14 minutes, 18 seconds

Bob Sargent of Savory Cuisines Catering

I had the opportunity to speak with Bob Sargent, and ask him some questions about catering in Boulder.

Zack Katz: Bob Sargent is the President and Executive Chef of Savory Cuisines Catering in Boulder, Colorado. This is Part One of our catering series of interviews. Thanks for joining me, Bob.

Did you cook when you were growing up?

Bob Sargent: I did. I’ve always cooked and I even, in high school if I was ever skipping school, it was usually because I was making my friends lunch.

Zack Katz: What inspired you to become a caterer?

Bob Sargent: Well, I always tell people the story is, is that I just always threw parties. So, between always cooking for my friends and always throwing parties, I always…people always thought it might be a good fit. And my dream was always to open a restaurant, but I just didn’t have the money to start a restaurant. So it was much less expensive to start Savory Cuisines.

Zack Katz: Did you have formal training before you started Savory Cuisines and how did Savory Cuisines, the concept, come about.

Bob Sargent: I, actually, was working around town in Boulder, Colorado and before that in Boston. And I kept starting catering divisions for restaurants, and then I went to culinary school here in Boulder, as well, with the hopes of starting a local food business. And had a lot of support from the community, and actually after my training at culinary school, which was good for connections, I used to be the chef at Naropa and that’s where I got my first job from.

Growing to be the leading Boulder catering company hasn’t been easy.

The path from one-man caterer to a staff of 30 has been paved with balsamic vinegar!

The world of small business is full of entrepreneurs. In the beginning of starting any business, 90% of the work is in landing new projects. We cold call, we network, visit chambers of commerce and call in favors. We struggle to meet the bills, and take part-time jobs to cover the costs.

Catering is not just a business: we’re feeding people.

Unlike many other service industries, catering involves a direct and immediate satisfaction: the food we prepare must be on time, it must be delicious, it must be fresh, you must keep the budget, pay the bills, manage your talent, your ingredients, your energy, and your life.

Cooking from scratch in the catering business.

There’s an enormous learning curve to become a caterer, and there are lots of funny stories, thousands of hours of hard work, lost weekends, and late nights. Holidays become just another work day. Alliances formed and broken. This blog is a story of our little Boulder catering company, Savory Cuisines, and how we’ve grown to be a strong, thriving catering business.