Our History

Catering Works was incorporated in 1989.  What started as an idea to start a chocolate truffle company in our Mom's kitchen turned into something else indeed.  Within a few months time, we leased a small building on the corner of Devereaux and Gaston street, in downtown Raleigh.  The humble beginnings of our company included a small apartment on the 2nd floor, and a non-stop rotation of laundering linens, washing pots, delivering food, staffing parties, writing invoices and trying to meet new clients, and all while averaging 20 minutes a night of sleep.  In August of 1992, the firm moved to Tryon Hill Drive, just behind Goodnight's comedy club and the Irregardless restaurant.  After nearly a 20 year lease, the property was sold to a developer who has already built new residential condominiums around the corner and plans to create more.  We worked with our long time landlord and friend, Garry Hoover, on the up fit our new space at 2319 Laurelbrook Street, and started operating out of this location in January of 2013.  Over the years, we have worked hard to provide an unparalleled experience for our clients, creating and serving delicious food and beverage and designing show stopping events and weddings that continue to surprise and delight.  

Making a difference one bite at a time!

Catering Works supports many charitable and non-profit organizations, including Interfaith Food Shuttle, NC Food Bank, UNC Public Television, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Susan B. Komen, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Salvation Army, Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network, American Red Cross, Hemophilia of North Carolina, The Green Chair Project, Share the Pie, Read & Feed, Step Up Ministries and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Raleigh Chamber, Gabi's Grounds, Me Fine Foundation, AE Finley YMCA, NCRLA, Methodist Home for Children, NACE, SEBTS, Curtis Media, and Habitat for Humanity. Catering Works is leading the off-premise catering industry in the Triangle area, in adopting green strategies for both foodservice consumption and business operations.

Sustainability

Catering Works has been eco-friendly since we opened our doors in 1989.  One of the earliest programs we called the "clean plate club": rather than waste paper or plastic plates for employee lunch, we required everyone to use non-disposables and "clean their plate".  A simple measure really, and considering over time how much waste that reduced in our internal operations, we then applied the principle to outside catering services, encouraging clients to utilize more environmentally friendly options.  We are avid recyclers, and often haul away our own trash and recycling, post event, should there not be any facilities on the premises where we are catering. We have partnered with the Interfaith FoodShuttle and Durham Rescue Mission, and donate leftover prepared foods and ingredient items whenever possible or at a client’s request.

We were the first catering company to adopt compostable serving ware in our area, and offer many other environmentally friendly catering solutions. We recycle all bottles, cans, paper products and other recyclable materials both at our facility and at off-site events.

We have partnered with CompostNow, a company that collects food scraps and other compostables from businesses and residents in order to reduce waste and support local gardens.

Catering Works has built an on-site garden utilizing the nitrogen rich CompostNow compost in the soil to grow herbs, sweet potatoes and other produce for it’s use. We collect and recycle our cooking oil through a local company to create bioenergy. We have implemented timers on our cooking equipment to decrease the power-use. We have also replaced all of our lights with LED lights.

We care deeply about the source of our ingredients and in reducing the carbon footprint of food miles. We work with many local farmers and producers.