About US
The natural red catering story
Outdoor cooking has always been a passion for me. I remember watching my dad cook burgers, dogs, chicken, and steaks all summer long on our Weber kettle. I loved being outside with him, it was time together, just the two of us, which was rare because he was a busy salesman and he worked and travelled a lot. I was intrigued by the smells, the look of the meat as it cooked, the way it changed texture, and ultimately the way it tasted. Nothing can replicate cooking over coals...it imparts flavors that amplify the meat to new levels.
Now I've been grilling since I was old enough to wield a mighty spatula. But smoking big meats at low temperatures for hours and hours until fall apart tender? Well that journey started roughly ten years ago when my father-in-law bought me my first Big Green Egg. I was overwhelmed by the way the food tasted coming off this insanely sturdy built ceramic cooker. I researched and experimented and watched every video under the sun about smoking meat. And this was the perfect machine to do it on!
The next thing you know I gathered up friends and started a competition barbecue team. That's it...I was hooked on barbecue. This hobby became a passion. Who would have known, this passion would become a career. Attending an end-of-the-year swim banquet for my children, my wife and I noticed that the food they purchased as the main entrees, chicken and pulled pork from a popular local barbecue restaurant was, well...not very good. When I asked the organizer how much she paid, I made her a promise that the next year I could do it much cheaper and twice as good. She gave me the gig. We rocked the meat the next year and it was very well received. But something crazy happened in the days and weeks after that first swim banquet. We kept getting calls from parents who attended that event wanting us to cater parties for them they had coming up. What about sides? My amazing wife Jenn jumped right in and created several recipes that have stood the test of time and are still the recipes for our unique and delectable sides today! From those first parties we catered, we got more phone calls and more emails. Soon, we looked at each other and said, "BTW, did you know we have a catering business?"
The truth is, we never set out to be a catering business. In those first three to four years, we never even advertised short of some eblasts to our best customers. Word of mouth and repeat customers built the foundation of our little business. What we found is that this was a passion of ours and we were really good at it! But, what to name our new business venture? Being a smoking (pun intended) hot natural redhead, and so much of the inspiration for the company, I decided to name the business after my wife's most unique feature...and that's how Natural Red Catering became the name!
On October 30, 2017, Natural Red Catering LLC became an official business and I've decided to dedicate my full attention and remainder of my career to continuing to chase my passion. We make the best southern slow smoked meat around, as well as sides that are anything but ordinary and even offer desserts and appetizers that will absolutely blow your guests away. Don't believe me? Read our Facebook reviews...I still blush when I look at them, but remember fondly, each and every customer we've helped to make their event hugely memorable for their guests!
We bring passion and a strong desire to make each and every event unique and tasty. Our goal is to blow your guests away with food that simply isn't readily available around these parts of Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Thanks for reading, we looking forward to working with you!