Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Ferrin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started with two line cooks in a Chicago restaurant. I was 22, my business partner Vaido was 23. I honestly can’t even comprehend why we had the balls to quit our jobs and start a catering company having zero experience, zero jobs on the books, zero professional kitchens. Some people say it was ambitious, I tend to think we were just insane. Or slightly naive. Perhaps it was the trifecta of all of those things. Whatever kool-aid we were drinking, week by week, our inspiration kept evolving- This vision of bringing restaurant execution and menu style to offsite catered events.
So often when people hear… the c-word… catering- images of overcooked rubbery chicken suffocated by a crusty-skin-having white sauce come to mind. But when people hear about trendy city restaurants, feelings of originality, quality, personality, cool-ness, and artistry are conjured up. Everyone is excited about the menus. They see the chefs as artists. They look forward to dining as an experience rather than a means to be fed. We wanted to take all the excitement and buzz surrounding the restaurant world and bring that to catering. Reimagining what is possible outside of restaurant walls.
So then, what is a Truffleberry? Welp. We made that up. As we sat in the rain before service started one night, I asked Vaido- “what’s your favorite food ingredient?” He replied “Lignonberry jam”. So there’s that. He asked mine and without letting him finish, I said “TRUFFLES”. (Hi. I mean, because duh, Truffles.) So we said, cool. Truffle. And berry. Truffleberry something? How about Market? Maybe one day with brick and mortar? Ok deal. Let’s go sear some branzino.
My brother in law Pat hired us for our first job at his company to feed 65 men on what’s known in the trading world as ‘expiration Friday’. Equally as terrified as we were amped- we prepped and catered our faces off. Out of my mom’s kitchen. With the sheet pans, she used for family meals my whole life. And adorable nonprofessional le Creuset bowls. Plastic wrap from the grocery store. And my jeep. That damn jeep. The things about catering that we know now and didn’t know then are technical details like how to pack without having a heart attack every turn you make in transit. What you can prep in advance so you don’t need to arrive 8 hours ahead of guests.
All the knowledge that time and experience (and a kick-ass team) would eventually bring us. We always kept biting off as much as we could chew. Now, we execute about 500 events per year- all varying in personality. From luxury corporate retail clients on Michigan Avenue like GUCCI to leadership events for Google to stunning weddings with renowned event planners and the most intimate of baby showers, engagement parties, milestone birthdays… every moment is a piece of us.
So- from my mom’s kitchen. To my dad’s kitchen. To a townhome, with storage of our few pieces of equipment, we had invested in, stuffed into in a tiny closet and my highschool jeep getting us to and fro, and no team …to a full commercial kitchen with an office and modest tasting room. To acquiring the suite next door. And eventually the suite next door to that. An expansion and a better tasting room. One truck at a time. Gradually, day by day, event by event, piece by piece, as deliberate as it is organic, we have built the Truffleberry we know today. 10 years in the making. It is so alive.
Although our business has grown and our brand has evolved- our objective has always been the same. Highest quality, labor-intensive, intricately impressive, meticulously thoughtful and as delicious tasting as it is visually beautiful. We know it isn’t just about what we do, but how we do it. To translate our client’s vision into a celebration that leaves their guests impressed in every way- from formal to casual, whimsical or avant-garde- lowest key or blacket tie- our specialty has become that we don’t have one. Yet everything we do has a unique Truffleberry-ness to it.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not for one single day has it been a smooth road. But we don’t do it because it’s easy. We do it because it’s exciting. It’s an intricate puzzle with the most endless variables. And yielding profound fulfillment. There is no high like an event high. Someone deciding to entrust you instead of any other company with the details of their most important moment, being responsible for bringing it to life in the most impressive, seamless way and doing it flawlessly despite every variable imaginable- that is what we call ‘event high’. We are total junkies. Relentlessly addicted.
The variables we face in catering are extreme. It’s ironic- that to be great at catering means you have to be meticulously prepared but totally flexible at the same time. You have to have thought of every. Piece. Of. Equipment. You would need. It must be considered. Packed. Organized. Unloaded. Used. Repacked. Reloaded. Cleaned. And reorganized. We never know if the power will go out. Or if the space between offsite kitchen set up to dining service presents terrain challenges. Things are often dark. Cold. Hot. Wet. (from time to time… monsooning). And one million other freaky things you can’t control or foresee. No matter how big or small or highest floor up or lowest floor down- we have to plan everything and be ready to wing anything.
