Whether a corporate event for 18,000 or a celebratory Christening party for 12, or a quick meal to feed the family, those in need of a catering service know that Loree’s Catering in Bethel can get the job done.

 “I’m really a grassroots business,” said Loree Ogan, who has more than 30 years of food and catering experience. “I started out in Ridgefield with prepared foods, for two years, never planning to get into catering. But the need was there, and in this business, you have to listen to what customers need,” she said. She has occupied three other Bethel locations before finding just the right fit in 1991, at 4 Elizabeth Street, in the historic section of Bethel, across the tracks from the old railroad depot.

Listening to customers is the single thing that sets her business apart from other catering companies, Ms Ogan said. “We listen, and we try to create what they are looking for, working with the food and the budget. There is no set menu,” she said, and Loree’s Catering is willing to do anything for a client — including a recent corporate luncheon catered on a deserted island in Candlewood Lake.

Helping customers develop a menu that is uniquely their own for a special occasion is one of the rewarding parts of her business, said Ms Ogan.

The catering end of her business provides service for breakfasts, luncheons, cocktail dinner parties, English tea parties, full dinner parties, birthdays, weddings, and all other special occasions. Loree’s Catering creates full Thanksgiving and holiday dinners for pick up or delivery, and works with clients who enjoy tailgating at sports events in the fall.

“We make a wonderful pulled pork and a killer oven-fried chicken that are perfect for tailgate parties,” said Ms Ogan. Sweet potato pancakes are not only for breakfast events, but often requested for those autumn sports events. In late summer and early fall, the corn and blueberry salad is a big seller, as well.

Loree’s Catering provides a variety of levels of catering. Customers can pick up at the store; have the items delivered; or Loree’s can provide delivery, setup, and a full-service staff, as well as cleanup services.

Repeat business is the indicator that she is doing her job right, said Ms Ogan, and she has families for whom she has catered every special occasion from Christening right through retirements.

Advance notice for a catering job is appreciated, but Ms Ogan said she rarely has to turn away a customer. “Even if a customer is not sure of the number of guests, we can book and plan a menu several weeks in advance, and then just a week before the event, we finalize the guest count,” she said.

A culinary school graduate, Leslie Di Napoli is Ms Ogan’s chef in charge of savory foods. She works with Ms Ogan and staff member Heidi Haick to come up with creative salads, such as the quinoa tabouli or kale and Swiss chard salad, entrees with an original twist, or palate-pleasing starters for parties.

“Heidi Haick is a Culinary Institute of America graduate, and she is my baker on staff,” said Ms Ogan, responsible for the muffins, croissants, cakes, and cookies that delight catering customers and fill the storefront case.

Loree’s Catering caters to walk-in customers, as well. The 1,200 square-foot storefront that welcomes the public is occupied by a freezer case and three refrigerated cases filled with baked goods, entrees, fully prepared dinners, sandwiches, salads, soups, and appetizers, all made on site. Small glass-topped tables with colorful tablecloths invite customers to take a break and enjoy a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin, or maybe a retro snickerdoodles muffin.

Handmade hors d’oeuvres can be grabbed from the freezer and quickly reheated at home for an impromptu cocktail hour. Dinners-to-go are a popular option for clients who do not have time to make an entire dinner after work, but are not interested in fast food options.

Loree’s Catering offers three soups each day, made on premises, as well as pot pies, meat loaf, a quiche du jour, and ready-to-go dinner entrees like the herb roasted chicken or the shells with Loree’s own marinara sauce. The original recipe chicken pot pie and chicken salad, both popular items, are made with all white meat chicken. The catering company also utilizes fresh, local produce in season.

Cookies, brownies, and other sweets can be packed for shipping worldwide, in specially created boxes made to resemble a Colonial home. Loree’s Catering is also pleased to offer a wide selection of gluten-free baked goods and meals.

Keeping up with current trends without being faddish is an on-going part of the food business, Ms Ogan said, but no matter what the trend, it has to taste delicious to make it into the case. “With our gluten-free products, for example, if it doesn’t taste good to a non-gluten-free customer, it doesn’t go in my case,” she said.

In addition to the storefront and catering services, Loree’s Catering also offers cooking classes. Teen cooking classes are offered in summer and early winter. Team-building classes for corporations are an opportunity for co-workers to put together a meal or cocktail party and enjoy the results together. Private cooking assembly classes allow a client to create a minimum of six dinners for two in the Loree’s Catering kitchen to take home and enjoy, to freeze until needed, or to bring to shut-ins or new parents.

Ms Ogan is happy to help plan any event, large or small, for a memorable culinary experience.

Loree’s Catering is at 4 Elizabeth Street in Bethel. The storefront is open Monday, 10 am to 6 pm; Tuesday, 10 am to 4 pm; Wednesday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; and Saturday, 8 am to 3 pm. For more information, call 203-748-0852 or visit www.lorees.com.