbecue or a formal dinner for 500 people, our event planners and team of experienced, bartenders, wait staff and delivery personnel (who make sure the food arrives on-time) will bring it all to life. And here’s the important part: we only hire people who are as passionate as I am about cooking great food and staging extraordinary events. We not only have a fun family atmosphere that’s helped shape our company culture, but that pride and focus on excellence shines through everything we do.
Our goal is to make events stress-free and fun for everyone involved (because it’s only fair that as a host, you should have as good a time as your guests, right?). For us, it’s all about living the moment and loving the moment.
So, here’s my promise: We’ll cater your event as if it was happening at my own dining room table. That unwavering commitment to delivering outstanding quality and value are what set us apart; finding creative ways to help you make lasting memories is at the heart of what we do.
I think it’s about time that we make a few new ones together,
Fia Pagnello, founder, Kiss the Cook Catering
