Despite having parents whose lives revolved around stirring, mixing and seasoning for the masses, my mother was a home economics teacher, and my father was a cook in the United States Marine Corp. I never had the desire to cook anything until my final tour of duty for the U.S. There, I roomed with a staff sergeant whose exquisite taste and skills in table service dazzled me into becoming a waiter at Royal Air Force Base Officers Club. In contrast to my identical twin brother Calvin’s natural abilities in the kitchen, I was a slow enthusiast—so slow that the only meal I knew how to prepare once back in the States was spaghetti. When I returned to the states, I obtained a degree in Computer Science and landed a job at Southern Bell (Bellsouth). I decided that since I was no master in the kitchen that it wouldn’t hurt to attend culinary school just so I could pick up a few tips. While enrolled in culinary school, a very close friend of mine had just purchased a beautiful home and when asked what was his plans for his house warming, he replied “I’m going to get trays from Krogers’. I assured him that this would not fair well with his snooty friends. Although I had never catered anything a day in my life, I offered to prepare the food for his housewarming and in return he simply reimburse me for the cost of the food. I had about three months to plan his party, and I knew that I wanted his guests to think that he had hired a caterer, so as I pondered at my desk at Southern Bell as to what name I would call myself, I knew that I wouldn’t do this sort of thing very often, but I would do the” occasional occasion”. And that is how Occasional Occasions by Carlton was born. I ordered $10 business cards from the local print shop, and when it came to game day, I put his buffet table together as best I knew how, and put my $10 card in the middle of the table. About two weeks after his party, someone called me and asked “how much would it cost to cater a party for 30 people?” I asked him, why are you asking me that question? He replied, “I picked up our card from Jerry’s party”. My response was “those cards were not meant for you to pick up”. Never in a million years would I have guessed that someone would call ME about catering. I was already enrolled in culinary school, so I anxiously started bombarding my instructors with as many questions as I could. To make a long story short, it wasn’t long that I realized that I really loved this catering thing, much better than corporate America and computers. After having been with Southern Bell for 9.5 years, I decided to take a huge change and officially start my company. Over the course of time….life happened and food gradually shifted from being a basic need to transforming my life into one of joy and purpose as a formidable caterer in Atlanta’s hot hospitality scene. My company, Occasional Occasions by Carlton, boasts a who’s who of celebrity and corporate giant clients due to its innovative cuisine, dramatic presentations and customer service quintessential of timeless Southern hospitality.
