Julie kendrick for catersource magazine holly safford profile

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The recipient of the 2015 Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award, Holly Safford began catering in her own home kitchen—without a license!—and now commands a business with 350 employees and $14.5 million in annual revenues

by Julie Kendrick

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olly Safford, founder of Boston-based company The Catered Affair, likes to tell the story of how she founded her business with nothing more than “a toaster oven and a glimmer in my eye.”

Her situation on Labor Day weekend of 1979 did not seem like an auspicious start for a successful venture. “My husband had left, and I felt my life was over,” she says.

“I was wallowing in self pity, but my friends encouraged me to put one foot in front of the other. They suggested I become a caterer, because I entertained well and was a good cook. I had never worked outside the home, and I

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didn’t want to leave my three boys in daycare to work fulltime, so it seemed like a good idea.”

Initially working in partnership with two other friends, Holly chipped in $104 to fund the operation. “I thought, I have a couple silver trays I got as wedding presents and a GE four-slice toaster, so we’re good to go.” The trio didn’t bother applying for a catering license, but put their heads

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One of the biggest challenges in our industry is extraordinarily high turnover, so we hire the best talent we can and groom our top people. Our customers like to see familiar faces when they have their events, and that won’t happen if turnover is high.”

Defying the odds

(previOus page) andrew MarcOni, HOlly saffOrd, alex MarcOni, and JasOn MarcOni after saffOrd received Her lifetiMe acHieveMent award at cses2015; (abOve) tHe early days witH sOns andrew and alex MarcOni.

together to create menus that would shake up the sleepy culinary scene on Boston’s South Shore. “At the time, the biggest caterer in the region was known for a chicken rice casserole, which he made with Campbell’s cream of celery soup and sold by the truckloads,” Safford says. “Instead, we used recipes we’d seen in Gourmet and Bon Appétit, and dishes from Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.”

The business got off to a strong start. “Almost immediately, we were booked for cocktail parties, brunches,

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and other events,” Safford says.

“Most of the time, we’d pick up the hostess’ serving dishes, then fll them with our wonderful food and bring them back. That was because we didn’t have enough servingware of our own!” With no professional training or foodservice experience, the women set out to create topquality fare. “We taught ourselves how to make our own puff pastry and brioche. From a labor standpoint, we were impractical, but people loved our food,” she says.

All together, the three women had eight children—all boys—under the age of 11. “The kids played together while we cooked,” she says. “We had a lot of fun and so did they.” As the business gained momentum, Safford’s friends bowed out of the rigorous, time-consuming endeavor, but Safford persevered. Her frst big break came through the world of politics. “I typed a letter to Michael Dukakis, who was running for a second term as Governor of Massachusetts.

I introduced myself, said I had a catering business on the South Shore, and asked him to please consider me for any of his catering needs.”

She was asked to cater a coffeeand-dessert Dukakis fundraiser in a mansion on Chestnut Hill. After that, The Catered Affair was the choice for Dukakis’ campaign events, his

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start sMall, finisH big

Most of the time, we’d pick up the hostess’ serving dishes, then fill them with our wonderful food and bring them back. that was because we didn’t have enough servingware of our own!” inauguration, swearing-in ceremonies, and receptions for visiting dignitaries.

“That particular business lasted for eight years, and it was wonderful,” Safford says. “We did as many as fve events a week, and I made so many connections during that time.”

Still, there were moments when Safford confesses to sleepless nights of worry about her business and fnances. “I was undercapitalized in the extreme,” she says. “I didn’t know how to manage cash, and I didn’t pay my employees until I got paid.

Honestly, I really defed the odds.”

And defy them she did—The Catered Affair now employs 350 people in a 15,000 square-foot headquarters.

They cater about 1,000 events each year, and have $14.5 million in annual revenues. The company has exclusive venue contracts with The Boston Public Library at Copley Square and Harvard Art Museums (Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum).

Commitment, dedication, success Safford earned the Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award as an example of someone who upholds a commitment to the craft of catering, exemplifes dedication to lifelong learning, and has demonstrated a level of success that adds value to the industry as a whole. This is the second year the award has been named for Michael Roman, founder 18

and leader of the Catersource brand, who died in 2013. “I met Michael in 1983, when he was representing the archenemy of the catering world, the National Restaurant Association,” Safford laughs. “I attended a seminar he gave and was just blown away by all his knowledge. He made us think hard about what we were doing and how we could do it better. He was a friend and a mentor.” She received the award on March 8, during the opening ceremony at the Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Secret of her success The Catered Affair’s tagline is “Brilliant food. Flawless service.

Stunning venues.” How does Safford manage to meet all three of those goals for the many events her organization caters each year?

“We stay focused on the quality of our food and the quality of our service,” she says. “One of the biggest challenges in our industry is extraordinarily high turnover, so we hire the best talent we can and groom our top people. Our customers like to see familiar faces when they have their events, and that won’t happen if turnover is high.”

A very big night One of Safford’s largest and most memorable events was requested by a client who was in the fnancial services industry. “He had purchased

a sports team and was leaving town, and he wanted to give his own going-away party,” she says. “He stipulated that the event had to be kept in strictest confdence and held in a venue none of the guests would be familiar with. We held the party in an airplane hanger, and the evening included a headline performance

by Jon Bon Jovi. It was an amazing night.”

Looking ahead Safford’s three sons, Andrew, Alex, and Jason, have all been involved in the business from time to time, and two of them are now partners in The Catered Affair. Andrew, 48, a graduate of the Boston University Culinary School, focuses on sales and event planning, and Alex, 39, runs business operations.

As she looks back on her career and the success of her business, Safford recognizes the many hurdles she had to overcome. “I succeeded at a time when catering was dominated by aging, unsophisticated men, who were purveyors of the same old thing,” she says. “It took a long time for people to take us seriously, because we weren’t from Boston or Cambridge, but the ‘unsophisticated’ South Shore.

These days, we keep our eye on the ball and deliver a great product. If you just focus, focus, focus on the quality of your product and your guests’ experience, you’ll make your customers happy—and they’ll call you again and again.”

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