ABOUT US
Humble Beginnings
Occasions Catering was started by Jim and Jennie Hannah in 1989. What started as Jennie's dream of serving delicious food, graciously presented, quickly became a success, outgrowing their small home kitchen. Jennie put her heart and soul into the company working as the chef, planner, server, bookkeeper and stager in the early days and eventually grew the company into the premier catering company in the Olympia area, and hired a team of skilled staff to continue growing the company. The highlight of Jennie's time at Occasions was being selected to cater Governor Christine Gregoire's daughter's wedding in 2008. In 2012, Jim and Jennie retired from Occasions Catering, and sold the company to long time employee Karla Malone, continuing to mentor Karla until 2016 which allowed them to see daily that Karla carried the same passion for the business as they had!
The Next Chapter
Karla began her career with Occasions as a server, working her way through the company as a lead, then an Event Coordinator and now owner. Her experience in almost every aspect of how events with Occasions function, and passion for the food service and hospitality industry made her the perfect choice to continue the company Jennie had built, and to bring Occasions into the next chapter. Karla may be the owner, but she frequently will fill in as needed to help support the staff and make sure every event is a memorable one!
The Future at Occasions
Under Karla's leadership, Occasions Catering continued to be a premiere name in catering services throughout the South Sound, providing dining services for hundreds of clients each year, and keeping the business open through the difficulties of 2020. Occasions went on to achieve the same level of success in the years that followed, partnering with exciting new venues in Thurston, Pierce and Lewis County. We at Occasions continue to explore all aspects of our work, from keeping an eye on food trends, to creating amazing content for our socials, we are passionate about event-based service!
