10/08/2023
REV-EL
Def:
verb ā 1. to enjoy oneself in a lively and noisy way, especially with drinking and dancing 2. to take intense pleasure or satisfaction
noun ā 1. boisterous celebration
On my 53rd birthday this coming January, Revel Catering & Events will celebrate 10 successful years of operation in Jefferson City, MO. I fondly remember receiving the keys to the majestic Old Lohman Opera House on High Street after signing some paperwork at the bank. The weight of those keys in my hand heavy with ideas, excitement, and promise of a new chapter in my life as I stood in the middle of the large event space, surveying the details of the downtown room. Our stately Capitol building stood beaming through the century old windows. I had returned to my hometown, and intended to light the catering & events scene on fire by creating experiences combining globally influenced food with 1st class services. Slowly building an amazing team as we went, we created a working family like none Iāve ever known.
Nearly 10 years have passed and we have catered hundreds of weddings and holiday parties, dozens of baby & bridal showers, piles of parties for careers starting and ending, countless birthdays, graduations, legislative & gubernatorial events. We did inners for five hundred, dinners for two, and more than a few celebrations of life. We limped through Covid creating ācurbsideā events and made potpies for 2 months to help fund cancer research, moonlighting as a moving company to help pay the bills. We made a lot of mistakes, no one more than myself. We raised and donated over $120,000 to charities along the way. I am proud of every minute, whether because we did the right thing, or we learned a life lesson.
I was raised here. My family is here. This place is a part of me. I came back to spend time with my people. Through work, tornadoes, love, loss, trials, tribulations, and whole lot of revelryā¦I was lucky to do just that.
It is with no small amount of melancholy that I consider the keys heavy in my hand again, and will leave this building without them in April of 2024. It has been quite a ride. Nothing lasts forever, except for love. I love what the Revel family accomplished in Missouri, and I love the opportunities ahead of me to finish my book, to continue producing immersive culinary experiences for chefs & caterers around the country with the foundation I am involved with, and to lean into elevated catered events on the island of Marthaās Vineyard and beyond.
I remain incredibly grateful for all of the community support over the years, and for the strong relationships that I have been privileged to step into. I am grateful for the incredible team Iāve been graced with. Grateful for my family. There are far too many people to thank in a post, so I look forward to thanking you all in person in the next six months of Revelry.
In the meantime, letās party! Weāve got a busy holiday season in front of us and the Revel family is psyched to be back in action! We have some prime dates left for our final Holiday season on High Street, and are accepting reservations for memorable events through mid April, 2024.
Through so many late nights preparing for events, and bright early mornings at the stove... more than anything, Iāve learned that this life is not a dress rehearsal. Lead a life of Revelry.