We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Latham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rebecca , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I remember being a kid at my grandmothers house, and they were apart of square dancing group and were having a halloween party and my grandmother had bought all this stuff to make what we call now a Charcuterie Board. She had me put it all together and everyone at the party kept complimenting how beautiful it was! Fast forward 12 years to my first gig in the event/wedding catering industry -putting together massive charcuterie grazing boards. Hours of prep, hours of putting it together, hours of shopping for it and trying new foods and new ideas. I was hooked. It’s now one of the most popular items we put together. Now as a catering coordinator I get asked often if I can do “extras” like adding flowers to a wedding cake or coming up with a new appetizer or sauce. I love getting to be creative with food and cocktails. Watching a blank space come together for an event and all the little details is my favorite part of the job.
Rebecca , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I run a catering company (Catering by Mopsie) outside of Austin, TX. We specialize in weddings and large scale events but I really love the small intimate dinner parties- where we are invited inside people’s homes and bring great food and great drinks to our guests. I picked up some gig shifts during wedding season about 10 years ago and fell in love with it. I had a great boss that loved being creative and curious with flavors and food combinations and we worked along side each other for years. My current company specialized in BBQ, which I know doesn’t sound like wedding food but it really is! I love when a couple shows up for a tasting skeptical about having bbq for their meal and then they try ours and are hooked. I’d say 9 out of 10 times they choose the bbq! BBQ is a religion in Texas. I always tell potential clients that my favorite part of the job is seeing it all come together, on any budget. We can make a beautiful wedding happen with great food. People will remember the food they had, and we want it to be good. This past weekend I got a text from a bride who’s wedding we had just done and she told me all her guests could not stop talking about the food and the service our great team offered. That makes me the most proud. I have a great crew that work for me that I know have the same goal as I do. Great food, great event. So to hear it from a bride probably on her honey moon- makes me so happy! Event days are long hours, a lot of details to iron out, a lot of things to consider and remember – I am constantly asking myself “what needs to be happening next” to make sure we are on time and everything is smooth. But I love feeling so accomplished after a great event.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part for me is the final product. I see the whole thing come together start to finish and there’s been months of planning and calls and meetings. And doubting myself and the other vendors I’ve been assigned to work with but when it’s all executed and everyone is happy- that is the most rewarding!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The wedding industry can be very toxic. Which is sad, but true. I have found a core group of individuals that I know I can lean on, bounce ideas off of, vent if needed. Referrals are HUGE in this industry. It costs nothing to compliment something you enjoyed. Leaving a review on social media platforms is SO helpful. People don’t understand how much it helps and means to us ! We love referrals!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cateringbymopsie.com
- Instagram: cateringbymopsie
- Facebook: Catering by Mopsie
