As a company we have four main goals...
-Entice you and your guests with fantastic cuisine and unique design.
-Provide you with impeccable customer service.
-Take away all the stress of event planning.
-Keep you in budget!
We truly dedicate ourselves to being the best at what we do every day and encourage you to experience how that can make your event spectacular.
OUR STAFF
It take so many to produce fantastic events over and over so we thank all of those staff members who are the heart and soul of what we do. Here are just a few of our key players...
Heather Irvin
Owner & Creative Director
Although catering was not in the original deck of cards for Heather, she holds strong to the fact that she has always had a passion for food. After graduating with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Elon University and working professionally as an actor up and down the East Coast, her career took her to Manhattan. It was in the Big City that her love for food and cooking truly blossomed into that full fledged passion. She worked for several restaurant companies, including China Grill Management, where she ran an extremely large wine and beverage program. It was through the connections there that she was able to gain exposure to great chefs cooking for clientele with exceedingly high expectations.
Though the majority of her duties dedicated her to the front of the house, the restaurant lent a perfect stage for someone willing and eager to learn. She began working on her off days prepping in the kitchen and absorbing as much knowledge as possible. Being in New York gave her the opportunities to explore several varieties of cuisine and further strengthened her dedication to providing the highest quality product. This, coupled with her dedication to customer service and a keen eye for the slightest of details, proved invaluable.
After leaving the big apple she moved to Florida and became the Executive Sous Chef of KarlMarks Catering. Here, Heather focused mainly on menu planning, plating, décor, and event execution. Soon thereafter she relocated with her husband once again to North Carolina where she has worked with companies such as Rocky Top Hospitality and Mitchell’s Catering and Events.
In July 2009, after being the Director of Catering Sales and Marketing, Heather became owner of the now, Premiere Catering & Events. Permanently on the other side of the stove, she calls upon the culinary knowledge, business savvy, and event operation expertise she has gained throughout the years in the industry to create a wide variety of innovative and customized events.
David Sutton
Executive Chef de Cuisine
Starting at age 16 at Manchester's, his neighborhood bar and grill, David Sutton worked his way from dishwasher to Assistant Kitchen Manager in under two years.
Striving to advance his skill and palate, he would watch the chefs, asking questions, learning not only what the ingredients were and how they were prepared, but why those ingredients, when combined, composed something more than the sum of their parts.
He took these lessons with him to the prestigious Cardinal Club in downtown Raleigh where, as Chef de Partie, he learned of more exotic and tantalizing ingredients along with a higher level of food presentation. He learned how balance is the key to a perfect dish; how presentation is just as important as flavor; how food is more than just sustenance. It was art, and a unique way to present oneself to the public.
Later, at Riviera Mediterranean Resto and Lounge, as Chef de Cuisine, he developed menus around these principals. Not having a freezer in his kitchen, he learned how, when using the freshest ingredients, the simplest preparations can give the most amazing results.
Yearning once again for new skills and knowledge he went to Mitchell's Catering and Events, where, as Lead Production Chef, he learned how to prepare delicacies for larger events, with as many as 2000 guests, with the same attention to detail and level of precision as an intimate dinner party.
Now with Premiere Catering and Events, as Executive Chef de Cuisine, David has been able to take all of these experiences and combine them to create some of the most creative and sensory stimulating dishes in the Triangle area. Never settling for second best, he pushes himself to make every event an experience for our clients and guests… an experience to remember for years to come.
Gail Stephenson
Social and Wedding Sales Manager
Over thirty years of success stories and fulfilling dreams is what Gail Stephenson brings to the Premiere Catering & Events team. After all this time, Gail has pretty much seen it all. Yet, she is able to start every new venture with an exciting, fresh eye and the awareness that every event is as unique as the client.
After years in the corporate meeting and event planning business, she committed to her passion of special event and wedding planning when she started Events & Weddings by Gail. From her dining room table she began servicing her still valued clients. She joined the Premiere Catering & Events staff in July of 2008.
As her expertise nears its fourth decade, Gail refuses to slow down and continues to adjust to the ever changing and always exciting market. Her loyalty to this industry and her continuing flexibility makes her a leader and consultant unmatched in the Special Event field.
While Gail stays busy, her time management skills have proven precious as she involves herself with endless event planning associations. Gail is VP of Programs for the Triangle Chapter of ISES (International Special Event Society), and active member of TBA (Triangle Bridal Association), and the founder of TCWE (Triangle Consultants for Weddings and Events.) She grasps every opportunity for career growth and shares her experience and knowledge generously. Gail fervently believes in growing and changing with this delicate industry and this is proven when looking at the wide diversity in her clients and event delivery.
She strives for excellence and her constant recognition and praise by her peers makes this quite evident. Gail was honored as the winner of two Triangle Chapter NACE Awards for Best Wedding Entries, Event World Scholarship Winner of local ISES Chapter and Best Booth Award in Forever Bridal Productions Bridal Shows. Colleagues and clients alike can rely on Gail to set the bar for excellence and exceed the standard for style at each of the exciting events she manages.
Through years in the event planning business, her loyalty is as evident as her passion for her “job”. Her bubbly and genuine personality has resulted in clients considering her as part of the family. Gail is without a doubt a gem to this industry that in a variety of ways we are all grateful to work with.
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