We were lucky to catch up with Lavonne Cimbak recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lavonne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

It’s pretty funny because the first name that I came up with for my business was Delightful Tidbits. I wanted to name my first business after the animals that I had as a child growing up. I thought on it more, asked a few people what they thought of it and they came back and said it sounded like a dessert company. I do not specialize in desserts!

So I went with my first initial thought. Sage and Bleu come from two Australian Shephards that my family had growing up. There were a couple of other animals but none of them vibed like Sage and Bleu. Sage for the rampant Sage Brush and Bleu for the Sky. So Sage Bleu Catering was born and I absolutely am in love with the name because it has a special meaning.

Lavonne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Since the age of 19, I have been in and out of hospitality positions, mainly in FOH with hostessing, bussing, and then on to cocktail serving and serving in high-end restaurants. For most of my twenties, I had the privilege to work in 3 large Las Vegas restaurants, a few smaller ones, and about 6 properties up and down the strip.

While working in Vegas I was able to get a variety of training that at the time I thought was a joke, I remember for one of the serving roles we had to train for a month!! Looking back that has benefited me greatly, having that training with high-end customer service was valuable and I would have never thought would lead me to start a catering and events business.

After graduating college I took a dead no end job inputting numbers in a very unhealthy work environment (at least for me). I felt like I was slowly dying on the inside and I was very unhappy in that role, to the point I would get anxious when I would arrive at work. I worked at that job for 5 years, just couldn’t land the next job because San Diego was such a competitive market.

After going on an interview and coming home (which was a sailboat) my now-husband said something to me that I will never forget. He said YOU ARE CHOOSING TO LIVE THAT LIFE AT THAT JOB, YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK THERE. I literally went to work the next day and put my notice in for 3 weeks from that date. Quitting that dead-end job was the absolute best decision that I have ever made!

Fast forward 5 months and I started this business and have had the best 5 years personally and professionally to date.

The majority of our catering events are small to mid-size weddings and special events, along with small intimate in-home dining experiences. We create experiences to remember that will last a lifetime and embody that with everything that we do.

When you work with Sage Bleu, you know that you will be in good hands because we take all the stress off of your plate so that you can focus on what matters most, spending time with your family and friends.

The main thing that would separate us from our peers is that we love to create beautiful tablescapes, love to plate beautiful food and think outside the box for setups and presentation. If it isn’t creative, we don’t want to do it, PERIOD.

The last two years during the pandemic would be what I would say I am most proud of. I buckled down and really worked on the business and not in the business. I have grown so much personally and professionally from constantly learning, reading, listening, and looking for the next new idea to run after. I really love what I do and last year was my best year in business, some good, some bad but it has made me grow more as a person overall.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As I mentioned in the prior question, when I started this business I was living on a sailboat. In the initial planning phase, I would have to go to the library every day to use the internet as we had no Wi-Fi on the sailboat. It may have been the smallest space ever, the up top area I would call my (living room) and would create menus from cookbooks that my sister gave me. Everything I did was created in the smallest space ever but in reality, it ended up creating a larger more open space for me to thrive.

Living on that sailboat taught me that life is too precious to waste at a job you don’t love and to really look inward at what I would enjoy doing. With my hospitality experience, my somewhat cooking knowledge at the time,​ and my background in Marketing and Business I figured, why not just go for it so I did!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Being authentic, open, and honest. I try to show my authenticity on my social channels, at times I don’t say exactly what I want to say but I am very honest when working with a client. If I know right away from the first conversation I will be honest and let them know this isn’t a good fit and when it is a great fit you can’t deny the enthusiasm in my voice.

I love the outdoors, nature, horses, and animals of all kinds,​ and showing that through my marketing and online presence has really helped me connect with the right clients. If you aren’t authentic people will see through that right away.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sagebleucatering.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagebleucatering/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagebleucatering
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lscottsd/

Image Credits
All Photos are Angie Grace Photography @angiegracephotography on Instagram