Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlton Brown.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Despite having parents whose lives revolved around stirring, mixing and seasoning for the masses, my mother was a home economics teacher, and my father was a cook in the U.S. Marine Corp. I never had the desire to cook anything until my final tour of duty for the U.S. Air Force in Newbury, England. While in England, I roomed with a staff sergeant whos exquisite taste and skills in table service dazzled me into becoming a waiter at the Royal Air Force Base Officers Club. In sharp contrast to my identical twin brother Calvin’s natural abilities in the kitchen, I was a slow enthusiast – so slow that the only meal I knew how to prepare once I left the military and returned to the States was Spaghetti.
Upon my return, I obtained a degree in Computer Science and landed a job at Southern Bell (Bellsouth). I decided that since I had not mastered the art of food, it wouldn’t hurt to attend culinary school just so that I could pick up a few tips. While enrolled in culinary school, my partner at the time had just purchased a beautiful home, and when I asked what were his plans for his housewarming, he replied, “I’m going to purchase trays from Kroger’s.” I assured him that this would NOT fair well with his snooty friends. Although I had never catered anything a day in my life, I offered to prepare the food for his housewarming, and in return, that he would simply reimburse me for the cost of the food.
I had about three months to plan his party, and I knew that I wanted his guests to assume that he had hired a caterer. I sat at my desk at Southern Bell, and I pondered as to what I would call this mystical company. I knew that I wouldn’t do this sort of thing very often, but I would do the “Occasional Occasion.” And that my friends is how Occasional Occasions by Carlton was born. I ordered $10 business cards from the local print shop, and when it came time for the big event, I presented his buffet table together as best as I knew how. I then placed my $10 cards in the middle of the table.
So… this is where it gets crazy: About two weeks after his party, a gentleman called me and asked, “How much would it cost to cater a party for 30 people?” Caught off guard, I asked him “why are you asking me that question?” He replied, “I picked up your card from the housewarming party.” My response was, “those cards were not meant for anyone to pick up, they were there only for display, let me get back with you.”
Never in a million years would I have guessed that someone would call ME about catering! I had already enrolled in culinary school, so I anxiously started bombarding my instructors with as many questions as I could think of. To make a long story short, it wasn’t long that I realized I really was starting to like this catering thing, and I enjoyed it much better than I did working in Corporate America and playing with computers (which I sucked at btw). After having been with Southern Bell for 9.5 years, I decided to take a huge chance, and officially launch my very own company.
Over the course of time… life happened, and food gradually shifted from being a basic need for survival to transforming my life into one of joy and purpose as a formidable caterer in Atlanta’s hot hospitality scene.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it certainly hasn’t. Prior to three years ago, I’ve always operated my business on a fairly small scale. Three years ago, I made the decision to expand and grow my business. I had been working out of a shared kitchen and that was sufficient for the amount of business that I was bringing in. When I decided to expand… my company literally doubled our sales in the 1st year. Were we ready for that level of growth? No, not really.
After the first year, we quickly realized that the shared kitchen scenario was no longer going to work. We decided to bite the bullet and expand into our own leased kitchen. It took about a year to get it up and running but we did it. But now a new dilemma. The income that we had become accustomed to with the mom & pop model was not going to support the expenses of a new kitchen. We had to quickly become a marketing machine to catch up with our new found expenses. It was a true challenge but a great learning experience also.
Occasional Occasions by Carlton – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a boutique style, custom catering company. Our cuisine of choice is Contemporary Southern, but we do so much more including a full menu for those with dietary restrictions. Our niche is small events under 100 guests. We do mostly private and corporate in-home cocktail and dinner parties for crowds averaging from 30-75. We are known for our unique décor tablescapes and our Southern Hospitality style of customer service.
We have also created a very intimate style of catering called “Table for 2 by Carlton” where we come into your home or location supplying the tablescape, China, silverware, glassware, linen napkins, pots, pans etc. We have pre-selected menus to select or we can custom design a menu for the client. It is about a one and a half, to the two-hour dining experience, not rushed and very romantic. We promote this as a creative corporate gift or as a jaw-dropping personal gift.
I believe that the thing that sets us apart from our peers is my background. I am a United States Air Force veteran and I grew up in a United States Marine Corp household. My mother was a home economics teacher. I believe that my upbringing under my parents, my Catholic private school upbringing and my personal military background have all come together to create a very driven, detail oriented and focused individual. I can be detailed-oriented to a fault, and punctual is an understatement. I firmly believe that these traits are core ingredients that make up the culture of my company. These are also qualities that my clients value.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We are very proud of receiving our National CPCE designation (Certified Professional in Catering and Events) in 2016. We are equally as proud of receiving the news that out of 1075 applicants, we have been selected as one of about 300+ vendors who will be providing services to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta Ga in 2019.
Contact Info:
- Website: occasionaloccasionscatering.com
- Phone: 404 963 6857
- Email: info@occasionaloccaisonscatering.com
- Instagram: www.instagram/occasionsbycarlton
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/occasionaloccasions
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/occoccbycarlton
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