Custom catering service provides meals and sweet treats for all occasions

 

tarting with a sweet shop business, Jessamine

County resident Thelma Johns eventually expanded

and opened up shop in downtown Nicholasville

11 years ago offering catering through Gourmet

Goodies LLC by Thelma.

Located at 102 W. Oak St., the company

specializes in offering catering for all occasions,

homemade pies and baked goods, gourmet apples

and floral design. Catering to events such as

weddings, rehearsal dinners, bridal/baby showers

and business luncheons, Johns said ending

up in the catering business was unexpected.

“I was going to go back to doing candies and

cakes when one day a friend said, ‘Thelma can

you do a lunch for me on Wednesday or Thursday’

and I said, ‘sure what do you want,’” Johns

said. “I did that for 13 to 14 people and that

was my first catering job. After that a lady from

the board of education asked me, ‘when did

you start doing catering? I thought you just did

cakes.’ I said, ‘I didn’t think I was but I guess I

am now.’”

A member of the Jessamine County Chamber

of Commerce, Gourmet Goodies has won

a host of awards including Sam’s Club Business

Member of the Year 2010, 2014; Jessamine

Journal Reader’s Choice Award First Place Best

Catering in Region; Jessamine

Journal 2013 Reader’s

Choice Award Best People

Caterer – Thelma Johns;

Jessamine County Chamber

of Commerce Best

New Business Award 2011;

Jessamine Journal Best Catering

2010, 2011, 2012;

and Wedding Wire 2017

Couples Choice Award.

From a simple request from

a friend Johns said her catering

business took off and

from one referral to another,

she grew to where she is

today.

“We do custom orders,”

Johns said. “We are mostly

known for country southern

style cooking even

though we do all kinds. We

have lots of stuff on our

menu. We will do whatever

you want even though certain

things you don’t see on

our menu.”

Although still offering

custom candy and cake

orders, Gourmet Goodies

also sells specialty jams and

Savannah Syrups. Menu selections for catering

include breakfast options with items such

as a praline French toast casserole, gravy biscuits,

coffee cakes, breakfast sandwiches and

wraps and fruit and yogurt parfaits. Sandwich

selections for lunch include, but are not limited

to chicken salad, egg salad, pimento cheese

BLT, club and turkey croissants.

Appetizers include selections such as hot

artichoke and crabmeat dip, hot spinach artichoke

dip, baked brie, mini hot browns,

meatballs, mini quiches or a fruit tray. For

entrees customers can choose from a variety

of options which include meatloaf, pot roast,

baked ham chicken pot pies, chicken marsala,

peach glazed chicken, shrimp and grits and

Hawaiian chicken.

Gourmet Goodies also offers main course

soups which include a variety of chilis, beef

stew and several chicken options. Breads include

a variety of biscuit options from bacon

or garlic and an assortment of cornbreads

with staples such as yeast rolls, spoon rolls and

muffins. Side dishes include salad, vegetables,

starches and several others. Cakes include

many staple varieties as well, while also offering

rarities such as Coca-Cola cakes, hummingbird

cake, pineapple

upside down cake, Grecian

orange and raspberry swirl.

Pies, cobblers and more

dessert selections are also

available.

“I try to make the menu

and pricing as friendly as I

can make it and still make

sense of it,” Johns said.

“Don’t assume because you

don’t see it on my end that

we can’t do it. I have three

chefs in the kitchen and

others that help. We cook

and do what our customers

want to do. We offer

all vegetarian meals. We

accommodate gluten-free,

whether it is the whole

menu or just a few dishes.”

Johns said for lunch orders,

the business tries to

cater to the local surrounding

communities, although

for bigger events they will

travel to a variety of places

in central Kentucky. Areas

Gourmet Goodies caters to

include Wilmore, Harrodsburg,

Versailles, Danville,

Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Midway, Somerset

and Corbin, to name a few.

Gourmet Goodies also offers a reception

room that can host up to 50 people, and can

include either a buffet or plated meals. Mostly

used Friday and Saturday night or Sunday

afternoons, Johns said the room is perfect for

smaller, more intimate events such as bridal or

baby showers, or could possibly even serve for

business luncheons.

“We have room set up for food for buffet

or plated,” Johns said. “As well as a drink station

just like if we were going out to do it. If

anyone wants to use it for lunch or dinner

they can.”