Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Mari Alonso, Eva Wilkins and Alain Mari Alonso.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Victor: As a 24-year-old, Valencia, Spain native, coming to the United States was a huge challenge, but I was ready to bring my love for food to Dallas, TX. I have been an entrepreneur in the Dallas, Ft. Worth area since the early 1980’s with the opening of the Italian restaurant, La Tosca in the Park Cities area. La Tosca was one of Dallas’ premier Italian restaurants with weekly clients such as Ross Perot, Cowboys Football Players and many of Dallas’ elite. After La Tosca, there were a few other restaurants that came about until I discovered the benefits of the catering industry. Fast forward to 2010, LUSH Catering Co. was opened and many of the families and friends from my old stomping grounds became private clients which also transitioned to corporate clients.
LUSH Catering Co. is a boutique full-service catering company that handles events from 10 guests to over 1,500 guests. We consider ourselves a boutique caterer because we specialize in customization of menus, customer service and professional staffing to meet the needs of our clients. We learn every aspect of what the client is looking for and provide them with food that is an extension of their style and tastes good. We partner with purveyors like Sysco Foods, but also source many local vendors and companies to provide an excellent product. Learning about food resources and becoming an expert of my business has made me successful in the Dallas food industry. A client once told me, it’s hard to find someone in catering who truly knows so much about the essence and history of types of food aside from a just being a chef. It is rare to find a talent in Dallas, who have gourmet cooking savvy and bring classic international influence over food. I think clients and chefs find comfort in my collaborating with them on foods, menus and coming to their events.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Victor: Catering has been a great business and quite rewarding. Since restaurants were my starting point, quality of the food, good service and making sure the presentation is great has been my specialty. I can say it was an easy and hard to transition into catering.
One personal struggle has been adapting restaurant quality food to the best catering menu that can be transported properly. Catering does present challenges at times with adapting to off premise locations, and accommodating clients as though they are getting a meal right out of a kitchen.
Like anyone in the food industry, during these unique times with COVID-19, there has definitely been unforeseen challenges this year. We have had to pivot our direction of the business into different revenue streams. We are creating menus to adapt to changing times for our clients. Lots of individually packed To-Go menus, diet prepped menus, specialty menus for summer holidays, and special COVID friendly events. If we have staff on events, we are making sure they are wearing masks, facial shields, and gloves of course. The kitchen and office staff have frequent temperature checks while working. Keeping the kitchen sanitized and the staff shielded is almost the norm anyway, but we continue to be hypersensitive to the needs of clients and regulations.
The way the pandemic has affected business – I have never seen in my lifetime. I have worked through disasters where we have had to help displaced people, but every company is now a little displaced and working so hard to maintain what we have. We are so thankful we have not had to close our doors and still have the support of our clients, corporate and individuals.
I would say overall, any business deals with lots of ups and downs. You have businesses that start, create a lot of buzz, and have a good amount of residual business. There are times when business is doing well and then there are months, especially in Dallas, when catering and restaurants are not producing like other months. When in busier seasons, and outside of this global pandemic, what is important is to continue to find fresh foods, trend-driven menus and make people feel like you have customized something just for them. It is always important to me to make people feel special whether they are were in my restaurant, or we are offering them food service wherever the location. It is my personal goal to give every client what I believe to be the best thing to offer in catering and food service – good food, good service!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Lush Catering – what should we know?
The word LUSH means so many things – Growth, Opulent, Lavish, Abundant, Organic and Pleasing the Senses. The words “Pleasing the Senses” means a lot for us because we want to grasp all of your senses with Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight, and Sound; getting to the point; we want to please individuals and groups with our food, service, the look and feel of an event, and always give you something great to talk about and remember!
We have extensive experience in all forms of catering, from corporate breakfasts and lunches, private in-home parties, large production corporate events, to the trendiest exclusive events of Dallas. Victor Mari Alonso, President of LUSH Catering Co., has over 30 years of restaurant and catering experience in the most prominent areas of Dallas. Our Chefs have worked in some of Dallas’ top restaurants and well versed in many cuisines. Eva Wilkins, Sales Director, maintains and grows our long list of clients through corporate and social events for LUSH. Alain Mari Alonso also handles Sales and Operational functions for our company. We work with several of Dallas’s best Wedding & Event Planners, as well at some of the best facilities in Dallas.
We are most proud of opportunities we continue to serve so many repeat clients in the Metroplex. We have handled events for companies with purpose – very rewarding, and some of the most special moments. From special retirement parties, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and corporate events, we are so lucky to be a trusted advisor and friend to our clients.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I can say a huge amount of support I owe to lifelong friends through my international travel and life in the food industry. My experience working in hotels as a child in Majorca, Spain, with my mother, probably impacted me the most for the food and service industry. Moving to Bermuda as a young adult and working in a sophisticated hotel and having those in charge demand proper service were key. When I opened La Tosca we brought a chef from Italy to the US and he continued to influence my taste for food. Another huge credit was partnering with my British wife, who has high expectations for food and service. It was just another huge push to make sure standards were met and we exceeded culinary expectations. All these experiences showed me the proper way to handle food, how to look the most professional and give the most professional service – which is why I have success today. In addition, my team today at LUSH Catering Co., Eva Wilkins (Sales) and my sons, Alain Mari Alonso (Operations), Andrew Mari Alonso (Accounting) along with our kitchen, support my vision of food and presentation. In any industry, but food especially, we should always learn and continue to lean on others to show different ways of doing things. New chefs, and new styles of food are popular and exciting, but it is always based on classic recipes with a new spin.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6211 Owens St.
Suite 120 Dallas, TX 75235 - Website: www.lushcatering.co
- Phone: 972-432-5403
- Email: ewilkins@lushcateringco.com
- Instagram: @lush_catering_co, lush_catering_dallas
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com.com/pg/Lush-Catering-Company
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