McKale's Catering of New London brings good food and good service to weddings (2024)

NEW LONDON — If there is any part of a wedding where good taste reigns supreme, it would be the food. Whether it is a formal sit-down meal or a more relaxed and varied buffet, the food can be one of the most remembered parts of a wedding celebration.

McKale's Catering , owned by Lisa and Phil Quam of New London, has been providing high-quality meals and service for weddings and other events for more than 35 years.

"We do small groups, large groups, breakfasts, lunches. We do grilling," said Lisa Quam. "Everybody says we have a large menu. We do soups, hot dishes, grilled steak, prime rib."

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The story of McKale's Catering began more than 38 years ago, when the Quams were asked if they would be interested in opening a restaurant as a partnership with the then-owner of the New London Bakery. It wasn't exactly a job the young couple was trained for.

Neither had any culinary experience. Phil was a farmer and Lisa was a licensed nurse practitioner. However, something about opening a restaurant appealed to the couple, who were in their early 20s at the time.

"I mean it was risky. I think we were just so young and dumb and nothing was holding us back at that point," she said. "It just interested us."

McKale's Family Restaurant opened first, quickly followed by McKale's Catering. The two businesses operated side by side for three decades, but the Quams eventually started to prefer the catering side. It offered more flexibility and time for family. Eight years ago, the restaurant was sold to another local couple and the Quams focused exclusively on catering.

Unfortunately, the restaurant became a victim of the COVID pandemic and went out of business.

McKale's Catering survived, and even started offering curbside evening meals. While the Quams thought curbside service would cease once the pandemic passed, the offering became so popular they still offer it today.

"We were able to work during COVID," Quam said. "We were actually doing Meals on Wheels at the time; that was (deemed) essential. We were able to operate the whole time."

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Today, McKale's Catering is back to providing food for multiple big events a week. Quam said they bounced back once pandemic restrictions were lifted.

"We do a lot of everything. Weddings and funerals and graduations," Quam said. "Reunions, groom's dinners, anniversaries, business meetings, social gatherings."

Weddings are a big part of the business, with an average of 50 a year. The process of putting on a successful wedding meal begins with meeting the couple. McKale's has a large menu from which to choose, but they will also do custom menu options to fit specific wants and needs.

"We do a taste testing," Quam said. "We can create their whole menu, whatever they want, which I think they appreciate."

While the stereotypical wedding dinner is a sit-down meal with one or two different choices, those aren't the only options now. The vast majority of the weddings done by McKale's choose to offer a buffet.

"We probably do 85% as a buffet," Quam said. "They still want their guests to be able to choose what they like."

Some couples like their meal to have a theme or specific taste. Quam recalled one dinner in which the couple wanted to represent different countries where they had traveled. There were about six different tables, each one representing a different food culture.

"They had a Mexican theme, an Italian theme," Quam said. "I thought that was really cool."

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It is also important for the team at McKale's to know about any dietary restrictions for the wedding, or individual guests. That way, a special option or meal can be created for those people. Dietary restrictions have been a growing challenge in catering, but not something that Quam struggles to meet.

"I always just say, if I know ahead of time, we will make it happen," Quam said. "Whether it is vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, just tell me how many you need."

There are a lot of steps involved when planning, prepping, cooking and serving a wedding meal. About two weeks before a wedding, Quam starts ordering the food. The business buys a lot of its stock through Cisco, but also makes many grocery runs at local stores, including Walmart, Aldi and Teal's.

"It is nice that we still can buy local like that," Quam said. "I'm at Teal's all the time."

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As the wedding day nears, the team at McKale's begins counting out silverware and plates, and preparing the linens for the event. By the Wednesday before the wedding, food prep begins.

"Thursdays and Fridays are huge slicing and dicing days," Quam said.

The meal really comes together the day of the event. Phil Quam does most of the cooking, and McKale's has two bakers who take care of desserts.

"They make everything from scratch," Lisa Quam said.

All of this work happens alongside the prep and cooking for the other events McKale's caters. The kitchen can get quite busy, and lists and labeling play a huge role in keeping everything straight.

"I don't know if people realize how much organization it takes," she said. "So much organizing throughout and prepping through the week."

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McKale's brings everything it needs to put on the meal service with them to the event space. They don't even require electricity or water to function. Quam said that is probably a huge bonus for the venues, especially the more rustic locations such as barns or outdoor destinations.

"We're self-sufficient," Quam said. "That's huge, because not all caterers can do that."

Usually, McKale's tries to schedule only two to three weddings a weekend, and only two on any given day, so one of the owners can be there.

McKale's has a staff of about 15 regular workers and another 15 that can be called on to help at specific events. The number of staff needed for an individual wedding or event depends on the type of meal it is. A buffet requires fewer staff than a sit-down meal.

"Our staff is amazing," Quam said. "These days, having good service means as much as having good food."

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One piece of advice Quam has for couples starting to plan their weddings is not to wait to start lining up your catering. The popular wedding months fill up fast — and sometimes months in advance.

"Right now, I'm getting calls for next year," Quam said, adding she is already declining potential jobs for this fall.

Despite all the challenges and work that goes into catering a wedding, Quam enjoys being part of a couple's special day or providing food for any event.

"This job is never boring. There is something different every single day," Quam said. "We wouldn't be here this long if we weren't liking it. You have to love your job."