Champaign County Farm Bureau

Former Scholarship Recipients Create Successful Catering Business

August 2007

Lauren and Annie Murray are Fisher High School and University of Illinois ACES graduates as well as former CCFB Foundation scholarship recipients.

Lauren and Annie Murray never had a chance. Raised by entrepreneurial parents, they never had a chance of winding up in a corporate office with a nine-to-five schedule. Instead, they are working closer to 80 hours per week and loving every minute of it. While Lauren’s interests were always in finance and event planning, Annie was passionate about being in the kitchen. They have combined their talents and the result is L.A. Gourmet Catering, which opened for business in September 2006.

Growing up on a farm in Champaign County , Lauren and Annie often found themselves either helping their parents entertain guests or preparing dinner if their parents were out late. This eventually led both of them into Food Science & Human Nutrition through the College of ACES at the University of Illinois . Both women agree that receiving the Champaign County Farm Bureau Foundation scholarship was huge for their family, who had multiple family members in college at the same time. “The scholarships allowed us to be able to start this business while we were in college,” said Annie. They attended auctions and restaurant sales throughout college to acquire items for the kitchen that the entire family would ultimately help build.

While studying Hospitality Management, they took classes that taught them about the origin of both food and plants. Now their customers appreciate their knowledge. Graduating from ACES (both in 2006) not only provided them with a solid base, but also many valuable connections. This past spring, L.A. Gourmet Catering was hired by the University of Illinois for a graduate luncheon that served 4,000 people.

Their agricultural roots have not only instilled a strong work ethic, but also given them an appreciation for food and agricultural safety. Lauren and Annie incorporate fresh foods into their menu and are becoming more interested in organic products. Their menu changes seasonally, allowing them to use whatever ingredients are fresh at that time of year. The Murray sisters pride themselves on “doing something a little different” and using high quality ingredients. A typical week for them might include preparing box lunches and serving cocktail hours during the week while preparing for weddings, reunions, graduations, etc. on the weekends. They also manage 17 part-time servers and 4 part-time kitchen staff. Next summer they hope to offer an internship opportunity for students with related interests. There is no reason to doubt that Lauren and Annie will accomplish their goal of making L.A. Gourmet Catering the premier caterer in Central Illinois.

The crucial component that allowed Lauren and Annie to make their dream a reality was a solid education that provided them with the knowledge to make L.A. Gourmet Catering a successful business. The Foundation’s primary purpose is to support Champaign County youth financially during their education in order to ensure a strong future for the agriculture industry. Your donation will help create many more success stories for years to come!

For more information on L.A. Gourmet Catering, please visit www.lagourmetcatering.com.