Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Janszen.
Hi Jill, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Oh boy!! Well, in order to make a long story somewhat short, my husband (who owns the business with me!) and I both met during culinary school in Austin, TX in 2014. Following culinary school, we both worked for some of the same companies and quickly realized that we enjoy working together and that we’re both very passionate about our work. We got married in November 2019 while I was working as an Event Sales Manager for a lovely and hip hotel and my husband, Mitch, was helping open up a brand new, trendy restaurant. Fast forward to March 2020, I was let go from my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I started to help Mitch with the restaurant which kept me busy but we always had our own discussions about starting something of our own. We knew we had the skills and experience to start our own small business; we just had to figure out where we wanted to “set up shop.” We made the decision to move to The Woodlands, TX which is where Mitch grew up to start our business and be closer to family. After moving in January 2021, we hit the ground running and ESSEN Catering became official in May 2021. We’ve been growing ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course, there have been some obstacles and speed bumps along the way, but those have made this journey even more rewarding. Starting a business – any kind of business – is challenging in more ways than one. Not to mention: when you are starting a business with your spouse or significant other, there are many conversations had that I wouldn’t classify as “romantic” but to be honest, there is no one else I would rather work with as Mitch and I make such a great team. We both have our own strengths and weaknesses and are able to bring something to the table that the other may not. The growing pains are normal and still happen from time-to-time but it’s just a reminder that we are doing something right. Change is good and this industry is constantly evolving.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ESSEN Catering ?
ESSEN Catering started as just a husband & wife team. Now, we have 10 full-time employees and close to 25 part-time employees who help with events. We cater all sorts of events including weddings, corporate luncheons and dinners, anniversary parties, birthday parties, holiday parties, just-because parties at people’s beautiful homes, meal prep deliveries and we even provide weekly school lunches to Trinity Klein Lutheran School in Spring, TX.
We specialize in creating memorable menus & experiences and bringing our client’s vision to life. Of course we have sample menus our clients can choose from, but we also enjoy creating menus based on favorite foods and cuisines, where our clients like to go out to dinner, and anything that feels comforting and reminiscing from a food perspective. Our Chef team is highly talented and ensures the menus produced are exactly what the client is expecting.
What set us apart from most caterers in the area is the fact that we do a lot of cooking on-site. It is our priority that the food served at an event meets our own high expectations on quality and freshness as well as our client’s expectations. We promise our clients that what they taste at our tastings will be exactly the same on event day. If there are any fried menu items, we fry those on-site. If there are grilled or seared proteins, we cook those on-site. Of course we prepare foods at our facility but we also take into consideration that certain food items need to be cooked right before serving so we find a way to make that happen at most events where cooking on-site is possible. Fortunately, we have certain pieces of equipment which come with us to events so we can accomplish executing the menu on-site.
Not only is our kitchen team exemplary, but our front-of-house team also plays a critical role in ensuring a proper guest/client experience. At each event, we have at least one – sometimes two – catering managers who act as the liaison between client or planner and kitchen team while also instructing the service staff on front-of-house responsibilities and operations. The service staff is friendly, accommodating and eager to please guests with a lovely experience.
How do you think about happiness?
Seeing the evolution of an event from start to finish.
The initial call with the client to the tasting experience to the successful execution of an event is so rewarding and fulfilling. Making our clients happy with our food and service brings us great joy and reminds us why we do this!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://essencatering.com
- Instagram: essen_catering
- Facebook: Essen Catering
