history
TASTE Catering & Events traces its origin back forty years to 1981 when Louise Nagourney founded Pasta & Company at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Inspired by icons like Silver Palate in New York, and featuring homemade pasta, sauces, and freshly grated parmesan cheese, Pasta & Company was one of the pioneers of the specialty food movement in Coastal Virginia.
The popular shop later expanded to Norfolk, with locations in Ghent and the Waterside marketplace. Says Louise, “Back then if you wanted a nice meal you had to cook it or go to a restaurant. We filled a void. We were the first around here to make our own pasta and sauces.” To meet growing demand, she added more culinary staff and expanded her menu of fresh, high-quality prepared meals.
The trajectory of the business changed when a friend and loyal customer asked Louise to cater a sit-down dinner for twelve. “We had no idea what we were doing,” Louise says, laughing. “I never said, ‘I want to be a caterer.’” But she was hooked, and soon after made the decision to close the retail shops and rebrand as Cuisine & Company.
Over the decades since, with an unwavering commitment to delicious, innovative food and impeccable service, the business earned and maintains its reputation as Coastal Virginia’s premier caterer. Be it an intimate dinner for two, or the 4,000-guest commissioning of an aircraft carrier, it continues to be our great pleasure to serve the people of our community.
In 2019 Cuisine became a proud member of the TASTE Family of Businesses and has relaunched in the post-pandemic era as TASTE Catering & Events. We maintain our commitment to Louise’s promise: that our customers always “feel like a guest at their own party.”
TASTE Catering & Events maintains exclusive and preferred caterer relationships at venues throughout Coastal Virginia. We also operate Wisteria, the full-service restaurant at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
We would be honored to make you a “guest” at your next event. Please contact us today and let us help turn your vision into a cherished memory.
[Quotes taken from Distinction Magazine, Fall/Winter 2010. https://distinctionva.com/]