Food brings people together.
Many special moments happen around a table. Since 1994, we’ve been helping people create and honor these special moments. Left Coast Catering is based in San Francisco, proudly serving the Bay Area with custom catered events and workplace catering delivery. We pride ourselves on extraordinary commitment and service to our clients, our shared Values and Philosophy and the special Kitchen & Culture here at our San Francisco facility. With our dedicated Team, we work hard to create memorable meals and events that nourish and delight.
TEAM
Meet the team
At Left Coast Catering, you’ll get food created by friendly, caring, environmentally-responsible individuals. Meet the team:
I am obsessed with feeding people. But I have a confession. Before I started Left Coast Catering, my number one focus was the food. Then I realized that amazing food isn’t enough. For food to really shine, it needs to come from somebody giving care and attention. When everything surrounding the food is executed flawlessly and authentically—that’s when food can really shine.
The truth is, I don’t want to just eat something wonderful. I want to feel good when I’m done.
As a chef, I deeply love food. But more than that—I love how food makes people feel. I’m so proud of the Left Coast family and the culture of service we’ve created making people feel good.
-Laurine
- Graduated: Culinary Institute of America
- Top Chef Contestant, 2009
- Favorite comfort food: Pasta Bolognese
- Last book read: The Goldfinch
- First concert: Quiet Riot and Black Sabbath
- Favorite restaurant: Commonwealth
The truth is, I don’t want to just eat something wonderful. I want to feel good when I’m done.
As a chef, I deeply love food. But more than that—I love how food makes people feel. I’m so proud of the Left Coast family and the culture of service we’ve created making people feel good.
-Laurine
- Graduated: Culinary Institute of America
- Top Chef Contestant, 2009
- Favorite comfort food: Pasta Bolognese
- Last book read: The Goldfinch
- First concert: Quiet Riot and Black Sabbath
- Favorite restaurant: Commonwealth
At an early age, Paula became the chef of her family home. Fueled by a desire to “not eat my mom’s bad cooking”, Paula jumped headlong into her family’s kitchen as a child and hasn’t looked back since. Now, influenced by her travels around the world and her various stops in a variety of Bay Area restaurants, Paula draws on her mix of childhood passion for good cooking and professional culinary experience every day in the Left Coast Catering kitchen.
Paula draws inspiration for her work in food service not only from her own family, but also from the immigrant culture that brings an exciting combination of flavors and cuisines from all over the globe to San Francisco. She marries a culinary school training with a passion for trying out new ingredients and new flavors with every menu she creates.
At an early age, Paula became the chef of her family home. Fueled by a desire to “not eat my mom’s bad cooking”, Paula jumped headlong into her family’s kitchen as a child and hasn’t looked back since. Now, influenced by her travels around the world and her various stops in a variety of Bay Area restaurants, Paula draws on her mix of childhood passion for good cooking and professional culinary experience every day in the Left Coast Catering kitchen.
Paula draws inspiration for her work in food service not only from her own family, but also from the immigrant culture that brings an exciting combination of flavors and cuisines from all over the globe to San Francisco. She marries a culinary school training with a passion for trying out new ingredients and new flavors with every menu she creates.
Food, to me, is the cornerstone of any great experience, and helping people create their ideal event makes me extremely happy. After growing up in Connecticut, I found my way to Los Angeles where I embarked on the beginning of my journey in private dining and catering. It was during these years, before my move to The City, that I fell in love with helping people celebrate all types of milestones, no matter the size.
Traveling, meeting new people, planning, and being highly attentive to detail and organization are high on my list of things I love. But, above all, I consider great customer service to be at the top of the list of what is holy in life. This is, perhaps, why I consider Nordstrom to be the happiest place on earth. It’s customer service that keeps everyone coming back for more, and it’s my job to ensure that the experience of not only throwing an event goes off without a hitch but also that you’re taken care of during all the different stages of the process.
