We are so honored to be voted Best Caterer in St. Louis in the 2015 Feast 50! We’re so thankful for our incredible staff & clients who support us & challenge us to be creative & cutting edge in our industry. Creating inspired, signature menus for our clients is our passion & we’re excited to continue doing that as we commemorate our 50th year in 2016!
Take a look at our Q&A on Feast 50 below:
Butler’s Pantry was voted the best caterer in St. Louis in the 2015 Feast 50. This Q&A was conducted with vice president of marketing and development Maggie Barton.
Tell us about a few of the signature dishes served at your restaurant, and how they embody your work. The beauty of our business is that we are constantly creating custom, inspired menus for our clients. Thus, our signature dish is really whatever may be meaningful and “signature” to each of our clients!
What have been some milestones in your career so far? We are looking at our 50th year in operation in 2016! That is quite a milestone, and we take pride in the fact that even though we’ve been around for nearly five decades, we are focused on remaining at the cutting edge of all things catering. Butler’s Pantry is a second-generation, family run company that started with a few [people] and now employs over 500 full- and part-time employees. We also consider our involvement with LCA (Leading Caterers of America) as a milestone worth celebrating. LCA is essentially an elite network of caterers across the country, known to be leaders in their markets and trendsetters in the industry. LCA gives us an opportunity to share creativity and best practices.
Clearly your work has resonated with diners – what would you attribute this to, and what does it mean to you? We are so incredibly fortunate to have clients who both allow us and challenge us to get creative in an effort to customize each catered experience. This unparalleled experience is felt in food presentation and taste, unique touches added to table tops and stations, and above all, through the individuals working on each event, from president to catering manager, from chef to waitstaff. It is truly our people that make the difference and ensure guests have an unforgettable catered experience.
What do you hope to see happen next in the local food scene, and why? We hope to see an expanded use of different proteins! How often do we see chicken or filet on a menu, in a restaurant or catered? We love when clients are open to serving lamb, duck, Cornish hen, even an approachable seafood option like sea bass, to all of their guests!
Whether it’s developing a dish or an entire food or drink menu, where do you get your inspiration? What inspires you and motivates you to do the work that you do? Travel will always provide paramount inspiration! More and more I see the internet having a hand in driving inspiration as well — our clients hand us photos from Pinterest instead of recipes. We make it a point to listen constantly; it’s our customers’ wants and needs that can challenge and inspire us on a daily basis. It should be noted that we are incredibly fortunate to live, work and play in a city where we have such a talented pool of chefs and restaurateurs — they too challenge our creativity!
What’s next for you and your work? Stay tuned for a brand refresh and new website in 2016 to commemorate the 50th year! As for this year, we have some really unique and distinctive party locations to add (or re-introduce) to our extensive list of venues.
Original article in Feastmagazine.com.