Comfort Food
Posted to: Events by Lorin Laxton on Oct 15, 2013We are always very appreciative of the kind letters of thanks and testimonials that our customers frequently send. It is very rewarding to be a part of some of the most memorable days of people's lives, and in most cases, those are happy days; weddings, birthday parties, grand openings for new businesses, holiday parties and the like. Recently we received a letter unlike anything we've ever seen before. The writer wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, but the words are so heartfelt, and remind us that some of the most memorable days are not always the happiest...
After starting our family in Raleigh seven years ago, my husband and I were relocated to TX and FL. Opportunity knocked and we moved back last year.
I left some great things in FL, though...one of them my friend Sherry. We had just moved in when I met her at a homeowner’s meeting. She arrived at our home the next day with treats for the entire family. It was the start of a relationship built on caring and sharing. Her husband was injured and hospitalized, I made baked spaghetti dinner. It was what she wanted when she brought her newborn home from the hospital. If I made banana bread, I made two batches. One of them in mini muffin form because that’s how her daughter loved to eat them. I started a new job, she showed up with dinner on the first day. She organized beautiful family holiday meals and when we couldn’t get home to our family, we were included as family. Having become more like sisters than friends, I would go over the night before to help her start decorating and cooking. We were the “foodies” of our redneck town. If there were red solo cups, shouldn’t we at least have burlap somewhere...and shouldn’t the cups get washed and reused?!?!? We joked about going into business together.
We have missed sharing good times and good food this last year. I needed her most after my younger sister, Amanda, lost her battle to breast cancer last month. As an oncology nurse, Sherry had helped me when Amanda was diagnosed in March and through the past several months during her treatment. Amanda developed a blood clot and her death surprised us all. She too, was someone who always wanted to help...leave the world a better place. Again, Sherry comforted me over the phone, but she really just wanted to hug me and bring me some food and how do you do that from FL? She called me the next day and asked if I would be home at 2:00. Apparently, she had called a florist to deliver flowers, but they cancelled saying they did not deliver to my address being to far from the center of Raleigh. She tried another. It must have been divine intervention that one of them called her back and recommended she try you to deliver what she really wanted to bring me anyway... a big bunch of delicious food. As 2:00 came, my kids home for track out, yelled to me that there was a van in the driveway. I watched your delivery person prepare to unload the van through some tears that came just by being so overwhelmed with the thought of how she managed to bring me food from FL. She had managed to even beat the neighbors that provided a week’s worth of meals when my family returned home from attending my sister’s services.
Your well mannered delivery man handed me a hand-written note containing a message written for my friend and a bag full of all the service ware we would need to enjoy what followed. He unloaded a large cooler filled with a bucket of ice, sweet tea, chicken salad like Sherry or I would make and the light and fluffy croissants to eat it with (or even just to eat...), followed by fresh fruit, tasty pasta salad and scrumptious desserts that didn’t stand of chance of lasting through the day. It was not only delicious, it was so much food, the lids had to be pressed closed (or not quite closed) with the help of plastic wrap encasement. My in-laws arrived shortly after the food did to help take care of my children as I would leave the next day to help my parents, brother-in-law, and nephew. It fed our group of six twice and a few polished it off quickly after that I am told.
Looking at your website now, the quality of the food is no longer an unexpected surprise. You really didn’t need to hear all the detail about my sister, my friend, or my wordy description of the delivery and my delight in having your food for my family. I thought about what Sherry said regarding the gentleman that spoke to her on the phone. He had asked for a few details of the situation and assured her that I would be taken care of. I thought it was appropriate then, to tell a longer story, and to let everyone at Catering Works know you played a part in a relationship filled with caring and my meal was so much more than another catering delivery. Though they may not think of it as they stuff plastic silverware in a bag or press pecans to chicken salad, every thing they did brought me so much comfort on a day filled with such sadness. I am grateful.
Received in October of 2013
After starting our family in Raleigh seven years ago, my husband and I were relocated to TX and FL. Opportunity knocked and we moved back last year.
I left some great things in FL, though...one of them my friend Sherry. We had just moved in when I met her at a homeowner’s meeting. She arrived at our home the next day with treats for the entire family. It was the start of a relationship built on caring and sharing. Her husband was injured and hospitalized, I made baked spaghetti dinner. It was what she wanted when she brought her newborn home from the hospital. If I made banana bread, I made two batches. One of them in mini muffin form because that’s how her daughter loved to eat them. I started a new job, she showed up with dinner on the first day. She organized beautiful family holiday meals and when we couldn’t get home to our family, we were included as family. Having become more like sisters than friends, I would go over the night before to help her start decorating and cooking. We were the “foodies” of our redneck town. If there were red solo cups, shouldn’t we at least have burlap somewhere...and shouldn’t the cups get washed and reused?!?!? We joked about going into business together.
We have missed sharing good times and good food this last year. I needed her most after my younger sister, Amanda, lost her battle to breast cancer last month. As an oncology nurse, Sherry had helped me when Amanda was diagnosed in March and through the past several months during her treatment. Amanda developed a blood clot and her death surprised us all. She too, was someone who always wanted to help...leave the world a better place. Again, Sherry comforted me over the phone, but she really just wanted to hug me and bring me some food and how do you do that from FL? She called me the next day and asked if I would be home at 2:00. Apparently, she had called a florist to deliver flowers, but they cancelled saying they did not deliver to my address being to far from the center of Raleigh. She tried another. It must have been divine intervention that one of them called her back and recommended she try you to deliver what she really wanted to bring me anyway... a big bunch of delicious food. As 2:00 came, my kids home for track out, yelled to me that there was a van in the driveway. I watched your delivery person prepare to unload the van through some tears that came just by being so overwhelmed with the thought of how she managed to bring me food from FL. She had managed to even beat the neighbors that provided a week’s worth of meals when my family returned home from attending my sister’s services.
Your well mannered delivery man handed me a hand-written note containing a message written for my friend and a bag full of all the service ware we would need to enjoy what followed. He unloaded a large cooler filled with a bucket of ice, sweet tea, chicken salad like Sherry or I would make and the light and fluffy croissants to eat it with (or even just to eat...), followed by fresh fruit, tasty pasta salad and scrumptious desserts that didn’t stand of chance of lasting through the day. It was not only delicious, it was so much food, the lids had to be pressed closed (or not quite closed) with the help of plastic wrap encasement. My in-laws arrived shortly after the food did to help take care of my children as I would leave the next day to help my parents, brother-in-law, and nephew. It fed our group of six twice and a few polished it off quickly after that I am told.
Looking at your website now, the quality of the food is no longer an unexpected surprise. You really didn’t need to hear all the detail about my sister, my friend, or my wordy description of the delivery and my delight in having your food for my family. I thought about what Sherry said regarding the gentleman that spoke to her on the phone. He had asked for a few details of the situation and assured her that I would be taken care of. I thought it was appropriate then, to tell a longer story, and to let everyone at Catering Works know you played a part in a relationship filled with caring and my meal was so much more than another catering delivery. Though they may not think of it as they stuff plastic silverware in a bag or press pecans to chicken salad, every thing they did brought me so much comfort on a day filled with such sadness. I am grateful.
Received in October of 2013