For the 9^th year in a row, Pepper’s Fine Catering has been named “Best Caterer” in Worcester Magazine’s Best of Worcester 2014.

We would like to thank you all for your votes and continued support, and of course to our entire team for their hard work and dedication!

Illustration by Hannah Robidoux

Pepper's wins Worcester Business Journal's 'Best Of Business' Award for 2014!

"Worcester Business Journal recently conducted its first Online Readers Poll to find out who are the Best Of Business in our region! The best business-to-business companies that truly offer the best service, sweat all the details and have customer-focused employees who deliver outstanding products and services."

To read the entire article and see a full list of the winners, click on the image below.

To attend the Party follow the link below for registration:

 www.wbjournal.com/BOBawards

Best Of Business (BOB) Party
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
5:00 – 7:30PM
Coral Seafood
225 Shrewsbury St.
Worcester, MA

Worcester's Bride and Groom Magazine recently published their spring 2013 issue, featuring a four-page spread of the May 2012 wedding of Pepper’s Fine Catering clients Ryan and Jacqueline McMullen. The wedding was held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Bolyston and catered by the Pepper’s team. 

Jacqueline has a special relationship with Pepper’s, she is a former employee! We were thrilled to become part of her and Ryan’s special day, and to create such special memorable moments for the two of them and their guests. For the couples’ garden wedding, they wanted to tie in an element of nature by incorporating both significance of “love birds” and their shared appreciation for travel. To set the right tone, faux bird nests, bird cages, and leaves were placed throughout the venue, as well as a scrapbook of destinations the couple visited together. 

The appreciation of nature was complemented in the food design, as well. Desserts were served atop a slab of natural birch with decadent twigs and leaves distributed around.  The most striking element of dessert was of course the cake.  Keeping with the theme, we incorporated love birds made of porcelain as the cake topper and used an actual tree stump to set the cake on.

Each unique touch contributed to a magical wedding that encapsulated Jacqueline and Ryan’s affection, tastes and chemistry.

To read more about the McMullen’s ceremony and to view photos from the event, click here and head to page 24.

On Tuesday January 7th, Pepper's Fine Catering owners John and Susan Lawrence were featured in the Shop Talk section of the Worcester Business Journal. John and Susan, a husband and wife team, recently celebrated 25 years of business for Pepper's Catering. Their Shop Talk Q&A with Worcester Business Journals's Rick Saia explores Susan and John's unqiue working partnership and the challenges and rewards of running a large-scale catering operation.

John and Susan also offer up advice to anyone interested in starting their own business. “It better be your dream," says John. “Because you really have to have an awful lot of passion and diligence and wherewithal to really suit up every day to stay in business. It's a full-time sport.”

To read the entire article on the Worcester Business Journal website, click here.

We here at Pepper’s Fine Catering are thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, we have been selected by The Boston Business Journal and The Commonwealth Institute as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts.

Susan Lawrence launched Pepper's in 1987, after amassing extensive experience on the business side of the food industry. Today she runs the company with her husband, John, who also serves as head chef. Under Susan’s direction, the company has grown to include 24 full time employees and partnerships with leading area venues such as Elm Bank, Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, Hanover Theatre & Mechanic’s Hall.

Over the 25 years they have been doing business, Pepper's has solidified a reputation for delivering outstanding events. The guidance they provide extends beyond the intricacies of the menu to include lighting, food presentation and customer service. Specializing in contemporary regional and international meals, all offerings are prepared using fresh, local ingredients—many from John and Susan’s garden, with nine 20-foot beds of organically grown herbs, produce and edible flowers. 

“When I started Pepper's 25 years ago, I had a vision of what kind of company I wanted it to be,” says Susan. “Being able to realize my vision has been the most rewarding aspect of my career. I’m proud to lead a company that not only incorporates excellent food, but excellent people, too.” 

Worcester Living Magazine recently collaborated with Pepper’s Fine Catering for their June 2012 issue on edible flowers, offering a look into the horticultural side of cooking. The following is an excerpt from “Edible blooms are colorful, flavorful additions for summer dishes,” authored by Barbara M. Houle.

John Lawrence is a chef who can create crowd-pleasing foods and party-perfect drinks to make summer get-togethers fabulously easy and fun. He also knows how to get the most out of a garden.

Lawrence and his wife, Susan, own Pepper’s Fine Catering in Northboro, where they maintain 10 raised garden beds in summer and early fall. Their kitchen gardens are a little slice of botanical heaven, offering fragrant and colorful edible flowers, a myriad of pepper varieties and must-have herbs. A favorite edible bloom is nasturtium, a colorful addition to any garden, according to Lawrence, who explained that the annual flower’s mild, peppery taste makes it excellent in salads. Nasturtiums in a wide range of colors bloom from midsummer until frost. “The more you pick, the more they pop,” said Lawrence. Double and semi-double flowers make a great presentation as a plate garnish, he said. Daylilies are another edible delight in the garden. So are Johnny-jump-ups and pansies, both colorful additions to salads made with tender, young greens.

Basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, lovage, tarragon, cilantro and lavender are just a few of the other plants that flourish. Fresh and dried herb leaves are used as food flavorings by the chefs. The plants have both culinary and ornamental uses; each plant contributes to a beautiful garden design, said Lawrence. Pepper’s is an award-winning company deeply rooted in the horticultural community. It has catered weddings and special functions at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston for 24 years and numerous events at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s historic Elm Bank in Wellesley and Tyrone Farm, a country estate in Pomfret, Conn.

John Lawrence routinely gives cooking classes and demos at the Clarke Culinary Center in Milford, using locally grown ingredients whenever he can. He and his wife are strong supporters of local farms.”

You can find the entire article, which includes some of John’s delicious recipes, in the June 2012 issue of Worcester Living Magazine. Pick up a copy at your local newsstand or give Pepper’s a call and we’ll be happy to forward one to you! 

For more information about Worcester Living, visit them at http://www.telegram.com/section/WorcesterLiving

Southern New England Living magazine, a new publication dedicated to highlighting the many great aspects of Southern New England, met up with Pepper’s co-owner, John Lawrence, to get his insight on planning the perfect house party. Below is an excerpt from "House Party:  Tips from the Pros on Planning Your Next Get-together in Style, without All the Stress," by Rachel Arroyo. 

Carefully Conceptualize the Menu
Food and beverage are central to ensuring a memorable at-home gathering.  John Lawrence - who has co-owned Pepper's Fine Food Catering in Northborough, MA, with his wife Susan for 24 years - says, since 9/11, people have changed the way they entertain. "Before people were entertaining all around, in crazy locations and spending a lot of money. Now it is more of an intimate experience." Don't get him wrong, "People are still having big parties, but the guest list is filled with people they know and love, first and foremost."

Lately he has been seeing a lot of requests for Latin American cuisine. "Ceviches are popular, but with our local ingredients,” says Lawrence. Mojitos are also big. And even though he thought the cupcake trend was going to die off, it's still going strong. "They've become more inventive,” he says, "branching out to include interesting fillings like pina colada and Baileys Irish crème - fun twists on old favorites." A streak of whimsy seems to have taken the party scene by storm.  He reports: ''I'm seeing a lot of colors, lively linens in polka dots and lime green."

For crafting the perfect get-together, Lawrence offers a few tips. One: "Think whimsical and think fusion," he says. For instance, if you're using Asian lanterns, go with lime green instead of the traditional red. "It sets a tone." Two: Greet your guests with a cocktail. Cava, a Spanish champagne, is a great value and can be mixed with watermelon or pomegranate juice for a fun, mildly alcoholic drink. Three: "You've got to have the music,” he says, but don't stress about the playlist. Go to Pandora - an online radio station - and pick your favorite artist or musical genre. Four: "Keep the menu fork friendly," a rule he lives by. People shouldn't have to put down their plates to cut bit-sized portions of food. And, lastly, "Consider the guest list," he says. Invite outgoing, talkative people to create an atmosphere for conversation.

You can find the complete article in Southern New England Living's premier issue, which debuted this month.  Pick up a copy at your local newsstand or give Pepper’s a call and we’ll be happy to forward one to you! 

For more information about Southern New England Living, visit http://www.southernNELiving.com

The First Harvest

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society kicks off its Garden to Table initiative with the The First Harvest, a 3-course tasting prepared by Pepper’s Catering Chef John Lawrence.  The tasting will feature some of the earliest greens from their Chef's Garden, a 22-bed vegetable garden designed to inspire culinary combinations.  Join Chef Lawrence as he prepares a wonderful Spring Pea Panzanella Salad, Preserved Lemon & Lovage Risotto and succulent Citrus Grilled Scallops.

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society Garden to Table program was designed to promote the benefits of local harvest and growing your own foods through educational events and cooking demonstrations. Along with the Chef's Garden, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society also planted the Pantry Garden to serve the needs of a local food pantry. 

• Where:  MHS Horticulture Center at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street (Rt. 16), Wellesley, MA
• When:  Monday, June 6, 2011 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 
• Cost:  $45 per person (space is limited)
• Reservations can be made by calling 617.933.4995 or by ordering online here.

Join us on Friday, June 3rd as the Worcester Chamber of Commerce presents The Worcester Women’s Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Pepper's Catering will be on-hand serving some of our tasty dishes.

For more information or to register, visit the Worcester Chamber of Commerce website or call 508.753.2924 x 229. Hope to see you there!

Thanks Everyone for Voting Peppers Catering "Best Caterer"!

The votes are in for Worcester Magazine's "Best of Worcester 2011", and for the 6th year in a row, Peppers Fine Foods has been named "Best Caterer" in Central Mass!

We'd like to thank you all for your votes and support; our clients' satisfaction really does mean everything to us! Also we want to congratulate and thank all of our team here at Peppers who work so hard to make us - and keep us - #1!

Thanks again everyone!