Today we’d like to introduce you to Debra Hart.
Debra, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Our family has always believed in community service, so a few years back we found ourselves taking the President’s position of Rotary and Assistance League, both at the same time. To say the least, there was no down for this husband and wife that year. Always looking for fresh auction items and new experiences, we came up with the idea of an east coast style Clambake right here on our own sunny California beaches. We had no idea it would be met with such enthusiasm. Our donation quickly moved up into the “live auction” category fetching more fund-raising dollars than weekend getaways and fine jewelry. With my cooking background, we started adding appetizers, salads, and homemade desserts. We expanded our menu to include lobster, crab, and southern style Crawfish Boils. So, after many years of charity events, the outcry to go from home hostess to small business woman finally won out. We started out very small in the summer of 2010. We’re now capable of serving well over 200 guests at a time and have secured a government contract with MCCS at Camp Pendleton.
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?
Starting a new business always presents challenges and beaurocratic red tape. It’s just something all entrepreneurs need to be willing to face and eventually overcome, especially in the food handling business. Growing pains have been a challenge. As the chief cook in this company, it’s still hard to pass off that duty to others. I still like to put my eyes and taste buds on everything that comes out of our mobile kitchens. But with multiple crews now, we’ve enlarged our clambakeOC crew to include great chefs, all with very high skill sets. Biggest challenge? Muscle power! If you’ve ever considered becoming a caterer, do your muscle building first. We move hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food on any given day and keep it all under strict temperature control. No additional need for a gym membership.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ClambakeOC story. Tell us more about the business.
Clambakes are traditionally celebrations of fruits from the sea. Just like hundreds of years of tradition, when we arrive everything is either raw or alive. Obviously with so many restrictions in our Golden State, we’ve had to adapt to cooking methods which do not impact the environment negatively what so ever. So, although we don’t dig holes with wet burlap, we still use only the freshest seafood and meticulously time the cooking to preserve the textures and flavors of the fish. Farm to table is certainly used a lot in today’s menu, but we’ve actually been doing that since our inception. We’re fortunate enough to have enough land to grow all of our own herbs, heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and we even have our own organic citrus orchard. We love to serve 5 varieties of lemons and limes to accompany the succulent seafood. Beyond that, our “house” salad dressing gets rave reviews and our fresh (home grown) berry cobbler with whipped cream gets the thumbs up every time. Not only to we strive for excellence in food quality, we pride ourselves on our customer service. To be a part of such special occasions as a wedding, a special birthday or anniversary, or someone’s graduation, is an honor. We never take it for granted. Going above and beyond expectations is what we expect our staff to do as well. They always come through. We are blessed with crew members who’ve been with us since our opening day. Once we’re on sight, the host and hostess never need think about anything but enjoying themselves. That’s a great thing.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Instead of luck, we just rely on the perfecting of this art form called cooking and the Golden Rule. Learning the skill set and really putting your heart and soul into your business is what makes it successful. We realize that each and every event may be the highlight of a decade to some, and just another party to someone else. But all are treated with the utmost care and as many personal touches as possible. We are grateful for all of our clients and especially those who use us year after year for annual occasions.
Pricing:
- Our low country boil is our most affordable menu item and pricing starts at just $27.00 per person.
Contact Info:
- Website: ClambakeOC.com
- Phone: 657 – 333 – CLAM (2526)
- Email: [email protected]