- Graduated: Loyola Marymount University
- Favorite comfort food: Mint chocolate chip ice cream
- First concert: Britney Spears
- What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this: dance choreographer
- Favorite movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Traveling, meeting new people, planning, and being highly attentive to detail and organization are high on my list of things I love. But, above all, I consider great customer service to be at the top of the list of what is holy in life. This is, perhaps, why I consider Nordstrom to be the happiest place on earth. It’s customer service that keeps everyone coming back for more, and it’s my job to ensure that the experience of not only throwing an event goes off without a hitch but also that you’re taken care of during all the different stages of the process.
- Graduated: Loyola Marymount University
- Favorite comfort food: Mint chocolate chip ice cream
- First concert: Britney Spears
- What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this: dance choreographer
- Favorite movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
I've been baking as long as I can remember, having a passion and love instilled as a child, thanks to the aid of mom, and grandmas. I can recall baking, with diligence and panache, the fanciest backyard mud pies ever, dreaming of the day I'd get to step up my game with that easy bake oven, taking my ingredients from water and Earth to a world of edibility. Wanting to grow beyond the wonders of light bulb baking, I honed my skills over the years and entered the world of bakeries, ice cream shops, and restaurants. From my start in the industry as lead baker at Oakland's Montclair Baking, to pastry sous chef for Bon Marche, and most recently Smitten Ice Cream as a chef and production manager.
To me, baking and creating food for others is an expression of love, and it's actually very beautiful because its something we all really relate to. It can evoke the fondest memories with the simple crunch of a cookie, the aroma of a caramel, or the decadence of a chocolate cake. Everyone has to eat, but I believe food should and can be more than just satisfying a nutritional need, it can be true soul sustenance.
- Graduated: Laney College: baking and pastry
- Favorite comfort food: Buttermilk biscuits and gravy
- First concert: Madonna
- Last book read: Interview with the Vampire
- What you’d be doing if you weren’t doing this:Veterinarian or politician
To me, baking and creating food for others is an expression of love, and it's actually very beautiful because its something we all really relate to. It can evoke the fondest memories with the simple crunch of a cookie, the aroma of a caramel, or the decadence of a chocolate cake. Everyone has to eat, but I believe food should and can be more than just satisfying a nutritional need, it can be true soul sustenance.
- Graduated: Laney College: baking and pastry
- Favorite comfort food: Buttermilk biscuits and gravy
- First concert: Madonna
- Last book read: Interview with the Vampire
- What you’d be doing if you weren’t doing this:Veterinarian or politician
I was a pastry chef for 15 years… I know, with the last name Butter…it wasn’t even because of that. That’s how I started working here. There was always just something about baking. I mean, everyone loves baked goods. Baking is so much fun.
Eventually I started to shift gears. There’s this scientific, mathematic part of me and Laurine needed a bookkeeper. It just evolved from there; my responsibilities grew with the business. So these days, I handle the finances, accounting and HR. I like technology, so I handle that too. I created a database so we can keep our orders straight and access them remotely. Streamlining things and figuring them out makes me happy, but it’s the team here that feeds me—literally and figuratively.
They call me Butters, like from South Park, and joke that I’m all about B’s: baking, Buddhism, bookkeeping, butter and baseball. It’s kind of funny. Family is very important to me. At Left Coast, we’re family here too.
- Graduated: Tante Marie's
- Favorite comfort food: apple fritters
- What you’d be doing if you weren’t doing this: meditating
- Favorite restaurant: Chez Panisse
- Random talent: making printers work when they’re offline
Eventually I started to shift gears. There’s this scientific, mathematic part of me and Laurine needed a bookkeeper. It just evolved from there; my responsibilities grew with the business. So these days, I handle the finances, accounting and HR. I like technology, so I handle that too. I created a database so we can keep our orders straight and access them remotely. Streamlining things and figuring them out makes me happy, but it’s the team here that feeds me—literally and figuratively.
They call me Butters, like from South Park, and joke that I’m all about B’s: baking, Buddhism, bookkeeping, butter and baseball. It’s kind of funny. Family is very important to me. At Left Coast, we’re family here too.
- Graduated: Tante Marie's
- Favorite comfort food: apple fritters
- What you’d be doing if you weren’t doing this: meditating
- Favorite restaurant: Chez Panisse
- Random talent: making printers work when they’re offline
