Lauren Justice
Jasmine Brey and David Spittel at their prep space, the FEED Kitchens.
With the ink barely dry on their business license, the owners of Ma & Pop Catering decided on a whim to throw their hat in the ring for the Taste of Madison this past summer.
“We figured we wouldn’t get in because no one knew us, but at least we’d get to learn about the application process,” says Jasmine Brey, who co-owns the company with her boyfriend, David Spittel.
Not only did they get in, they walked away with a few awards.
Their Pop’s popper, a bite-sized, deep-fried mashed potato snack with a sour cream and buttermilk sauce, won them third place in the appetizer category. Their jambalaya quesadilla, which comes with a sriracha and basil pesto white wine cream sauce, scored second place in Southern-style cooking. They also took home the spirit award for showmanship during the sweaty, ridiculously busy two-day food fest.
“It was an insane way for us to get started — absolutely crazy, but great,” says Brey, who has served drinks and food for more than 15 years and currently works at the Statehouse at the Edgewater and in customer service at UW-Madison.
With that trial by fire — or trial by deep fryer, rather — behind them, Brey and Spittel plan to cater a few events this fall, then spend the winter working on marketing and the business side of things. They hope to hit the music festival circuit and warm-weather catering season full force next year.
The Ma & Pop name speaks to the type of food customers can expect from the couple, who have been dating for five years but are not actually anyone’s ma or pop.
“We wanted a simple name that gets people thinking about the comfort food they had growing up,” says Spittel. “And that’s what we’ll be offering — simple, flavorful food. Anything from finger food to prime rib.”
“Food gets too fancy sometimes,” adds Spittel, now the personal chef for a UW sorority with former stints at the Old Fashioned, Roast Public House and Green Life Cafe. “Sometimes, all you need is a burger or a taco.”
Recent appetizers have been a falafel made with both garbanzo and black beans, and chocolate-covered bacon.
In addition to typical event catering, the two also hope to carve out a different niche for themselves: business breakfasts with a focus on lighter fare. “No one wants to eat a bunch of heavy, greasy food first thing in the morning then go sit through a conference,” says Brey.
Their full catering menu is still in the works and will debut with the launch of their website sometime this fall; in the meantime, call 608-354-9015. “Customization is key,” says Spittel, adding that they plan to use organic and local ingredients “whenever possible and when it makes sense.”
