C&K California Classic Catering is a Labor of Love for Two Longtime Friends

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Carole Lorenzini loves to cook and Karen Dehl loves to plan parties. These close friends of 10 years combined their talents nine months ago and opened C & K California Classic Catering. Being in business together has been a winning combination.

"We both did catering and party coordinating and planning from our homes for about 10 years. So, we decided to put all the things together to make it official," says Dehl.

C&K, California Classic Catering provides a wide range of delicious services. During the week, Lorenzini, Dehl, and their staff cater corporate breakfasts, lunches, and dinner meetings. Weekends are weddings, graduations, birthdays, celebrations of life, and "every aspect of catering that you can name," says Dehl.

Not only do Lorenzini and Dehl work well as a team, they truly enjoy each other's company. "We play off each other, tease each other and it overflows to the business in the day to day things that we do. We have a lot of fun," says Lorenzini, "and that carries over to the events we are doing."

Dehl says that, although they had never owned businesses before, "having purchased the company, it's so nice to be able to make the decisions and trust our own judgment and have everything the way we like it."

Having things they way they want them helps Dehl and Lorenzini in their main business goal, "making someone's event turn out spectacularly," says Dehl, whether the party is for 10 or 700 people.

Lorenzini has the cooking flair. "I worked for ATT for a number of years in HR and accounting and did a lot of cooking at home for a large family and friends. I got into the habit of cooking for an army, as well as decorating and doing wedding cakes."

Dehl says her two passions are planning parties and helping children. She was on the functions committee at her son's private school planning parties and events. She thoroughly enjoyed it. "In the company I worked for, I was the one in charge of putting on awards and other parties and Christmas events."

Morning selections for your business meeting, conference or seminar include continental and hot breakfast buffets and beverages, and a gourmet brunch.

At lunchtime, the C&K California Classic Catering corporate buffet and a buffet luncheon are specialties and very popular for business lunches.

For an evening meeting, the catering service offers more than two dozen selections of cold hors d'oeuvres include delights such as smoked salmon mousse and dill on seared sour dough. Another two dozen hot appetizers include sherry mushrooms stuffed with spinach, walnuts and aged cheeses.

There are more than 35 veal, beef and chicken and seafood dishes from which to select, along with many tasty pasta dishes. If you have a party or event with a theme, you have quite a selection of food menus from C&K including a Mexican Fiesta, Tropical Hawaiian, Fiesta Italiana, Santa Fe Style, Far East and Wild West Bar-B-Que. Remember, if you don't see what you want, Lorenzini will create custom selections for your event.

With four full-time employees, plus two chefs and a staff for functions, C & K can provide quality, professional, full-service catering, with a personal touch. Lorenzini sums it up. "We want to make everybody's event a success, to make it exactly the way they want it."

C & K, California Classic Catering is located at 5673 W. Las Positas Boulevard, Suite 220. The phone number is (925) 734-6001.

Photo: Carole Lorenzini (left) and Karen Dehl have been friends for a decade but business owners for less than a year.

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