All those fancy cocktail parties, same-sex union ceremonies, black-tie galas and dance benefits are a far cry from church basement bake sales and those wine, cheese and Ritz crackers fundraisers.
Not that there's anything wrong with Ritz crackers.
But part of this event progression has paralleled the growth of catering companies. Many of them donate significant amounts to GLBT non-profits, and their hors d'oeuvres are now a community staple.
There are also restaurants and catering companies who are GLBT friendly, having fed many union ceremonies and late-night bar hoppers over the years.
Whether it is the relatively new entrants such as Chef Willa Taylor's Home restaurant (and companion catering company) or Bespoke Cuisine, owned by partners Kim Shambrook and Jeannie Lukow, or the long-standing community traditions such as Conn's Catering, Hearty Boys, Buddies' and Ann Sather's, there are a wide variety of businesses to choose from.
We asked whether the economy has impacted catering businesses, and received a wide range of responses, from a definite 'yes,' to those companies whose clients are still seeing the value in using outside services for entertaining.
Lesbian-owned Bespoke Cuisine, (773) 296-0585, bespokecuisine@yahoo.com, is a boutique caterer with plans for a larger facility by the end of the summer. They serve corporate and social clients from two to 200, and they do a lot of home entertaining.
Kim Shambrook, a graduate of Kendell College, made a career transition from chief operating officer of a high-tech company after the tech boom busted. She said with the economy as it is, many more people are entertaining at home—but they don't want to cook themselves. Bespoke also offers culinary cooking classes, another popular feature.
Bespoke is a British term meaning 'made to order,' which is what the company provides—high-end customized menus with a lot of ethnic influence.
Bread & Butter Catering had an interesting start. Stacy Malow and Linda Raydl have been the chefs at Tomboy restaurant for years. When a client wanted catering services, then-owner Jodi Andre said Tomboy was not in that business. But the chefs quickly caught up with the customer and offered their catering experience. That was the start of Bread & Butter Catering.
Now, several years later, the chefs have purchased Tomboy as Andre embarks on a new restaurant in Edgewater, Speakeasy, to go with her other business, The Room.
Malow said her company has not been effected by the economy. They do in-home, corporate, lunches, breakfasts, brunches, and weddings. Both women are trained chefs.
Malow said Tomboy will not change significantly under new owners—although they will be getting a liquor license. She emphasized they will keep wine prices reasonable, and they will offer a wide selection not readily available at stores.
Catering by Buddies', (773) 477-4066, is the companion to the popular Buddies' Restaurant and Bar at Clark and Aldine, now celebrating its 16th anniversary.
Michael Shimandle and head cook Scott Jorgenson run the catering division. Last year, Buddies' absorbed the Bountiful Board, a Lincoln Avenue-based restaurant and catering company. The merger included the recipe file and client list.
Bountiful Board's clients were more high-end, and Buddies' found their own clients wanted items more like Buddies' menu—homestyle, less dramatic. Shimandle said they certainly can do the high end, but the menu focuses on homestyle and the country side of home cooking.
Shimandle said they often work small dinner parties where the host simply doesn't want to cook—but they want to appear as if they did. Favorite entrees include Chicken Picatta, Salmon, House Recipe Meatloaf, and their Famous Fried Chicken.
Chef Willa Taylor opened her Home restaurant at 4664 N. Manor, (773) 866-0345, in 2002, and it has become a very popular Saturday and Sunday breakfast and brunch hangout for the residential community—and a destination for GLBTs. They serve 9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends only, and provide pre-cooked meals for folks on their way home from work weekdays.
Taylor, who has donated her services to many GLBT non-profit events, also is a full-service caterer, as Taylor Made Cuisine.
'We do custom catering,' Taylor said during her busy Sunday rush. 'Instead of ordering from a menu, we design the menus specifically for the client. We specialize in Southern cuisine because I am from the South. But we do anything the clients need. We're doing a buffet for 300 with Asian, Indian and Mexican food.' Clients range from two to 400, and include commitment ceremonies, weddings, corporate events, and even breakfast in bed.
