Catering Co. Serves A Variety of Needs

The Catering Company Of Northwest Arkansas
Owner: Jennifer Clary
Address: 18 Ridge Drive, Farmington 72730
Phone: (479) 841-6207
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Startup date: April 2005
Web site: Menu is on www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com

Jennifer Clary started out in the food service business making gourmet gift baskets from her home. Now she serves businesses, wedding parties, concert attendees and more. “Anyone for any event” is how she describes her clientele.

The catering business came about when Clary realized that she loved serving people while catering for Ozark Mountain Smokehouse. With their help, including rental of their kitchen facilities and equipment for large events, she has parlayed that career into The Catering Company of Northwest Arkansas. “The Smokehouse and I work well together,” she said.

She does all the catering for the Arkansas Music Pavilion, serving salads, appetizers and desserts. Since it’s a new company, the menu is always growing and evolving.

“My best seller is my homemade brownies from scratch,” Clary said. “It’s my mother’s recipe, and people just rave over them at AMP events.”

Clary has one employee, but her friends and family volunteer to help out when she needs it. She plans to double her revenue next year and hire more help.

Startup costs were minimal, Clary said, since she rents all her equipment from Ozark Mountain Smokehouse and still works out of her home. “The startup cost was not as great as it would have been if I had had to purchase everything,” she said.