Talerico Catering Company offers a different twist on catered party fare

By Laura Briedis

From cooking steak with chimichurri sauce for rock star Eddie Money during a concert stop and catering events for the Republican National Convention, to feeding the North Royalton high school football team on game day and preparing lunches for pharmaceutical sales reps, Talerico Catering Company wows with its culinary mastery.

Owned by Stacy Talerico and her husband, Dennis, foodservice is a family passion. A familiar name in culinary circles, Stacy’s grandparents owned Tal’s Beverage & Deli in Parma for more than 50 years.

With that same mom-and-pop, old-fashioned customer service and emphasis on quality, fresh ingredients, Talerico Catering serves tasty, handcrafted cuisine.

“We can serve 1,000 people at an event, but the food tastes like we are cooking for six people in our home,” says Stacy. “We make everything from scratch, including mashing our potatoes by hand and making our own marinades.”

“I’m hands-on in the kitchen every day, all day,” says Dennis, who was the chef at Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida before moving to Northeast Ohio.

“We don’t use a restaurant purveyor, as I go grocery shopping every morning to buy the freshest ingredients.”

“I also hand cut all the meats,” he adds. “Last week, we had an order for 450 pieces of fried chicken. I cut 60 whole chickens, breaded each piece and fried them for that home-cooked flavor.”

Talerico can cater breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner for any occasion, from holiday celebrations to baby showers and birthday parties. And the company can provide servers and bartenders if requested. “We can cater events for as many as 1,000 people or cook for small, intimate parties of eight,” says Stacy.

Not your typical catering menu, there are 50-plus hot entrees, 25 signature sides, 18 appetizers and plenty of salads, sandwiches and breakfast selections. And for those who want even more options, Stacy works with customers to create their own menu.

“I guide customers to be more adventurous with their food, as our menu doesn’t include rigatoni trays,” smiles Stacy.

“A couple of our most popular entrees are chicken Romano with lemon butter, grilled flank steak with a parsley and garlic chimichurri sauce, pecan crusted chicken with vanilla rum butter, and meatloaf stuffed with cheddar cheese and bacon. And we have dozens of side dishes to choose from, including mushroom risotto, pecan praline sweet potato casserole, sun-dried tomato and basil rice, and herb roasted root vegetables.”

The caterers are also known for their famous balsamic vinaigrette for salads and balsamic glaze that tops grilled chicken, grilled portobello pasta and Brussels sprouts.

Even though the catering company started out with a nod to Italian nuances, the menu is eclectic with many global influences. Entrees such as grilled Thai coconut lime flank steak, Polynesian spinach salad, Cuban mojo roasted pork, Asian soy glazed salmon, and Polish potato cheese pierogies offer diverse cuisine.

“We also cook many gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian menu items,” says Dennis.

Customers can pick up orders in the North Royalton store or the staff can deliver to anywhere from Ashtabula to Sandusky and south to Canton.

Rated a five-star caterer on Facebook, Talerico Catering is a hometown favorite.

“We are involved in the community and donate to the schools and local organizations,” comments Stacy.

“We live in the same city we work in, and our kids are involved in local sports, so we take a lot of pride in what we do here.”

Talerico Catering Company is located at 5670 Wallings Road in North Royalton. For more information, call 440-230-5188 or visit TalericoCateringCompany.com.