Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorden Dolan
Hi Jorden, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hello everyone 🙂 I am the executive chef and founder of Savory Events, which is a luxury catering brand based in The Woodlands, TX. We cook for a wide variety of clients across the country, bringing unique dining experiences to destination locations.
I started Savory Events in my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA in May 2015. Growing up in such an amazing agricultural hub allowed me to develop a palate for the region’s broad variety of seafood, produce, and artisanal products. My early kitchen years were spent cooking around a variety of small restaurants and cafes, until the decision to attend a local culinary school came about.
After school, I started working in the very busy banquet department of the Monterey Marriott hotel + conference center. This was my first exposure to cooking for large events, and I fell in love with the hustle and creativity it takes to produce menus on such a scale ! My next stop was several years of cooking for Pebble Beach Resorts, at the Inn at Spanish Bay. This was where I learned that banquet food could truly be elevated, but I still found myself wanting to explore more outside of the kitchen walls (and to see the sunlight again!!)
I moved back to my hometown and started cooking for small private parties + corporate events. This quickly led to me cooking for bigger and even more elaborate celebrations, including luxurious weddings, holiday galas, fundraising functions, and more… In 2022 my family and I decided to move ourselves and the business to Texas, which has been an amazing journey ! Living in a new part of the country means there has been a whole new world of foods to explore, and DANG if Houston has not delivered in that department.
Every week, I attend local farmers markets in the area to meet and forge relationships with our local farmers, ranchers and other artisans. It is so important to learn more about where our food comes from, and I am passionate about cooking with seasonal ingredients. At Savory Events, we are known for using a wide variety of colorful, flavorful, and local foods, presented with creativity and imagination. We source the majority of our ingredients from those small farms and growers, in an effort to keep more revenue in the local economy !
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not ! I started my business as a full-time single mother. After years of paying for daycare and nannies while working 60-80+ hour weeks in hotels, my daughter was about to start kindergarten and I just couldn’t bring myself to continue paying someone else to raise her. I just knew there had to a better way !
In 9 years of business, I have never borrowed money to keep it going, or taken out a loan of any kind. My entire business is truly built on hard work, grit and a never-ending quest to keep pushing for more.
Later on, Covid really hit my business hard. We had the initial few months of canceled weddings and events, but once we started getting cancellation requests for events 6+ months in the future, something needed to change. After the third shutdown in California, we started traveling to other states to cater private events. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because now we get to cater all over the country !
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We may be based in Texas now, but we travel world wide ! Thus far, we have cooked in Georgia, Florida (a few times!) Colorado, and all across the states of California and Texas. There is nowhere we won’t go, and we can cook in any location you can imagine. On top of a mountain ? Next to a racetrack ? In a field with no buildings for miles around ? No problem !
I write completely custom menus for every client, and will work together with your local farms and ranches to source the finest seasonal ingredients for your event. Every ingredient we use in our kitchen is either organic, non GMO or naturally grown. We don’t use any processed foods, seed oils or premade items in our cooking, everything is made from scratch, with love.
What makes you happy?
Cooking for others, especially outdoors, makes me incredibly happy ! Spending time in nature with my family, going for long runs, early morning walks, planning tropical vacations and eating delicious meals are also on the list 🙂
Pricing:
- $150++ per person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savoryevents.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savoryevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavoryEvents/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/savory-events-the-woodlands
