What does it look like when a CHOPPED champion and two Culinary Institute of America chefs join forces? It looks like Blend Catering, and it looks delicious.
Chefs Josh and Whitney Deri of Blend Catering in Reno, along with chef Clint Jolly of Great Thyme Catering, also in Reno, jointly announced the merger today of the two catering companies under the name Blend Catering to form one of the region’s largest wedding and event catering companies.
The combination of business expands the company’s capacity to service the Reno-Tahoe, Sierra Nevada, and wine country areas, as well as greater regional reach.
“This is a very exciting time for Blend Catering as we continue to grow while collaborating with Chef Clint,” Josh Deri said. “The synergies between our two companies are significant and the merger allows us to be competitive in the region while delivering amazing event catering to our clients.”
Blend is a two-time winner of the Reno/Tahoe chapter of the National Association for Catering and Event’s Caterer of the Year for 2015 and 2016, and a 2017 Best of B&B awardee. Blend has partnered with several Reno-Tahoe events and companies including TEDx, Tannenbaum event center, Reno Bites, Urban Roots, Greenhouse Project, Sample the Sierra, and Yelp’s Ronald McDonald House Home Away from Home.
Deri said Blend specializes in unique flavor combinations ranging from exotic international flavors to hometown favorites for weddings to large corporate events to private dinners and backyard barbecues. He and Whitney will continue to operate Blend, while Jolly joins the company as a member of the leadership team.
“Josh and Whitney have the unsurpassed passion and vision, as well as the culinary ‘chops’ to deliver fresh, innovative food experiences to our combined customer base and to those who are new to our culinary family,” Jolly said.
Jolly is a 2016 champion of Food Network’s “CHOPPED: Impossible Restaurant Challenge” and was a finalist in the 2016 New Orleans Farm to Table Chef’s Challenge.
Jolly created Great Thyme Catering in 2007 serving weddings, corporate, and social events. He is the founder of Reno Bites Week and continues to offer consulting to restaurant start-ups, culinary suppliers, and other culinary and food enterprises. He is also a Best Chefs America designee.
For more information, visit www.blendcateringreno.com.
About Blend Catering: The concept for Blend Catering was conceived by Josh and Whitney Deri during late night cramming sessions at New York’s Culinary Institute of America and throughout their comprehensive training at restaurants and catering companies in San Francisco and the Napa Valley. They are excited by the expansive culinary opportunities in their Reno-Tahoe home. For more information, visit www.blendcateringreno.com.
About Chef Clint Jolly: Raised in the family butcher shop, Clint Jolly has a life-long respect for food and where it comes from. With a taste for adventure, Chef Clint travels the globe learning the stories behind why we eat like we do and serves them up in imaginative narratives for the palate. For more information, please visit www.clintjolly.com.
