Fans of Tayst restaurant, the ultimate source for fantastic food with an eco-conscious edge in Nashville, will all be cheering this week as chef and owner Jeremy Barlow launches his latest concern, Local Kitchen Catering. On Nov. 9, Barlow and his staff hosted a launch party for the new company, inviting guests to sample luscious hors d’oeuvres and listen to his aims for Local Kitchen.
“It’s been in the works for awhile now,” Barlow says. “We did a green wedding last year for Martha Stewart, and since then, we’ve been fielding requests for us to do parties. It just seems the right time for us to branch out and expand with all that we’re doing, including the green aspects.”
Barlow is quick to point out that part of the impetus toward catering is to support local farmers further. “Small as we are, we can’t buy all we’d like from the farmers, and we want to make sure they’re there for us in the future too. The catering end of things allows us to buy more and different product and provides a lot of new avenues for us to use it.”
The catering company intends to focus on smaller and more intimate dinner parties, not 200 person weddings and the like. Dinner parties up to 25 people and cocktail events up to 50 define the scale Barlow hopes to work with. Through all this, the green concept that’s long defined Tayst remains. Likewise, you won’t find set menus online—instead, while there are suggestions based on what’s available seasonally, Barlow plans on hand-crafting each and every menu—matching what’s available during the growing season with his clients’ needs.
That’s an exceptional piece of customer service, as well as a great way to celebrate what’s grown locally. “It’s really the same way we do private parties here at the restaurant,” explains Barlow. “They’re never the same twice. Even if it’s two parties in two days, unless it’s requested by the clients, they’re never going to be the same.”
Barlow offers a plethora of intriguing party options. First, he can really focus on wine pairings, either pairing wines for the customer to match courses—or if the client is fortunate enough to have a personal wine cellar, he can create an entire menu to compliment the wine selections the client wants to highlight for his or her guests, what Barlow refers to as a “cellar tasting party.”
Sure to quickly become a favorite party theme, Local Kitchen Catering also does an “Iron Chef” party, which is completely interactive. The party asks guests to bring ingredients—preferably locally sourced, of course—and Barlow has an hour to put it all together into a splendid meal. (There are a few ingredient stipulations based on cooking time).
Whether you need a corporate lunch or an intimate dinner for eight to 10, Local Kitchen can meet your needs. At reasonable price points, they provide a great alternative to taking your guests out for the evening.
“We’re trying to give people good food affordably,” says Barlow. “We’re not the cheapest option, but we’re certainly not the most expensive either.”
Barlow’s customers can count on a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and also know that Local Kitchen Catering is quite serious about getting a job done right, according to Barlow. They’re up and running now, so check them out on the Web at www.localkitchencatering.com or call (615) 383-1953.