Simply Gourmet

What Simply Gourmet does

Simply Gourmet is a private, off-premise catering company headquartered at the Sarasota Culinary Center in Sarasota, Florida, operating as a subsidiary of Metz Culinary Management under the co-brand 'Simply Gourmet by Metz.' Founded in 1997 and serving a regional Florida Gulf Coast footprint spanning Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, and St. Petersburg, the company provides full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and social/special occasions, including menu personalization, on-site event staffing, professional bar service, and end-to-end event coordination. Its core offering is human-capital-intensive culinary execution by an executive chef team with 25+ years of experience and American Culinary Federation recognition, supported by an 18-venue preferred-partner ecosystem that channels referral flow from hotels, museums, ranches, and gardens across the region. The corporate-events channel has produced named engagements with Tesla, Saks Fifth Avenue, Adidas, and Taylor Made Golf, per the Director of Catering and Events.

The business operates a sales-led go-to-market in which event coordinators engage inbound leads from the company website, phone, WeddingWire, and Google Reviews (5.0 rating from 104 reviews). Pricing is quote-based, customized per event's guest count, menu selection, and service requirements, and is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through two streams — per-event catering services (modeled as one-time license/project-based) and event-planning coordination (professional services) — both with pay-as-you-go billing. Distribution is direct: pickup, delivery, and on-site service execution from a single central kitchen, with no franchise, licensing, or technology-platform layer.

The company has no AI/ML capabilities disclosed, no proprietary software products, no patents, and no API, making it a traditional labor- and craft-driven service business. Its primary intangible assets are the multi-decade operating history, the WeddingWire and Google reputation stack, and the talent of Executive Chef Nello Allegrucci and Director Becky Souflis, both with 10+ year tenures. Headcount is in the 11-50 range, consistent with a sub-scale regional operator whose growth ceiling is bounded by the single-kitchen production hub and dependence on event-day service labor.

Name

Simply Gourmet

Legal name

Simply Gourmet Caterers

Website

https://simplygourmetcaterers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simply Gourmet is a Sarasota-based off-premise catering company and subsidiary of Metz Culinary Management, providing full-service catering and event coordination for weddings, corporate events, and social occasions across the Florida Gulf Coast from Tampa to Bradenton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Catering Services: Full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions. Includes food preparation, delivery/pickup options, and on-site service with professionally trained staff and bartenders.
2. Event Planning and Coordination: Wedding coordination and event planning services to help clients with venue recommendations, menu customization, and on-site event planning support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Simply Gourmet Caterers is a full-service, off-premise catering company that prepares and delivers customized menus for weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings throughout the Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, and St. Petersburg areas of Florida. Services include personalized menu creation using fresh ingredients, on-site event staffing, professionally trained bartenders, and event planning and coordination from rehearsal through event completion.

Product overview

Simply Gourmet is a full-service catering company offering a unified suite of catering and event services. The core offering is Simply Gourmet Catering Services, which encompasses wedding catering, corporate event catering, and social event catering. These services are complemented by event planning and wedding coordination modules, providing end-to-end support from menu personalization through on-site event execution. The company operates as Simply Gourmet by Metz, part of Metz Culinary Management, and serves the Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, and St. Petersburg metropolitan areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Simply Gourmet Catering Services Full-service off-premise catering for weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings throughout Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Includes personalized menu development, professional on-site staffing, trained bartenders, and delivery/pickup options.
• Wedding Catering Services
• Corporate Event Catering
• Event Planning and Wedding Coordination

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Aloft Hotel SarasotaminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 141 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota. Contact: 941-870-0900.
• Bakers RanchminorOthersPreferred wedding venue partner. Located at 5015 Fort Hamer Road, Parrish. Contact: 941-776-1460.
• Benderson ParkminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota.
• Edison Keith Mansion & Phillippi Estate ParkminorOthersPreferred venue partner. Located at 5500 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Contact: 941-316-1309.
• MOTE AquariumminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. Contact: 941-388-2252.
• Ringling Museum of ArtminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Contact: 941-359-5700.
• Powel Crosley EstateminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 8374 N Tamiami Trail, Bradenton. Contact: 941-722-3244.
• New College of Florida – Charles Ringling MansionminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 5700 North Tamiami Trail. Contact: 941-487-4665.
• Sarasota Opera HouseminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 61 N Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota. Contact: 941-366-8450.
• Heavenly FarmsminorOthersPreferred wedding venue partner. Located at 15050 Sugarbowl Road, Myakka City.
• Fiorelli WineryminorOthersPreferred venue partner. Located at 4250 Waterbury Road, Bradenton. Contact: 941-322-0976.
• Palma Sola Botanical GardensminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 9800 17th Avenue NW, Palma Sola. Contact: 941-761-2866.
• Palmetto Riverside B&BminorOthersPreferred venue partner. Located at 1102 Riverside Drive, Palmetto. Contact: 941-981-5331.
• South Florida MuseumminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 201 10th Street West, Bradenton. Contact: 941-746-4131.
• Sarasota Garden ClubminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. Contact: 941-955-0875.
• Sarasota Polo ClubminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 8201 Polo Club Lane, Sarasota. Contact: 941-737-9987.
• The Venue at Diamond C RanchminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 11930 River Rd. Contact: 941-720-1416.
• Mision Lago EstateminorOthersPreferred venue partner for events. Located at 11901 Fort King Hwy, Thonotosassa, FL.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Centerplate: Large-scale hospitality and event foodservice provider operating across stadiums, convention centers, and special events. Adjacent incumbent competing for large corporate event catering contracts.
• Wolfgang Puck Catering: Large-scale celebrity-chef-branded event catering operation with national presence. Comparable in catering weddings and corporate events, but at meaningfully larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Culinary Capers: Regional full-service off-premise caterer for weddings, corporate events, and galas. Comparable in service mix, event-coordination bundling, and premium Gulf Coast/Southeast-style event market positioning.
• Catered Too by Smith & Wollensky: Off-premise catering arm of the Smith & Wollensky restaurant group serving weddings and corporate events. Directly comparable in full-service off-premise model and enterprise-event capability.
• Pinch Food Design: Premium off-premise event caterer focused on weddings, corporate events, and high-touch custom menus. Comparable to Simply Gourmet in culinary differentiation, menu personalization, and event-led delivery.
• Abigail Kirsch: Long-established New York-area full-service off-premise event and wedding caterer. Directly comparable to Simply Gourmet in model (off-premise, weddings + corporate events, premium positioning, on-site staffing).
• Occasions Caterers: Washington DC-area full-service off-premise caterer specializing in weddings, corporate galas, and social events. Comparable in service mix, premium positioning, and event-planning bundling.
• Main Event Caterers: Regional full-service catering company serving weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings. Comparable in scale, off-premise model, and event-led service portfolio.
• Tastes by Brand: Event catering and bar service provider for weddings and corporate functions. Comparable in off-premise service delivery, on-site bar staffing, and event-driven revenue model.
• 12 Oaks Catering: Wedding and event catering operation with venue partnership model. Comparable in coupling catering with venue recommendations and full-service event coordination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SIMPGOURMTSRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/simplygourmetsrq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simply-gourmet-caterers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simply Gourmet