Seasoned with Love
Claudia Licata’s Road from Kitchen to Catering…
If you ask Claudia Licata when she first learned to cook, she’ll tell you it started at birth. Her grandmother, an Italian immigrant who moved to Brooklyn, NY, made every Sunday dinner a beautiful, catered event. As a young child, Licata’s grandparents would take her to amazing restaurants once a week for dinner. Licata and her Uncle Travis shared a special bond through food, music and art, and she credits him with her introduction to a world of culture.
“In the seventh grade, I took a cooking class. I made homemade sauce out of the ingredients they had in the class, and the teacher said I had a real talent,” says Licata. “After that, you couldn’t tell me nothin’!”
Licata’s father taught her how to master the grill. While she admits to having attained some real skills, she says her father’s are on a whole new level altogether: “Everything he makes is absolute perfection.”
She began working in restaurants when she was just 13 years old. At 21, she took a position at Chevy’s Restaurant, where she spent the next eight years learning every inch of the restaurant business. She traveled with the company, putting on events and even opening new restaurants, an experience that taught her about outside catering.
With a passion for cooking that has been passed down through the generations and an extensive range of experiences in the restaurant industry, it’s no wonder that Licata has found her niche in the kitchen.
From 2009 to 2013, Licata was a restaurateur. She owned and operated Leatherby’s Creamery in Redding in the building now occupied by Sizzle’s Kitchen.
“At 25, I catered my first wedding. After that, the road began. I was hooked,” says Licata.
For 25 years, Licata Catering has been a community favorite, preparing masterful, memorable meals with immense love in Redding and surrounding areas. Whether it’s dinner for two or 2,000, Licata Catering has it covered – and then some.
“My food is my art. Not only do I want it to be delicious, but I want the display to be beautiful. I see it in colors and shapes,” says Licata. “I want people to walk in and be wowed – and feel like royalty. My favorite part of what I do is seeing the smiles on people’s faces.”
While her most requested dish is her lasagna, Licata says when it comes to her favorite meal to make personally, the answer isn’t as easy to give: “That’s a trick question, but I love when I have no idea and I just let the store or the farmers market speak to me and guide me to a delicious creation.”
That kind of flexibility breeds creativity in the kitchen, but it’s a critical attribute in the food industry, where the landscape is ever-changing. Licata says being a business owner has taught her a lot about her own strength, and her capacity to manage the struggles of owning a catering company.
“The food industry is a roller coaster ride, for sure. From the cost of food to the pandemic, to staffing, it’s not for the weak,” Licata reflects. “But what a ride it is! I put my hands up, say ‘weeeeeeee,’ and enjoy the ride.”
The secret ingredient to Licata’s success as an entrepreneur is a proverbial mix of spice and technique: “Never stop swinging, never look back, keep pushing forward, and stay hungry. The stars are there for the taking.”
She has drawn her sense of strength and inspiration from her mom. Licata says, “She is a strong powerhouse of a woman who never let anything in life keep her down. She made an amazing life for her four girls ‒ by any means necessary. She was tough on me, but it built me to be different and never let anything get it in my way.”
Licata’s family has done far more than show her the ropes in the kitchen and how to navigate life with gusto. She credits her children and grandchildren as her perpetual inspiration to be the best version of herself. “If you know me, you know my family is everything,” says Licata. “I am nothing without them.”
Some say preparing food is an act of love and giving to others. For Licata, it’s a way to be there for her community. Over the years she has generously given her time, talents and resources to support local events.
“Showing up for others is a big part of who I am. If I can make even a small difference in the lives of others, I’m here for it.”
Learning to show up for herself, however, is a brand-new journey for Licata, one that has taken a lifetime to learn. “I’m just now learning what self-care looks like after 50 years. It’s taking a moment to smile. I recently took a self-care solo trip to Sicily, where I let God lead the way. He showed me who Claudia Licata is and I Iearned that I really like her,” says Licata. “I was able to dance under the stars in magical gardens and cook with some of the world’s greatest chefs. Standing with my feet in the ocean of Licata, Sicily, was pure, unfiltered happiness. Showing up for myself was learning this year that it’s OK to pour just as much back into myself as I do for others, and that looks a lot like more self-love solo trips in the future.”
For Licata, the journey of self-discovery isn’t just a sight to behold ‒ it’s a master class in the importance of seasoning everything with love, including yourself. •
Licata Catering
www.Licatacatering.com
(530) 355-1056
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