Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea and Frank Randazzo.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My wife Andrea and I met cooking at Tribeca Grill in NYC and started dating, We moved to Miami Beach in 1996 where our careers as chefs took off. Andrea is best known for her role as executive chef at Wish at The Hotel-South beach, winning Food & Wine Magazine Top 10 New Chef-2000 and as a contestant on Top Chef. I was executive chef at The Heights in Coral Gables and The Gaucho Room at the Loews Hotel. We married in 2002 and then opened Talula Restaurant on South Beach in 2003 which enjoyed many years of success and acclaim until we sold in 2010. In 2007, we had purchased Creative Tastes Catering in Kendall- a full service off premise catering company we continue to operate today. In June, 2017, we launched randazzoitaliano.com and ecommerce Italian Market specializing in Meal Planning, Catering and Italian Specialties that currently services Miami-Dade County.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no. When embarking on Talula we needed to raise one million dollars which was delayed by the events of 911. We eventually succeeded and it was great. Over the many years of owning restaurants and catering businesses we have had our ups and downs. The business is volatile because our clients’ needs change and because of new competition we always need to be creative and at the ready. Building new clients and retaining your existing ones is the name of the game. The cost of living in Miami in itself adds to the struggle when business is off as well. We are very lucky with our client base and our incredible staff. We take it year by year I guess.
Creative Tastes Catering – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Creative Tastes Catering is a fantastic company with great range offering casual to high end off premise catering. From really swank weddings at Vizcaya to high quality corporate catering at your office and most venues and residences in South Florida. What makes our company different is first and foremost we have Chef Andrea Curto Randazzo leading the culinary team. Arguably the best chef in Miami to begin with but since she’s my wife that may sound biased but seriously, most of the fancy caterers don’t have the culinary credentials or personal investment we do at Creative Tastes Catering.
Additionally, we offer a price range that is more competitive than our competitors- we just don’t charge as much as most of them which I think is why we have such a wonderful client base.
Our new product line at www.randazzoitaliano.com fulfills two important roles. It first reflects our Italian heritage- this was our outlet to share our family recipes with our clients and second it offers great catering and Meal Planning options to new clients and existing clients who aren’t looking for formal catering. The click and order, ecommerce aspect of it is also the future of how people procure their meals. It’s already begun with Uber eats and other click and order sites.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
For Frank, it was when I opened Talula- it was a lifelong goal.
For Andrea, it was winning Food &Wine Magazine Top 10 New Chef.
Pricing:
- www.randazzoitaliano.com Meal Planning Options $10.00 Average pp Catering $15.00 Average pp
- Creative Tastes Catering Corporate Menus Catering $20.00 + pp
- Creative Tastes Catering Private Event Menus $30.00 – $400.00 + pp
Contact Info:
- Address: 12229 SW 131 Ave.,
Miami, Florida 33186 - Website: www.creativetastes.com
- Phone: 305-256-8399
- Email: officeadmin@creativetastes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativetastes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativetastescatering/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreativeTastes
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