Today we’d like to introduce you to Trisha Kelly.
Hi Trisha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After retiring with 30+ years in the Financial Services industry, I needed a little something to do “on the side”! God blessed me with a gift of hospitality and I enjoy serving others and food is my love language soooo.
Classy Caterer was born. I had experienced hiring caterers in the local area to serve my office and was never satisfied with the presentation. Nothing says thank you like a saggy paper plate, right! I wanted to provide an elevated experience along with exceptionally good food. Make things “CLASSY” if you will. My friends and family encouraged me and helped me get things off the ground. My experience in 50 years of sales helped me with marketing, networking and getting the word out. Seven years later and I have added to my staff immensley. I have an award winning Chef and her training and staff have assured that we are providing exceptional food. I have an executive team that keeps things running smoothly and very efficiently and then my servers are amazing! They assure that we are true to the brand with bringing an elevated experience with not only presentation but also excellent service from start to finish. I have never owned a business before and certainly not in the catering world but God has blessed me in every step in so many ways.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
COVID! We had just found our footing almost two years into the business and the world shut down. All of our events canceled and I had no idea what would come next. After March and the world was still closed for all intents and purposes I realized we were just going to have to think outside the box if we were going to keep going. I started offering a prepared meal, delivered to your door. Every Wednesday I prepared a different meal and thanks to Social Media I sold our every week. People were still sick with other illnesses and the family could not be there to support so I advertised that we could deliver meals to your loved ones family while they recovered. I had calls from all around Knoxville as well as 3 other states to deliver meals to the families. We started approaching companies that still were in operation and offering out door events. We delivered a grill and prepared the food on site, allowing employees an opportunity to gather outside and enjoy good food. In partnership with the Venue in Lenoir City, we started offering FUN BUN FRIDAY! Through the week you could place your order for homemade cinnamon rolls and we delivered them Friday morning. That entire year was challenging to say the least but we perservered and survived.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, having absolutely no experience in the food industry or owning a business, it has been built from scratch. I am most thankful to the folks I have come in contact with that have mentored me and offered advice. I had hired caterers in my previous business and always found the presentation to be wanting. So from my first event until this day, we Tablescape with decor to match the event. Candles, scarves, flowers or whatever meets the need. We also use Glass Plates, Linen napkins and real flatware. It has to “look good” to “taste good”. I believe this sets us apart from other companies in the area.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.classycaterer.com
- Instagram: classycaterer knoxville
- Facebook: trisha kelly/ classy caterer
- LinkedIn: Trisha Kelly
