‘So far, so good:’ Holidays packed for Lexington caterers despite higher food costs
Outside of wedding season in spring, the holidays are the typically the busiest time of year for caterers.
Whether they are sending in boxed lunches for office events, setting up a full spread for a catered party or supplying extras for holiday dinner at home, many caterers are cooking around the clock in November and December.
And this year is no different, according to two in Lexington: Seasons Catering, one of the biggest, which can even provide custom ice sculptures, and Daughters’ Southern, a one-man Black-owned food truck known for great Southern-style cooking including cauliflower Buffalo “wings.”
Seasons Catering and Lexington Ice Sculptures
Name of the business: Seasons Catering
Owners: Kellie Stoddart and chef Michael Stoddart, who also has Lexington Ice Sculptures where their son Matthew is lead ice artist.
Location: 333 N. Ashland Ave., seasonsevents.com. Open for 26 years.
What’s your forecast for this upcoming holiday season? We’ve exceeded last year. We have all the orders from last year, plus new ones. For Christmas, we’ve already had to close out dates; we’ve had to decline clients. We always try to give 110%, but you can’t be in 10 places at a time. Returning customers get first option and they all rebooked. So, we are more than on-point for better holiday season than 2023.
What’s the mood of shoppers this year? Food costs have skyrocketed no matter where you go, whether it’s a store, a restaurant or caterers. ... Lettuce and tomatoes are at an all-time high right now. At one time, it was butter, then eggs. Now it’s salad. We just had a call from the purveyors that a case of lettuce will cost us close to $100; last year it was probably $50. Some people realize it and understand, some don’t and are offended. We just have to do a bit of education sometimes.
Are you trying anything different this year in terms of marketing? We haven’t really changed a lot. We just continue to reach out our client base and they’ve referred us to others.
Come early January, you’ll know the 2024 holiday shopping season was successful if ... In January we roll right into ice. Ice carvings, sculptures and festivals in Indiana ... We have 2025 wedding season booked and have received some 2026 inquiries. I can see right now that it’s going to be successful; the orders are there.
Daughters’ Southern Food Truck and Catering
Name of business: Daughters’ Southern
Owner: Chef Chris Cain
Location: The food truck travels to events and can be booked online. You also can order special holiday dinners, when available, online at daughters-southern-catering.square.site. In business since 2016.
What’s your forecast for this upcoming holiday season? For us, we start to slow down a lot because it gets cold outside. The biggest thing we do are precooked meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas and occasionally private lunches. So far, so good. The number of parties is about the same; it isn’t really down.
What’s the mood of shoppers this year? I do get calls from people who have a low budget. Budgets aren’t increasing with the times. Everything costs more for us and for them. You want to help people out, but you can’t do it if it isn’t reasonable.
Are you trying anything different this year in terms of marketing? New tactics to reach new shoppers? In years past, we haven’t had to do a whole lot of marketing. We’ve built a good following in town through word of mouth. I’ve done three weddings for the same family. This year my focus is on a higher social media presence.
Come early January, you’ll know the 2024 holiday shopping season was successful if ...
For us, it’s successful if we’re booking events for spring and summer. Holiday parties will generate stuff for the future. Someone will say, “My daughter’s getting married, I need you to come do the rehearsal dinner.” I’ll know it was success if the calendar starts to fill itself out.
