Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Wahl.
In 1999-2000 Terri took her love of cooking and turned it into a successful catering business, which was quickly followed by a very popular restaurant in Eagle Rock called Auntie Em’s Kitchen. For 14 years, the restaurant was a hot spot for locals and tourists alike, and for seven years straight Auntie Em’s won the best red velvet in Los Angeles. Their down-home feel, commitment to farm to table food way before it was the thing to do, and their amazing recipes made them a powerhouse in both the restaurant and catering business.
In early 2017, Terri decided to move on from the restaurant and focus on her first love, catering. Since then they’ve been busier than they could ever have hoped for. They are still very active in the Eagle Rock community and Terri has also started teaching cooking classes at Urban Kitchen in South Pasadena, just around the corner from Auntie Em’s former location.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We have always been very lucky in that people responded very well to what we’ve been doing pretty much from the start. Terri has always had an eye for what’s cool before anybody else knows it’s going to be cool, and her talent for cooking makes even the biggest skeptics come back for more.
We believe that if you do something well and really put your heart into it you will succeed (eventually), and we’ve been fortunate to be able to live that reality for most of our time as a business. There were definitely rough years for the restaurant, as there are for pretty much every restaurant, but overall, we were very fortunate to have mostly a very successful run, especially considering how far removed Eagle Rock was when we first opened.
The only struggles we faced were having to decide what part of the business to focus on so that we could really excel in one arena, but once we decided to only offer catering (and catered baked goods as well) we quickly knew we made the right decision, and it’s only been good since (finger crossed!).
Spotted Hen Catering – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We offer seasonal, fresh, inspired catering and world famous (we’ve been on the Food Network more than once) baked goods for any and every occasion. We cater everything from small corporate events to 500+ person parties, and our team is one of the most professional, hardworking, and amazing groups of people you’ll ever meet.
We are known for our dedication to using only seasonal, farm fresh food, and for working with a multitude of local farms to provide a wide range of delicious, seasonal food. We are also known for our punk rock, musically inspired menus and way of doing things, which creates a rustic yet elegant, playful aesthetic for all of our parties and events.
Our regular customers know us for our consistency, quality, and amazing work ethic. Our new customers know us for our mind-blowing food (our regulars already know about that!) and the community knows us for our dedication to our neighborhood and the people of Los Angeles.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is doing what you love and doing it well enough that others love it too. Success is knowing you are doing your best, and living an honest, good life. It’s being a part of something, of your community, and giving back and giving thanks for all that you have.
On a less idealistic level, success is hard work, dedication, and not compromising your integrity. When you have a great product because you worked hard to create it, that is success. And people will notice, and they will respond to that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.spottedhencatering.com
- Phone: 323.255.0800
- Email: cindy@spottedhencatering.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/spottedhencatering
- Facebook: facebook.com/spottedhencatering
- Yelp: Spotted Hen Catering
