Everyone loves good food and it’s definitely known that wedding food gives guests high expectations. So when it comes to choosing the right caterer it’s important to sample the food get to know who you’re working with! Today we’re sharing with you Paul Johnson from Bacon & Caviar Gourmet Catering.
For our Vendor Spotlights, we ask a couple questions about wedding days and the planning process to help brides get to know their vendors both professionally and personally. Here’s what Paul had to say.
What was your dream job growing up?
I wanted to be an architect growing up, majored in finance in college, and wound up with a catering business & BBQ restaurants.
What does a typical wedding day look like for you?
In the kitchen early…usually 6 or 7 am, with a full crew. We have a really amazing group that works well together, even under pressure, so most days go pretty smoothly…even when we have several events loading out at the same time. Then it’s off to work the events, load back up and head back to the kitchen…sometimes well into the evening. Tiring sometimes, but very satisfying.
How did you get into the catering business?
My partner and I sort of got into it by accident after participating in the Memphis in May BBQ cookoff. Friends began to ask us to cook for them, and eventually we had a little business.
How long have you been in business? Why did you decide to start a business?
We began in 2004 in our home kitchen on Benham Avenue. We soon moved to a little kitchen on Davidson Drive in west Nashville, then opened B&C Market BBQ at the Nashville Farmer’s Market in 2008, and then our B&C Melrose BBQ location in 2010. Our catering business has followed each restaurant as we opened, and eventually moved into it’s own location last September. We now have a great new space with a bright kitchen and a tasting room for our clients to try our food and to see what we are up to. We started our own business because we really wanted to work for our selves, be creative and take good care of our customers.
What is your favorite part of a wedding day/event day?
Sometimes we begin working with a client a year or more before their wedding, and it is great to see how happy they are when everything turns out even better than they hoped. We especially love it when we hear from a couple several months after their reception and they say “people are still talking about how good the food was…thank you so much for everything…”
What is your favorite dish to prepare for an event?
I don’t have a favorite dish, but anytime we get to take something common and make into something that is creative and playful always makes me happy…and when I hear people say…”oh my gosh…what is that…you have to try it…”
What is your favorite dish to prepare at home?
Anything on the grill…
What would be your dream event to cater?
Any event that is truly a celebration…of love, marriage, a new baby, a big accomplishment, or even the end of a life well lived.
Who would be your dream celebrity to cater for?
I am not he qualifies as a celebrity, but I would greatly like to meet US Rep John Lewis, who marched in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King and has been a champion of equality, freedom, and free speech his entire adult life.
If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?
Don’t care where it is, but any day I get to spend with my partner, my dogs and my family is alright by me…
Big thank you to Bacon & Caviar Gourmet Catering for participating in our vendor spotlight!
