by Kelly Church
Calling Pure Joy Catering more than just her company name, Lynette La Mere is the executive chef and owner of the Santa Barbara catering business. Pure joy is also her work philosophy, saying that “attitude reflects leadership and I am madly in love with catering.” There’s no doubt about it when La Mere describes her company as her dream come true. Over the years, she has catered thousands of events, won catering accolades and works to make sure that each client is fully taken care of.
“Catering to people is just what I do innately,” La Mere said. “It’s who I am. It’s what my dreams are comprised of. I love making exceptional meals and catering to people’s fantasies [and] making celebrations magical. I’ve done it since I got my first Susie homemaker oven and it will no doubt be one of the last things I do on this earth.”
Pure Joy Catering’s food is described as “messy sexy, pure and authentic, not overly fussed with, sculpted and contrived.” Each menu is hand crafted by the company’s culinary experts who also have a firm grasp on vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus. La Mere can create entire menus with those special dietary needs, or craft just a few plates for those guests. Menus can be created for brunch, cocktail hour, dinner and dessert.
They do a broad spectrum of ethnicities and fusions to help clients honor the melding of their cultures and themes. Best sellers include our one world nachos; lotus root chips fried at the station with grilled ras el hanout pork and a delicious greek yogurt sauce, local organic somer’s farm blood orange marmalade glazed oven roasted chicken, seared ahi tower with grilled veggies and polenta, and hand-rolled manicotti. La Mere focuses on creating custom menus while maintaining the client’s budget and is proud of the work her team cooks up for each event.
“I’d say I’m most proud of whatever the clients like the most,” La Mere said. “I love it all. But, I created everything on there, so I love my babies. Don’t all mums?”
To contact La Mere and use her team in catering your event, visit purejoycatering.com