John Lawrence

Recent Posts

Best of Worcester 2014 – Best Caterer

Posted by John Lawrence on Mon, May 12, 2014

For the 9th year in a row, Pepper’s Fine Catering has been named “Best Caterer” in Worcester Magazine’s Best of Worcester 2014.

We would like to thank you all for your votes and continued support, and of course to our entire team for their hard work and dedication!

Robidoux Hannah Worcester
Illustration by Hannah Robidoux

Tags: Accolades, Pepper's Fine News

Pepper's Fine Catering wins Worcester Business Journal's 'Best Of Business' Award for 2014!

Posted by John Lawrence on Mon, Jan 20, 2014

Pepper's wins Worcester Business Journal's 'Best Of Business' Award for 2014!

"Worcester Business Journal recently conducted its first Online Readers Poll to find out who are the Best Of Business in our region! The best business-to-business companies that truly offer the best service, sweat all the details and have customer-focused employees who deliver outstanding products and services."

To read the entire article and see a full list of the winners, click on the image below.

BOB Logo 2014

 

To attend the Party follow the link below for registration:

 www.wbjournal.com/BOBawards

Best Of Business (BOB) Party
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
5:00 – 7:30PM
Coral Seafood
225 Shrewsbury St.
Worcester, MA


Tags: Events, Pepper's Fine News

Worcester’s Bride and Groom Magazine features spring 2012 wedding catered by Pepper’s

Posted by John Lawrence on Thu, May 02, 2013

Wedding CakeWorcester's Bride and Groom Magazine recently published their spring 2013 issue, featuring a four-page spread of the May 2012 wedding of Pepper’s Fine Catering clients Ryan and Jacqueline McMullen. The wedding was held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Bolyston and catered by the Pepper’s team. 

Jacqueline has a special relationship with Pepper’s, she is a former employee! We were thrilled to become part of her and Ryan’s special day, and to create such special memorable moments for the two of them and their guests. For the couples’ garden wedding, they wanted to tie in an element of nature by incorporating both significance of “love birds” and their shared appreciation for travel. To set the right tone, faux bird nests, bird cages, and leaves were placed throughout the venue, as well as a scrapbook of destinations the couple visited together. 

The appreciation of nature was complemented in the food design, as well. Desserts were served atop a slab of natural birch with decadent twigs and leaves distributed around.  The most striking element of dessert was of course the cake.  Keeping with the theme, we incorporated love birds made of porcelain as the cake topper and used an actual tree stump to set the cake on.

Each unique touch contributed to a magical wedding that encapsulated Jacqueline and Ryan’s affection, tastes and chemistry.

To read more about the McMullen’s ceremony and to view photos from the event, click here and head to page 24.

 

Tags: Events

Susan and John Featured in the Worcester Business Journal

Posted by John Lawrence on Thu, Jan 10, 2013

johnandsusan

On Tuesday January 7th, Pepper's Fine Catering owners John and Susan Lawrence were featured in the Shop Talk section of the Worcester Business Journal. John and Susan, a husband and wife team, recently celebrated 25 years of business for Pepper's Catering. Their Shop Talk Q&A with Worcester Business Journals's Rick Saia explores Susan and John's unqiue working partnership and the challenges and rewards of running a large-scale catering operation.

John and Susan also offer up advice to anyone interested in starting their own business. “It better be your dream," says John. “Because you really have to have an awful lot of passion and diligence and wherewithal to really suit up every day to stay in business. It's a full-time sport.”

To read the entire article on the Worcester Business Journal website, click here.

 

Tags: Accolades, 25th anniversary

Pepper's Selected as One of Top 100 Women-Led Businesses by BBJ

Posted by John Lawrence on Mon, Nov 19, 2012

describe the imageWe here at Pepper’s Fine Catering are thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, we have been selected by The Boston Business Journal and The Commonwealth Institute as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts.

Susan Lawrence launched Pepper's in 1987, after amassing extensive experience on the business side of the food industry. Today she runs the company with her husband, John, who also serves as head chef. Under Susan’s direction, the company has grown to include 24 full time employees and partnerships with leading area venues such as Elm Bank, Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, Hanover Theatre & Mechanic’s Hall.

Over the 25 years they have been doing business, Pepper's has solidified a reputation for delivering outstanding events. The guidance they provide extends beyond the intricacies of the menu to include lighting, food presentation and customer service. Specializing in contemporary regional and international meals, all offerings are prepared using fresh, local ingredients—many from John and Susan’s garden, with nine 20-foot beds of organically grown herbs, produce and edible flowers. 

