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LESLEY ELLIOTT CATERING
ABOUT THE COMPANY: LESLEY ELLIOTT CATERING
Lesley Elliott Catering is a fine foods catering company located in Orange County, CA. Since 2003, we have been catering everything from intimate events - such as a special dinner for two or group dinner of 8 - as well as larger celebrations up to 80 to 100 guests. We would love to assist in planning your next event!
Our focus is...ON THE FOOD. Our menus are driven by seasonal and local ingredients, using all-organic, sustainable ingredients whenever possible. Special menus are inspired by visits to local farmers markets, where dishes are created from the freshest produce available as well as the local, sustainable meats and seafood we are able to source. We pride ourselves on the relationships we continue to build with farmers and purveyors, bringing the best selection of food to your table.
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| Brix Restaurant Garden - Napa Valley, CA |
"While living in San Francisco, I was exposed to the amazing food and wine scene Northern California has to offer, meeting and befriending chefs and farmers focused on the importance of sustainability and organic farming. I was introduced to a myriad of different ingredients and products. I frequented many local farmers markets where I learned the true importance of “cooking with the seasons”; I began to cook differently – with the understanding of where my produce, meats, fish, and dairy products were coming from and how they were produced.
Lesley Elliott, Owner and Executive Chef - Lesley Elliott Catering
ABOUT THE CHEF: LESLEY ELLIOTT
Lesley has always had a passion for food and wine, and she has created her entire career around it. Her first job experiences during her college years were all in restaurants, acting as hostess, server, expediter, and runner. She graduated with a B.S. from USC Marshall School of Business in 2001 and immediately began studying and training at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, where she graduated top of her class in 2002.
Her culinary career began at Sage Restaurant in Newport Beach, CA, where chef/owner Rich Mead brought her on board as pastry chef and catering chef. In 2003, she decided it was time to try catering on her own, and she formed Lesley Elliott Catering. From 2003 through 2006, Lesley became well known with her ever popular "Spinach and Orzo Salad", served repeatedly to clients and friends who continued to spread the word about her small but successful catering company.
In 2007, she decided to put catering on hold with the opportunity to move to San Francisco to be closer to the food and wine scene of Northern California. Taking the position of Culinary Senior Specialist/Test Kitchen Manager for ChefsBest, she managed all of the testing of products bearing the ChefsBest seal of approval. In 2008, she moved out of the kitchen and into the world of food sales as Fine Dining Specialist for Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, learning all of the in's and out's of the high end/luxury food goods world while immersing herself in everything about the caviar business.
Though reluctant to give up the Bay Area farmers markets, Napa Valley wineries, and all things "foodie" in San Francisco, she found that Southern California was calling her, and Lesley decided to move back to Newport Beach and settle in with her family and friends. In late 2010, she decided it was the right place and right time to bring back Lesley Elliott Catering, but this time bigger and better - focusing on organic, sustainable, and seasonal foods while bringing classic and innovative dishes to her menus. (And, it is still the "Spinach and Orzo Salad" that continues to grow the company into what it is today.)
