Chef Teeka from Southern Belle Catering joins the show today to answer all of Danielle and Sara’s questions about catering for your big day. Teeka explains what’s included with a catering service, the pros and cons of hor d'oeuvres, buffets, and plated meals, and how she handles food allergies and dietary restrictions. She talks about her passion for Southern comfort food with a modern twist, and the sacrifice involved with being a small business owner in the wedding industry. 

Next you’ll hear about the latest trends in wedding catering, how you can enhance your guests’ experience with food and displays, and Teeka’s best tips for working with a tight budget. Teeka also shares her insight on what to do with leftover food after your wedding, being courteous by feeding your wedding staff and vendors, and of course, the show ends with everyone’s favorite wedding catering horror stories. 

For more information about Chef Teeka, visit the Southern Belle Catering or Southern Belle Deli Facebook groups. You can also call the Oak Grove location at 270-697-5098, or the Hopkinsville location at 270-874-5670, or email Teeka at chef.teeka@gmail.com.

Make sure to follow Not Your Pinterest Wedding Podcast on Instagram, where you can ask questions, share stories, and suggest topics for future episodes. You can also check out Danielle’s Floral Design company at RuffledWillow.com, as well as Sara’s gorgeous barn wedding locale at BurdocFarms.com. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• Today’s guest is Chef Teeka from Southern Belle Catering, which offers Southern comfort food with a modern twist
• Hor d'oeuvres tend to be more expensive than an actual meal
• Services provided by caterer
• Buffet versus plated meals
• Sacrifice and passion of small business owners in the wedding industry
• How Teeka deals with food allergies and dietary restrictions
• Teeka’s early experience baking cakes and how it evolved into catering
• Biggest trends currently in wedding catering, like stations, charcuterie boards, and late-night snacks
• Using risers to display the food and add to the guests’ experience
• Making sure your caterer can accommodate your vision and dietary needs
• Staying within budget for food and beverage
• Get a specific head count at least three weeks in advance
• Teeka likes to serve two meats to give guests options
• Provide “To Go” boxes for your guests 
• Be courteous by feeding staff/vendors
• Clarify whether your caterer is full service
• Wedding catering horror stories
• Having a community of vendors and the value of communicating with one another

Quotes:

“Basically my thing is Southern classics with a modern day twist. So I love all the Southern comfort foods that I grew up on, but I like to put that modern day twist on it.”

“For us it's about making the guests feel special, so that's why we always want to serve.”

“Shout out to all the small business owners because it's a lot of work. And a lot of people...just see the fluffy side… They don't see the...