Celebrating 25 Years of Celebrations with Gourmet Galley

"When you're Italian, your world revolves around food," said Anna Lathrop of Gourmet Galley Catering, which turns 25 this year. She has proven that over and over again, as celebrating around a table--large or small, personally, or professionally has become a signature of her life's work. We caught up with Anna before the holidays to discuss GGC's evolution.

Recently, around her own table, she and her mom got together to maintain an Italian family tradition. "I've just finished making 800 tortellini with my mom for Tortellini en Brodo," she said. Veteran’s Day has become the day every year when her family gets together to make large batches of homemade tortellini to enjoy over Th anksgiving and Christmas. When her kids were young, Anna says, “It happened to be a day everyone had off and my mom is retired now, but when she was working, she had it off too.” Not only is it so important to build in time with family to maintain traditions, those that connect them to their ancestry, but the day has become all the more special since Lathrop's mom herself is a Veteran.

Anna actually used Gourmet Galley Catering in 1996 for her own wedding, before it became her business. She was so involved with the food and planning process that when the original owner, Essie Spencer (who began the company in 1983), decided to sell the business, Anna was the fi rst person who came to mind seeing if she’d be interested in carrying the torch. Anna was initially surprised, but certainly interested. She bought the business in November 1997, built a commercial kitchen attached to her house, then opened the lights as the new owner in January 1998.

GGC is Certified Green - 10 Points & Counting by Green Business Bureau With such a large footprint, the possibilities of waste for a catering company could be astronomical, but GCC does as much as it can to leave very little behind. They bring leftovers to the Community Meal Center in New London, in addition to recycling, composting, using organic, and repurposing as much as possible.

In 2012, after growing out of their home kitchen, operations moved to North Stonington in the place that used to be Custy's, a buffet joint that served the community along Route 2 for nearly fifty years. For Anna and Gourmet Galley Catering, the move doubled their working space. In the same year, in 2012, the company began working with Cafe Flo inside the Florence Griswold Museum, which operates May through October. Today, the company has offshoots as GG At Home, their kitchen and commissary in North Stonington and most recently, GG At Home in Niantic, which not only offers their line of packaged goods but has an extensive lunch menu and cocktail hour. The expansion is not only a smart business move, as Niantic continues to grow behind Mystic as a popular coastal CT destination, but, personally gives Anna a taste of nostalgia. “I can actually almost see the house I grew up in from the window there. It’s like coming home.”

Inside her home and in the kitchens of Gourmet Galley, celebrations are serious work. A sensibility and inclination around how to party, so to speak, has been embedded since Anna’s childhood, growing up in Waterford. “At a very young age I did a lot of cooking with my parents. They were entertaining all the time and having parties, and so, it's in my blood…we had so many great parties.

“The food was absolutely gourmet; It was phenomenal.” —GGC wedding clients

We’d actually have mini kazoo parties in the fall.” Perhaps that’s something we should all add to our theme-party roster!

Kazoos or no kazoos, Anna takes music at parties very seriously. Colleagues have actually urged her to put together playlists as they tend to attract attention in the kitchen in Stonington, at Cafe Flo or at the shop in Niantic. Anna studied music performance in college (at Hartwick) and believes it is a very crucial element of the dining experience and shouldn’t be a second thought. “Music has always been a love of mine, and I’m very particular about it when entertaining at my house. Even for the store, it sets a mood.”

With over 100 weddings a year and over 300 parties, Anna says she is so thankful for the business she has built and the team that keeps everything going. This includes her executive chef Jeffrey Crawford in Stonington, Chef Terry Conderino at Cafe Flo, and approximately 20 full-time employees, 15 part-time employees, and 150 per diem staff members who work events and parties. Is there any more room to grow? In fact, there is.

As with every business amidst the pandemic, owners were forced to rethink business models, and today, some of the pivots that were born out of urgency are what keep businesses moving into the future. For example, with GG At Home, it was the pandemic that fast-tracked Anna’s interest in packaged goods for home-cooking.

Today, they are some of the most sought after meals in her community. Furthermore, Anna says, there’s more interest these days from corporations for Gourmet Galley to host parties and other events. It is certainly a different beast from catering weddings, however, Anna says she’s excited to “bring that part of our business alive and add our gourmet catering touch, so that it feels yummy and special, but still streamlined for what a corporate person would like to have.”

After creating celebrations for so many in the community, we asked Anna if they’ve been able to toot their own horns and celebrate their 25th Anniversary. “Oh we did,” she said. “It was a huge party in April with almost 200 people, including clients and employees, family and vendors. It was a great party.” All in all, Gourmet Galley Catering continues to throw memorable parties in and around Connecticut and Rhode Island. With quality food, service, and music being the trifecta that guides their success, it is safe to say they’ll easily be throwing great parties for another 25 years.

• GG At Home is located at 138 Norwich-Westerly Rd in North Stonington and at 185 Main Street in Niantic. www.gourmet-galley.com and www.ggathome.com

A PROBABLY NOT COMPLETE LIST OF GGC’S LOCAL VENDORS!
 

Syman Says Farm - goats milk soap - Salem

Full Bloom Apiaries- honey - Franklin

Tavernier Chocolate- Brattleboro, VT

Vermont Wagyu- hamburger and steaks – Springfield, VT

Terra Firma Farm - yogurt, milk, eggs – North Stonington

Tony D’s Craft Creamery - Niantic

Tony D’s Fresh Pasta – ravioli – New London

Howard’s Bread – Centerbrook

Oui Charcuterie – Woodbridge

Cato Corner Farm Cheese - Colchester

Mystic Cheese Company - Groton

Tox Brewing – New London

Outer Light Brewing – Groton

Beer’d Brewing - Stonington

Gobble Mountain Elderberry – syrup – North Stonington 
(Fun fact from Anna- “They make their syrup (that they ship worldwide) in our kitchen. We sell it in the store and make cocktails with it!”)

Maple Lane Farm– cider and lettuce - Preston

Schooner’s Beverages – lemonade - Mystic

Ashlawn Farm Coffee – cold brew – Old Saybrook

East Coast Kombucha – Norwalk

Alyssa Lathrop (Anna’s cousin) makes all the pottery Gourmet Galley food is served on. She’s also a Art Instructor at Norwich Free Academy High School