It Takes a Village
We’ve been creating delicious food for over 25 years
From Humble Beginings
Sue fondly remembers the beginning of Straight to the Plate Catering. “The economy had just tanked, we had just closed our franchise, Entrees Made Easy, and I was recovering from my illness. We only owned two chafing dishes and had no money to start a catering company. So, we got out a 4-ingredient cookbook and invited our friends to join us for a tasting for our first 25 recipes at our home.
Our cornerstone belief and foundation is when we are asked to be a part of someone’s event or milestone, it is an absolute honor! Each event is special to us, even after catering for 12+ years of catering!
Sue and Brett have been married for about 25 years! In the beginning, Brett helped out part-time, which quickly became full time. As the company grew, Brett was a natural at catering as he loves to be around people and loves to make sure clients are made to feel special!
Our Love for Food
Our friends rated the recipes, “It’s a Winner!”, “I’ll have seconds please!”, “Ok, nothing to talk about.” and “Please don’t serve this!” This was how we started with our first 23 recipes (yes, two didn’t make the cut!). We still have some of those items on our menu all these years later as customer favorites!”
Sue and Brett have a daughter who is studying for her teaching degree and a son who loves all things to do with film and is a high school student. The Carlisles love to travel as a family! Brett and Sue also attend The Art of Catering Food each year and enjoy going on “culinary journeys” with International Caterers Associations Education Fund. Both allows them to learn about new techniques, recipes, presentations and more to bring back new ideas for their clients, and build awesome relationships with caterers around the United States and elsewhere.
Sue’s positivity and passion for life after surviving the rare, life-threatening illness earned her the 2009 Maricopa Citizen of the Year Award, which was a humbling and incredible honor. Together Brett and Sue have earned The International Live Event Association’s “Zonie” Award for Best Catered Event, twice, and have earned seven consecutive WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award, which puts Straight to the Plate Catering in the top 5% nationally for wedding caterers.