Cathy’s Catering: Serving up love (and success)
Cathy’s Catering has earned the Best of SJ awards for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
For Cathy Gunn, a love of cooking has turned into a thriving and successful South Jersey catering business. For over 30 years, the culinary virtuoso has been at the helm of Cathy’s Catering, creating love stories on plates at weddings, house parties, barbecues and corporate events. But all the success comes down to one thing, Gunn says, the relationships she shares with her clients.
“It’s the personal connection that makes all the difference,” says Gunn, who personally oversees each and every event. “We’re helping them realize their vision for the perfect event. Food is not only nourishment. It’s part of the joy and connection in our celebrations. After 30 years, catering is still my passion. When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, and that’s so true.”
Cathy’s Catering has always been a family affair. Gunn’s husband Jay often lends a helping hand and her adult daughter Brittany pitches in every weekend. “It’s funny but the whole family throughout the years has worked with me,” says Gunn. “They were my first servers and the people who got me off the ground. They’re still here to support me.”
“The people around you are so important,” Gunn adds. “They can make you or break you, and I’ve always had an amazing staff. I hired my catering manager, Brittney Burns, when she was 16. She’s now 33. She’s still around and can run the place. I have a great staff, and they are a big part of my success story.”
That success story started in 1992, when Gunn was on maternity leave. At a time when most young mothers take a break from working, Gunn did exactly the opposite. She decided to finally start the business she had dreamed about. “I always had a passion for making food, you know, going to a cookbook and picking out a favorite recipe,” she says. “I was the one cooking for house parties. I just loved it. I had the time off and thought that if I could make this work, it could be life changing.”
She set to work with determination, creating brochures for her new business, Cathy’s Catering. Gunn went around to local businesses with cookie and sandwich trays, her newborn in tow. Slowly but surely, Gunn got some orders, initially corporate work. It was enough for her to decide not to return to her day job when maternity leave ended.
Gunn now runs her busy catering business from a hub in Riverton. “It’s a central location and I always try to be mindful of my clients and where they must travel. I serve clients in Burlington and Camden Counties, so I want to be convenient to them.”
She expanded the business when she opened Cathy’s Carryout Cuisine on Main St. in Moorestown at a very delicate time – October 2019, just months before the Covid lockdown.
“The pandemic completely closed down my catering business,” Gunn says. “Opening the Moorestown store was a blessing. We would make meals, and people would call to place their order. Then they would pull up in front of the store, open their trunk, and we would place the meals inside. We also did a lot of catering for hospitals. People would give us donations to go to different hospitals and provide meals for nurses, first responders and healthcare heroes on the front lines. It was challenging for everyone, and we were very fortunate to be able to do all that we did during that time.”
Cathy Gunn (shown to the right of Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni) and Cathy’s Catering team members at an SJ Mag Media event. Photo: Dana Romano Photography
Cathy’s Catering and Cathy’s Carryout Cuisine are a success by any standard. Cathy’s Catering has earned the Best of SJ awards for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024. And she is a preferred caterer for Community House of Moorestown, The Collingswood Grand Ballroom and the Estate at Eagle Lake.
“This was my dream that I get to live every day,” Gunn says. “I don’t take any of it for granted, and I’m so thankful for my clients who have supported me – and continue to support me.”
Proud to be a Preferred Caterer at Community House of Moorestown, The Collingingswood Grand Ballroom and the Estate at Eagle Lake.
Moorestown | 856-222-0505
Riverton | 856-829-2119
Cathy’s Carryout Cuisine
Night after night, in homes all across South Jersey, people are faced with the same difficult question: What’s for dinner? And sometimes, getting a meal together – planning the menu, buying ingredients and cooking – can be overwhelming. But many South Jersey families have found that a quick stop at Cathy’s Carryout Cuisine on Main St. in Moorestown makes dinnertime so much more enjoyable. (Lunchtime, too!)
“It’s just so easy to come in, find dinner for the family and head home, or pick up lunch and go back to the office,” says Cathy Gunn, who opened the carryout shop 5 years ago. “Some people call ahead and pre-order meals to pick up at a designated time – same day.”
The quaint shop is an extension of Cathy’s Catering, providing heat-and-eat dinner entrees, soups, salads, desserts and lunch items, all prepared by a Cathy’s Catering Chef. Favorite dishes include stuffed chicken with sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella and homemade pesto. “And our chicken salad is so popular,” Gunn says. “We sell out 5 trays a day.”
When asked about a favorite dish, Gunn described her homemade Shrimp Alfredo. “I make an amazing lighter Alfredo sauce, add roasted tomatoes, asparagus and jumbo shrimp with Cavatappi pasta,” Gunn says. “That’s one of our big sellers as well.”
Cathy’s Carryout Cuisine is open Tuesday-Friday from 11:30 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, noon to 3 pm. You can call ahead to place an order or simply stop by to see what all you can take home for a delicious meal everyone will love.
15 E. Main St., Moorestown | 856-222-0505
