TASTE
Brandon Mell, left, and Bryan Gray, owners of B Local Catering, winner, Best Catering, runner-up, Best Food Truck
CHEF Q&A
A Taste of What’s to Come B R A N D O N M E L L & B R YA N G R AY
owners, B Local Catering Interview by JILL CLAIR GENTRY
THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of caterers in Savannah — everyone knows the Hostess City loves a good party with great food. For Brandon Mell and Bryan Gray of B Local Catering, Best of Savannah winner for Best Catering and runner-up for Best Food Truck, the hallmark of a great caterer is flexibility — a trait that has been paramount in B Local’s success throughout the pandemic. B Local’s roots run deep in Savannah. Co-owner Brandon Mell was in line to become the fourth generation to operate Russo’s Seafood Restaurant and Seafood Market, which opened in 1946. But he had a different vision. What if he took the local,
Photography by MICHAEL SCHALK
Lowcountry seafood people loved at Russo’s and brought it to them — in their homes, at their offices and at their parties? In 2010, Mell and Gray started small, working mostly with salespeople to offer Lowcountry boils and oyster roasts as lunchand-learn fare. By 2014, the business was its own entity, separate from Russo’s. Since then, B Local has drastically increased its capacity while retaining its flexibility, allowing Mell and Gray to offer everything from a six-course meal for a couple’s date night to feeding 3,000 people at a corporate party.
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