Learning about business has been the biggest surprise to me. 10 years ago, I imagined starting a catering company to cook, to create events. But never in a million years did I comprehend the aliveness of the business we were going to create. It’s a type-A person’s dream. Spreadsheets and processes and organization. Building a solid team, managing and keeping them happy while creating a vibrant culture. Running payroll. Branding and marketing initiatives. Submitting sales taxes. Budgeting and projecting. Maintaining licenses. P and L statements. I had no idea the things I had no idea about. But now I realize one of the things I love most is keeping this business thriving from the inside out.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Truffleberry Market story. Tell us more about the business.
What initially felt like a disadvantage- that while we had restaurant experience, we had no experience as offsite caters- we ironically came to realize was a unique advantage we had. Someone once even told us we would fail because we didn’t know how to cave cook. So we furiously researched cave cooking. Watching videos and buying books. We practiced (and bombed). And then it dawned on us- the ovens, the burners, the fryers…all the equipment we used for “a la minute” service? Didn’t mean we didn’t know what we were doing. We were just doing it differently. We made our risottos on site, within minutes of being plated for a wedding. We seared racks of lamb on a rooftop, over real flames. Our lack of experience became an accidental advantage. A unique philosophy of approaching catering execution that was yes- super challenging, but with a direct relationship with us delivering what we promised.
So we kept on keeping on. Going in that direction. Reminding ourselves every day what we wanted to be for our clients- a tailored experience about new school execution with a focus on old-school hospitality. Chef-driven menus created for our clients- based on their vision, executed on site in a way that leaves everyone impressed. Being more than a way to feed people, being a central component to a “wow, that was so them” experiential moment of breaking bread with nearest + dearest.
Everything punctuated with equal parts badass professionalism and overwhelming warmth. Going above and beyond, above and beyond. Not because we have to. But because at the end of the day, we really just love what we do. That isn’t just a line, we are endlessly grateful down to our bones for every opportunity we have to create these most intimate moments. It is an honor we hold with the highest regard.
With genuine excitement, we articulate our client’s vision through every detail- the menu might reflect a favorite trip to Paris, a special restaurant from college, grandma Yvonne’s famous something-or-other, or a favorite dessert inspired by your obsession with Dr. Pepper. We are perfect for client’s looking for a food-centric event everyone hasn’t been to already. Extreme one-on-one attention and unlimited access to us mean that our clients feel important and attended to. To obsess over the details so everyone else can enjoy them.
Catered events are remarkable. They are once in a lifetime. There is one chance to define a celebrated moment, to get it right, to make it perfect. The details should be as exceptional as the moments being celebrated. From the first phone call to final clean up, our goal is to hear both things… “it was everything I wanted” and “beyond what I could have ever imagined.”
Our names might be on the articles of incorporation, but we are nothing without the dedicated team we have by our sides. There is a fine line between family and team- every day we are grateful to have crossed it to create a vibrant culture. Many of us have worked together for an entire decade- there is a certain synergy that our Truffleberry family has. It is an uncommon, beautiful and powerful bond, no doubt part of why we continue to be presented with invigorating opportunities that remind us all why we are so passionate about what we do. Humbled and inspired every day, by the people we call co-workers but know are also family.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My dad always told me “The harder you work, the luckier you get” and no truer words have ever been spoken in terms of career. There are simply no shortcuts and success is no coincidence. But when it comes to the people in my life- I really won the luck lottery. The support system I have with my husband, friends, family, and colleagues is profound. Whether it was a nudge forward, a soft place to land on a tough day, a comforting hug for a good cry, a venting session, a business strategy chat, a strong margarita, a kick in the butt or encouragement from the biggest cheerleading squad- I am surely the luckiest they come.
Contact Info:
- Address: 825 N Cass Ave
#303 Westmont, IL 60559 - Website: https://www.truffleberrymarket.com/
- Phone: 6303012669
- Email: brittany@truffleberrymarket.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truffleberrymkt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/truffleberrymarket/about/
Image Credit:
Aimee Mazzenga Photography, Cassandra Photo, Meghan Leigh Photography, Nakai Photography, Brittany Ferrin, Logan Beck
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