Dinner for two or 200?

It’s a typical day at  A Peach of a Party catering company. On the schedule: brunch for 32, boxed lunches for 100, dinner for 15, a cocktail party for 100, a small cocktail party for 30, an intimate dinner party for five and a dinner party for 20 guests. Owner Susan Garrett’s day begins early and ends late, but she says she couldn’t imagine doing it any differently. “I enjoy it, I’m good at it, and I’ve done it for so long. It’s a great life,” Garrett affirms.

A Peach of a Party began in the early 1980s with a wedding that other caterers were reluctant to do. “I had enjoyed hosting dinner parties in my home for years. So when some friends couldn’t fi nd a real caterer and asked me to cater a New Year’s Eve wedding reception for 100, I jumped in oblivious to what I was getting in to. One thing led to another, and in a few years I had a full-time business,” Garrett explains.

Relying primarily on referrals, A Peach of a Party has grown to become one of Atlanta’s premier catering companies. Its client list includes the governor, the mayor and many of Atlanta’s most prominent businesses. Garrett is still involved in all phases of the business, but these days she gets help from a full-time staff of 10. Four chefs are required to handle all the prep work and cooking, and the kitchen has moved from her home to a 4,000-squarefoot facility.

Although Garrett has experienced a lot of growth and change in the last 20 years, one thing hasn’t changed—the quality of the food and service she offers. “We always strive for perfection and we still make everything from scratch. Every event is important to us, every client is important to us. Whether it’s a dinner for six or 600, we want everything to be the best it can be.”

That means that on a typical day, Garrett and her staff will cook and de-bone about 100 pounds of chicken for their famous chicken salad and spend several hours on food prepping. “We use fresh ingredients, and the best quality we can find. Our food isn’t pre-fixed and neither are our menus. We offer personal service and individual menus—we’ll prepare whatever you want. The choice is yours.”

One of the things that Garrett says she enjoys most about her business is the people. “More than 90 percent of our clients are repeat clients. We’ve been there with them through many celebrations and happy occasions. We even have some clients that are second generation—we catered their baptism party, we catered their wedding, and now we’re catering their children’s baptism parties.”

Her business has become second generation as well. “My children grew up in this business, and I’m fortunate to have two of my children working with me now. And I feel like a mom to most of my employees. Some of them have been with me nearly as long as my own children,” she jokes.

For more information about A Peach of a Party, visit www.apeachofaparty.com, or call 770-350-9966.