Marigold Catering Co - Events With Elegance!
Great food has the power to bring people together, and few understand this better than Adrienne Cole. As the owner and operator of Marigold, Adrienne has transformed her passion for food into an unforgettable dining experience, blending Southern hospitality with refined elegance. Through her restaurant and catering company, she has not only delighted taste buds but has also enriched her community, creating meals that are as memorable as they are delicious. Alongside her husband Kris, Adrienne leads Marigold Catering Co., a company built on the belief that catering should be more than just a meal—it should be an experience. With a combined three decades in the hospitality industry, they bring restaurant-quality excellence to every event, curating menus with seasonal, high-quality ingredients tailored to each client’s unique vision. In this exclusive interview with Delivery Rank, Adrienne shares her journey in the culinary world, the joys and challenges of running a business with her partner, and the magic that happens when passion meets the plate.
What inspired you both to start Marigold Catering Co., and how did your shared vision for the business come to life?
Kris and I have both have always had a passion for providing unique and memorable experiences through our shared love and value of food and service. We were both working in the industry – I was operating our restaurant Café 9/M, and Kris was working at a kitchen incubator space, but we were still looking for opportunities to grow and have visibility in the Louisville community. In February of 2019, the idea of Marigold Catering Company was created with the goal of bringing that restaurant-quality experience to the home. I already had the kitchen, equipment and space to make this dream happen, and thus Marigold Catering Company launched in May of 2019. Our first event was through a close connection where we had the opportunity to cater an exclusive Derby party, and from there, the business took off running. Our brand has grown significantly since then, especially with the inclusion of Marigold Mobile Bar, which was a cool activation the city had not seen before. We have had beautiful opportunities come our way and are excited to see how we continue to serve the community through Marigold Catering Company.
As a husband-and-wife team, what are some of the challenges and benefits of running a business together? How do you balance work and family life?
There are always going to be challenges of running a business with your significant other, and one of them is maintaining a balance between your business and personal life. It is all about intentionality. At some point in the day, work must stop, and family time must begin. You have to be intentional about carving that time out for one another. Open communication and respect are also key to running a business together. We recognize that we each have our own strengths and the need to be supportive of one another as we do our own thing. Kris and I share a vision for this company and care about this industry, and because of that, it has been incredibly fulfilling to see our hard work come to life.
How do you incorporate your personal values—such as being a family-owned, female-owned, and Black-owned business—into the way you operate and serve your clients?
The whole brand is built on the fact that we are a family-owned, female-owned and Black-owned business. The city that we are in is dominated with masculinity, bourbon and horses, and I knew that was not my lane to compete in. We created the concept that made the most sense for the representation that I felt was lacking in our community. Marigold Catering Company is more feminine yet is warm and welcoming to all people. We wanted a brand that was focused on driving industry representation in these areas, so we try to incorporate these values in everything we do – from the communities that we support down to how we garnish our dishes with flower petals and the names of our cocktails.
What sets Marigold Catering Co. apart from other catering companies, particularly when it comes to providing a restaurant-quality experience for events?
What sets Marigold Catering Company apart is exactly that – providing a restaurant–quality experience at catered events. Our goal is to bring elegance and sophistication to each event by creating elevated presentations that suit each client’s specific needs. Marigold Catering Company is not your traditional buffet – we make each experience a production, especially with our Mobile Bars and stations. By sourcing locally and working with farmers, we put sustainability top of mind in our business. No matter what you are celebrating, our goal is to create a memorable, elevated experience that you will cherish forever. We emphasize providing hospitality from our very first interaction with a potential client and carrying that all the way through the event. We want to make sure the client and their guests all feel taken care of every step of the process.
What are your goals for the future of Marigold Catering Co., and how do you plan to continue growing while staying true to the principles that define your brand?
Our goal for the future of Marigold Catering Company is to continue expanding our presence and eventually creating an event space that allows us to have a large commissary kitchen and be able to activate events within the house. Another one of our goals is to become a multi-unit brunch concept and grow that vision of the brand. However, our ultimate goal is to continue to support the demographic of customers that we work with and cater to and help them achieve their dreams. We started this company because we wanted to provide awesome and elevated experiences to people in a market where this was not already happening. Authenticity is at the root of this company, and we will continue to prioritize and make sure that it is a part of every aspect of future operations.
To read more about Marigold Catering Co, please visit https://www.marigoldcateringco.com/