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JANUARY 2004

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Enjoying Friends with Celebrations

Catering in Gainesville Florida Host a stress-free event with the help of Celebrations.

www.celebrations-catering.com

If you’re throwing a party and would rather spend more time enjoying the event than stressing over it, look no further than Celebrations Catering. Leah Sherer, Catering Director for Celebrations, wants to take a load off – the host that is.

Celebrations personal service starts when a client walks in the door or Sherer picks up the phone. She considers everything from the budget, schedule, facilities and even guests’ attire when planning an event. Realizing the menu isn’t the only concern: there are the linens, the layout of the tables, weather, staffing, you name it; it’s all taken into account.

“Our goal isn’t just to make sure everyone gets fed,” explains Sherer. “We want to take the stress out of planning the event too.”

Whether it’s a wedding reception or a graduation party, Celebrations understands every occasion is special. They don’t just cater events; they cater to their clients. If they’re setting up tables and see the porch needs sweeping, they’ll take care of it. You’ll never hear them say, “We’re just the caterer.”

Sherer’s skills extend beyond her personalized approach to event planning. She’s got a natural talent not just for taste but travel too. The recipes don’t come from a book but from the collaborative efforts of Sherer and the Celebration chefs. From finger sandwiches, to Rosemary Crusted Prime Rib, or a cream puff tree, the quality is in every mouth-watering bite. While a dish they’ve invented might taste and look wonderful in the kitchen, if it’s not hearty enough to travel and sit out on a table, it won’t make it to the menu.

By the way, her employees speak of her she’s a great boss too. Taya Kaufenberg, who manages the drivers and caterers, thinks Sherer is too unassuming. “She doesn’t take enough credit,” says Kaufenberg. “Leah’s not the kind of boss to sit back. She takes out the trash and washes linens in the middle of the night.”

Sherer is quick to explain: “The water pressure is really good at four in the morning.”

Sherer’s formal education was in teaching. Working as a seventh grade teacher, she took a recess from the classroom to re-evaluate her career. She worked a series of part-time jobs including a summer stint with a local caterer. All she needed was a taste. In 1995 Sherer opened her own catering company. Corporate lunches made up the core of her first menu, but customers wanted more. That’s just what she gave them and those faithful customers remain today.

In 1997 Sherer teamed up with Mike Case, who owned a cafe at the 904 North Main Street location. They worked side-by-side, Case running the café and Sherer managing the catered events. Then the catering business kept growing and sharing space with the café became difficult. While patrons were good-natured, Sherer wasn’t comfortable hauling sandwich platters through a dining room filled with guests.

To allow room for the catering business to expand, the café was temporarily closed in 1999. Additional space in the building was acquired and the catering business was able to spread out. Meanwhile, downtown business customers wanted to know what happened to the café.

“In a single day I might have had 30 messages on my answering machine,” said Sherer. “People wanted to know if they could order one sandwich or whatever was leftover from catering. It was hard to say ‘No.’”

Case and Sherer re-opened the café in 2000 and quickly began looking for a separate location so both businesses could work independently. In October 2002 the café moved to 490 NE 23rd Avenue, serving customers the soups, salads, and Boar’s Head sandwiches they’d waited for so patiently. Now, the café and catering businesses can grow at their own pace, which at times is mindboggling. Sherer’s accountant still has a hard time swallowing the 20 to 30 percent annual growth the company’s experienced. But her success is no surprise to her long-time clients or steadfast employees, both of whom she calls her friends.

For more information call Leah Sherer at (352)377-0787 or visit Celebration’s website at www.celebrations-catering.com.