Julia Child claimed that you don’t have to cook fancy masterpieces to impress guests, just good food from the freshest ingredients. This is the philosophy that Kelly Young, Director at Bayview Catering, subscribes to.
With an educational background in nutrition, Young started her career at Bayview Thriftway about 20 years ago. As positions became open, Young moved from the deli into management and has served in the Catering Director position for the past seven years.
Bayview Catering, a local, family-owned business, began in 1984. The catering office is located inside Bayview Thriftway and all the food is prepared in the deli.
While the November and December holiday season and summer weddings certainly keep Young and her team busy, Bayview Catering is known for doing an excellent job year-round with business meetings, company picnics, graduation parties, funerals, and staff meetings.
“Our catering menu stays pretty consistent but we always include special, seasonal items,” says Young who says that her favorite menu is a wide variety of appetizers including the Italian marinated jumbo shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, and Mediterranean tray.
“Essentially, we are available to cater any meal for any purpose,” explains Young. “We can do a hot buffet or box lunches, a complete sit-down dinner for a wedding or a continental breakfast for a staff meeting.”
Intercity Transit has hired Bayview Catering for numerous employee events over the years. “Bayview Catering listens attentively to our needs and is extremely flexible. They help our agency meet our sustainability goals which is very important to us,” explains Intercity Transit’s Executive Services Director Rhodetta Seward.
One aspect that separates Bayview Catering from other catering providers is that all catering is provided off-premises. Customers are welcome to chose any venue, including their own home.
When a customer meets with Young to discuss the event, she talks about the location, time of day, meal, beverages, and location. Bayview Catering staffing can be as simple as dropping off food and supplies to as complex as providing on-site service staff and bar tending services.
Take for instance customers, Wendy and Lars, who hired Bayview Catering for their wedding. “We had planned on asking our friends to open bottles and pour champagne for the toast, but we forgot to talk to them about it. As we walked away from the ceremony, we realized that nothing was happening. The Bayview Catering staff saw the situation and jumped in to help. In five minutes, one hundred people had glasses of champagne and the toast went off perfectly. From start to finish, Bayview Catering did a fabulous job.”
Customers that choose Bayview Catering also have the option to work with three other services in related companies. Celebrations offers comprehensive rentals such as tables, chairs, and linens. Finishing Touch provides exquisite floral arrangements and Classic Creations Bakery supplies a beautifully decorated cake.
With connections to Celebrations and Finishing Touch, catering customers can plan their entire event with just one phone call.
If a customer opts to buy three out of the four services, Young applies a 5% discount on all services (excluding tax and labor). Shopping locally and using family-owned businesses is a priority for many Olympia catering customers.
“Bayview Catering provides a good service at a good price,” says Young. “We have consistent customers that hire us for regular, repeat business,” she adds.
“No matter the event, we always get compliments on the food and are always asked who provided the catering services. We are proud to say we use Bayview Catering,” summarizes Seward.
516 West 4th Ave
Olympia, WA 98502
360.357.8016
