The motives driving Organic Chef Catering’s comprehensive green emphasis include both practicality and idealism. “If you don’t offer [green catering], your competitors will,” says Events Director Eden Benavides, who co-founded the San Francisco-based green catering business with her partner, Culinary Director Luis Herrera, in 2005.

“It’s a way of keeping customers interested and engaged while doing the right thing for the planet’s long-term resources,” Herrera says. “Someone has to set the bar in catering, and it may as well be you.”

The six-year-old green gourmet catering business handles three to five events per week, ranging in size from 50 to 250 guests. Organic Chef Catering’s full-time staff numbers five including Benavides and Herrera, plus 10 parttime staff. Running the green business requires a new mindset where costs, sourcing, and operations are concerned. (click to read more)