About — Spice Catering Co.

A DINING EXPERIENCE AS UNIQUE AS THE SEASONS.

Spice Catering Co. is Ohio’s only caterer with both extensive fine dining expertise and deep-seated relationships with regional farmers. Founded in 2006, Spice Catering Co. has grown organically through its commitment to the best ingredients, thoughtful hospitality, and uncommon tenacity in executing nontraditional events. We have served tens of thousands of guests in their homes, at event venues, and at local farms across the region.

We are uniquely structured to facilitate fine dining experiences in the great outdoors. For more traditional events, we work to bring the outdoors inside with nature-inspired presentations that spotlight Ohio’s lush, local landscape.

Team

BEN BEBENROTH
CHEF, FARMER, FOUNDER

Trained at Johnson and Wales University, Charleston, Chef Ben Bebenroth graduated in the top ten of his class and won the school’s national Taste Down Under cooking competition in 2004. He was rewarded with a 5-week trip to Australia, where he traveled with a French Master Chef to tour the country’s best restaurants and cook for national dignitaries along the way.

In early 2006, after spending some time in Northeast Ohio’s top kitchens, Bebenroth founded Spice of Life Catering Co. (now Spice Catering Co.) with a passionate commitment to source quality, seasonal ingredients from the region’s best partners.

In 2012, as distribution systems between regional farms and restaurants became more efficient, Bebenroth opened the popular Cleveland restaurant, Spice Kitchen + Bar. In 2014, he acquired Spice Acres, a 13-acre Countryside Conservancy farm in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, to grow foods for catering clientele and restaurant guests. In 2016, he and his wife, Jackie, established a non-profit organization, Spice Field Kitchen, that offers education and outreach to students and individuals who seek to learn more about farming and cooking.

Ben has spent most of his decade-long career forging relationships with local producers in order to understand how to balance consumer demand with seasonal offerings. This knowledge, combined with his award-winning culinary talents and farming experience, make him one of the most sought-after local food authorities in Northeast Ohio.

JONATHAN BENNETT
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Jonathan “JB” joined Spice Hospitality Group as Chief Culinary Officer in October 2020. His professional chops are well known through his time as Vice President and Executive Chef of Red Restaurant Group and Director of Concept Development at the Hyde Park Restaurant Group.

Born and raised on a working farm in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, JB began cooking first out of necessity as the child of parents who worked long and late hours and then, out of a rapidly growing interest in cuisine. He got his first taste of the restaurant industry at age 13 and by 16, he was working in the kitchen of a fine Pinehurst area country club. JB attended the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America for his formal culinary education and brought his mastery of classic techniques and preparations with him when he landed in Cleveland in 1997, marking the start of what would become a lasting impact on the local restaurant community.

Bennett brings a to-the-gram precision to menu development and a depth of industry knowledge that could only come from opening seventeen restaurants in his career. He has become the ‘glue’ of the Spice leadership team as it has navigated major growth, guiding decisions with both data and experiential wisdom and offering levity with his gift of song. JB truly understands hospitality in all its facets and leads his team by empowering their best.

JESS EDMONDS
CATERING DIRECTOR + PARTNER

Jess Edmonds has nearly two decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, honing her service talents in high-traffic Cleveland hot spots before joining Spice Catering Co. in 2008. After graduating from Cleveland State with a focus in PR and marketing in 2005, she blended her textbook knowledge with acquired hospitality skills to plan weddings, benefits, and farm dinners for parties of up to 500. In 2015 she moved into the Catering Director role and manages an incredible team of Event Planners that create exceptional dining experiences all over town. In addition, she lends her hand to general operations of The Spice Companies, planning the annual Plated Landscape Calendar and fostering business relationships throughout Cleveland (the best city in the world, as far as she’s concerned!). She spends her free time with her husband, Brian and daughter, Hazel Dae…preferably in the flower field at Spice Acres.

ASHLEY REYNOLDS
EVENT CURATOR

Ashley has been a proud member of the Spice Team for over 8 years. She began her time at Spice as a catering server, quickly moving up to an event captain, and eventually joined as a full-time Event Curator. Ashley earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Kent State University, followed by a certificate in event planning from Tri-C. Her love of cooking and gardening fuels her passion for Spice’s mission of sourcing seasonally and locally. Outside of planning events alongside the best team in town, Ashley enjoys spending her free time with her husband and sweet baby boy Waylon, puttering around her garden, and playing with her four (yes, FOUR) purr-cious cats.

DAVID ANDRIKANICH
EVENT CURATOR

David has spent over a decade in catering management learning different techniques and processes from great leaders before joining the Spice team in 2022. During his career he has worked in full-service resorts, hotels and catering facilities in the Cleveland area on social and corporate events from 10 to 1,000 people. He loves that every event is different and is fueled by a passion for taking a client’s vision and creating a unique event that will be remembered by everyone. Spice Hospitality Group has allowed him to take years of training and collaborate with an amazing and passionate team to build one-of-a-kind experiences for guests. He spends his free time relaxing at home with his family including two extremely spoiled dogs and a never-ending list of house projects.

ELAINE DANICIC
EVENT CURATOR, SPICE CATERING CO.

Elaine hails from Alaska and began her career in hospitality in 2004. Driven by adventure, Elaine has forged her path east to Ohio by way of California where she sharpened her hospitality and event planning skills amongst the lush vineyards, estates, and sprawling ranches of the Central Coast. The catering company in San Luis de Obispo that she led won best caterer three years in a row. Elaine is energized by being onsite with clients and watching weeks and months of planning come to life in spectacular ways. Her organizational and interpersonal skills make her a complete joy to work with.