Thomas Caterers of Distinction Scores Big at Local PACE Awards And Beyond

April 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Indianapolis, Indiana

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for Thomas Caterers of Distinction.  They won the top prize in all catering categories in the PACE Awards sponsored by the Indiana Chapter of the International Special Events Society.  PACE stands for Professional Achievements in Creative Events and the awards are hosted by the Indiana Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES).  The ceremony took place on Friday the 13th of April, 2012 at D’Amore Events of Indianapolis, a special event venue located at the top of the Chase Tower in Downtown Indianapolis. Thomas Caterers of Distinction walked away with three awards.  
The company is known throughout the country as a leader in innovative catering design.  They won for Best Catered Event in three budget categories: under $10,000, $10,000-$50,000 and over $50,000.  This was a clean sweep of all available categories at the ISES Indiana PACE Awards.   In addition to these awards, the owner of Thomas Caterers of Distinction, Kelly Early, was honored with the ISES Indiana Lifetime Achievement Award. This recognized her work in the Special Events Industry on local, regional and international levels over the past 13 years.
Kelly began her ISES career in 1999 serving as Treasurer on the ISES Indiana Board of Directors.  She served in this capacity for 2 years before becoming President-Elect and served as ISES Indiana President for the 2003-2004 year.  Immediately after her presidency Kelly was asked by Incoming ISES International to become the Regional Vice President for the Midwest Region.  Kelly served as the Midwest RVP from 2004-2006.  As a result of Kelly’s leadership during this time, the Midwest Region was awarded Region of the Year in 2005.  After her 2 year term as RVP, Kelly was then asked to be a U.S. representative on the ISES International Relations Committee.  It was the purpose of this committee to improve best practices and quality of events from an International perspective.  
It was a big week for Kelly and her company.   Two days before the awards Thomas showcased 20 new menu items at the “Thomas Tasting”; an annual event where never before seen menu items are judged by event professionals in Central Indiana.  They judge to see which items will “make the cut” and become new menu items on Thomas’ catering menu.  “It’s such a great event” says Kelly.  “The chefs get to come up with new and fun cuisine while we show off to our friends in the Event Industry.”  This is the 11th tasting of its kind dating back to the year 2000.  “We had to skip a year in 2010 due to the bad economy and some other projects we were working on.  People missed it so much that when we started it up again the attendees were more enthusiastic than ever.”  They like to utilize local fames and markets whenever possible.  Some of the items featured were: Sunlight Pulled Pork Barbecued Pizza with Egg Sauce and Crispy Onions accompanied with Sun King Beer; "Fowl & Feather" – Pesto Stuffed Chicken with seared Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Crème Fraiche, and Couscous "Risotto" with Broccolini and Mushrooms; Deconstructed Lemon Meringue Pie - a cylinder of Lemon Mousse surrounded by a Halo Tuille Cookie accented with French Meringue Baton and Blueberry Whipped Cream with Red Raspberry Marmalade

Thomas Caterers of Distinction is gearing up for one of the busiest times of the year with May with The Big Race and June being the peak of the Wedding Season.

About:
Thomas Caterers of Distinction is an off premise scratch gourmet catering company serving Indianapolis Indiana and the surrounding areas.  The company was founded in 1984 by Sue & Tim Thomas after a fire destroyed their restaurant on the East Side of Indianapolis.  They had done a few off premise catering jobs prior to the fire, but never considered catering full time.  A local event designer approached Sue about catering some events until they could get the restaurant going again.  The idea was to give the clients a catered meal that looked and tasted like the best restaurants in the country.  The catering they did was so successful that Sue and Tim quickly gained a reputation for high quality food and service.  They turned their attention to catering full time and never looked back.  In 1998, Sue’s daughter Kelly Early began working with the company full time and within 3 years Sue retired and turned over the reins to Kelly who now serves as Owner/Operator.
   The vision of Thomas Caterers of Distinction to provide memories that last a lifetime through a positive planning experience, innovative design, quality cuisine and exceptional service.  Commitment to education and innovation is evident in their day-to-day operations.  They require the creative team to stay current and attend educational conferences and meetings and to participate in local organizations such as the International Special Event Society and Meeting Planners International.  
Thomas Caterers of Distinction (TCOD) is a Woman Business Enterprise owned by Susann Thomas-Crannell and her daughter Kelly Early, CSEP.  Kelly is the Owner/Operator.  
Media Contact:
Vincent Early, CSEP
Event Designer & Director of Sales
Thomas Caterers of Distinction
4440 N. Keystone Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Ph: 317-542-8333
Fax: 317-545-0683
www.thomascaterers.com
www.thomasexpresscatering.com