“When I started Pepper's 25 years ago, I had a vision of what kind of company I wanted it to be,” says Susan. “Being able to realize my vision has been the most rewarding aspect of my career. I’m proud to lead a company that not only incorporates excellent food, but excellent people, too.” 

Tags: Accolades, 25th anniversary, Events

Worcester Living Magazine gets tips on edible blooms from John Lawrence

Posted by John Lawrence on Thu, Aug 02, 2012

describe the imageWorcester Living Magazine recently collaborated with Pepper’s Fine Catering for their June 2012 issue on edible flowers, offering a look into the horticultural side of cooking. The following is an excerpt from “Edible blooms are colorful, flavorful additions for summer dishes,” authored by Barbara M. Houle.

John Lawrence is a chef who can create crowd-pleasing foods and party-perfect drinks to make summer get-togethers fabulously easy and fun. He also knows how to get the most out of a garden.

Lawrence and his wife, Susan, own Pepper’s Fine Catering in Northboro, where they maintain 10 raised garden beds in summer and early fall. Their kitchen gardens are a little slice of botanical heaven, offering fragrant and colorful edible flowers, a myriad of pepper varieties and must-have herbs. A favorite edible bloom is nasturtium, a colorful addition to any garden, according to Lawrence, who explained that the annual flower’s mild, peppery taste makes it excellent in salads. Nasturtiums in a wide range of colors bloom from midsummer until frost. “The more you pick, the more they pop,” said Lawrence. Double and semi-double flowers make a great presentation as a plate garnish, he said. Daylilies are another edible delight in the garden. So are Johnny-jump-ups and pansies, both colorful additions to salads made with tender, young greens.

Basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, lovage, tarragon, cilantro and lavender are just a few of the other plants that flourish. Fresh and dried herb leaves are used as food flavorings by the chefs. The plants have both culinary and ornamental uses; each plant contributes to a beautiful garden design, said Lawrence. Pepper’s is an award-winning company deeply rooted in the horticultural community. It has catered weddings and special functions at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston for 24 years and numerous events at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s historic Elm Bank in Wellesley and Tyrone Farm, a country estate in Pomfret, Conn.

John Lawrence routinely gives cooking classes and demos at the Clarke Culinary Center in Milford, using locally grown ingredients whenever he can. He and his wife are strong supporters of local farms.”

You can find the entire article, which includes some of John’s delicious recipes, in the June 2012 issue of Worcester Living Magazine. Pick up a copy at your local newsstand or give Pepper’s a call and we’ll be happy to forward one to you! 

For more information about Worcester Living, visit them at http://www.telegram.com/section/WorcesterLiving

Tags: Events

Best of Worcester 2011 - Best Caterer

Posted by John Lawrence on Tue, Apr 19, 2011

best of worcester 2011 Thanks Everyone for Voting Peppers Catering "Best Caterer"!

The votes are in for Worcester Magazine's "Best of Worcester 2011", and for the 6th year in a row, Peppers Fine Foods has been named "Best Caterer" in Central Mass!

We'd like to thank you all for your votes and support; our clients' satisfaction really does mean everything to us! Also we want to congratulate and thank all of our team here at Peppers who work so hard to make us - and keep us - #1!

Thanks again everyone!

Tags: Accolades

WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards 2011: Peppers Catering

Posted by John Lawrence on Sun, Jan 30, 2011

weddingwire2011WeddingWire is thrilled to announce Peppers Fine Foods Catering has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds who shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Peppers stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Peppers Fine Foods for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Peppers is among the very best wedding caterers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. 

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Tags: Accolades

Tower Hill Botanical Garden's Limonaia Grand Opening

Posted by John Lawrence on Fri, Nov 05, 2010

tower hill botanical garden's new limonaiaBoylston, MA - On November 14, 2010 Tower Hill Botanical Garden will be celebrating the grand opening of their new Limonaia (pronounced “lee mo NIGH ah”), a 3500 sq. ft. greenhouse directly across from their famous Orangerie.

An free admission open house will run from 11:00am to 2:00pm with guided tours of the new Tower Hill Limonaia and other sections of their recently completed expansion project.

For more info about Tower Hill Botanical Garden and their new Limonaia, visit http://www.towerhillbg.org/

Tags: Events