Andersonville's Wikstrom's Foods & Catering, (773) 773-275-6100, has been owned and operated by Ingvar Wikstrom since 1960. He said the Andersonville area provides quite a diverse range of restaurants for people of all kinds—something he is proud to be part of.
His own company has what could be called a United Nations of talent as well—Wikstrom himself was born on a farm in Sweden, where he learned to cook at an early age. His chefs include a Middle Eastern who has been there 18 years, a Norweigan, a German and an Italian.
Wikstrom's provides catering for any occasion, small to large. They also have a gourmet shop with seating for about 25 people, and free coffee.
His company has definitely been impacted by the down economy, but he says he sees hope on the horizon.
Another catering company which also has a restaurant is The Hearty Boys, (773) 244-9866.
Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith are co-owners as well as partners in life.
'We have been really fortunate because we had a strong client base when we opened at our space—we were already serving gays and lesbians and we planted ourselves right in middle of it,' on Halsted, said McDonagh.
'The economy has not really effected the average person's parties,' he said, adding that corporate events have really dropped off.
He said the reports that weddings spiked after Sept. 11 have proven true—including the growth in same-sex union ceremonies.
'We have always wanted to focus on unions because our commitment has been to the community we are a part of. We want our clients to feel comfortable surrounded by people who understand them,' McDonagh said.
Union ceremonies have become more and more mainstream in the selection of venues, McDonagh noted, including at the Newberry Library, art galleries, and similar places. 'Some in the community have issues with gay weddings being like straight weddings; but that does not bother me at all, I like it. It speaks of our sameness.'
'We're a very accessible caterer. We always talk to our clients and ask what they are looking for. We're also very budget conscious,' McDonagh said. 'We are very easy going. We have that reputation.'
The Heart Boys Cafe provides for a very different business focus, moreso than even their previous gourmet retail shop.
'With the cafe, we do simple foods, maybe an an interesting twist on a sandwich, or coffees, interesting sodas—we bring a catering sensibility to it,' he said. They also carry the popular gay-owned soda brand Riggs & Forsythe.
Another bonus is the owners bring back interesting foods when they travel. From a trip to New Orleans, they negotiated to be the first Chicago provider of Beignets—a French powdered donut, famous at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. 'They are famous for it—we have it shipped in from New Orleans and make it every Sunday,' McDonagh said.
'When we were in Paris, we went to a place for quiche, so now we do French country tarts,' he added.
'One of the reasons we've been successful is we do remain committed to accessibility, and nothing fussy. There is a comfort level people are seeking. We want to have food recognizable but upscale and with a twist—that's a reason for our success. People are more casual and comfortable in their catered events now—even at weddings. People also seek out a caterer that's right for them. A bride wanting fancy does not seek out us—our service is for more accessible events.'
The 13-year-old J&L Catering, (312) 280-7900, has on staff 'jack of all trades' Cam Harshman, who has been with the company 11 years, calling it an 'amazing' place to work, more like a 'close-knit family.'
'We are all very passionate about our product and service,' Harshman said. 'Having people with a common thought makes it easy and comfortable to change and move forward, to improve.'
Harshman said J&L is 'spinning' they are so busy. They specialize in corporate catering, private entertaining, weddings, and a lot of on-site daily food service.
He said he is not sure why J&L has not been hurt by the economy—knock on wood—but perhaps it is because their client base is still willing to pay for a certain product: 'We have had our clients for a long time, and the new ones are from word of mouth.'
J&L started with four full-time chefs, and now they have 15 on a daily basis.
Ann Sather's, (773) 348-2378, the long-standing community institution, has several Chicago locations, and they also provide full-service catering. Those famous cinnamon rolls do know how to travel.
Looking for a really accessible catering idea for your team's end-of-season party, a graduation, birthday, or just a fun dance party? Try Captain Nemo's, (773) 973-0570, at 7367 N. Clark, or 3650 N. Ashland.
Conn's Cafe & Catering, owned by Brent Conn, (773) 262-2666, and Coup de Gras, owned by Rick Schmitz, (773) 296-4443, are two additional gay-owned caterers who donate a lot of food and service to GLBT non-profits as part of their business models. Conn's has been particularly active in far North Lakefront business groups, and Coup de Gras has provided Chicago Professional Networking Association with service for many events.
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