Celeste Talley of Simply Celeste's

By Joy Rogers

Photos Provided by Celeste Talley

When it comes to good food, Phoenix, AZ, resident Celeste Talley knows all about it. Celeste is widely recognized as a Celebrity Chef. Her expert cooking skills come into play with her being the owner of Simply Celeste’s Catering, a full-scale catering company based in Phoenix.

Celeste prides herself on her brand promise of providing excellent service that creates a stressfree and memorable event for every one of its clients. Simply Celeste’s specializes in southernstyle cajun cuisine. “My team and I will come to you and prepare your meal onsite, allowing you to experience me in my element. My goal is to relieve the stress of cooking by curating a delicious meal from start to finish,” she says. Celeste’s services are ideal for Birthday Celebrations, Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties, Anniversaries, and other Social Gatherings.

“There is something unique and special about the bonding that goes on when people gather to have a meal,” Celeste says with excitement while speaking of the excitement she experiences when executing her passion for preparing food for others. “

Twelve years ago, Chef Celeste relocated to Arizona, however, her roots trace back to the east coast. She is originally from New Jersey and is the youngest of six children. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in business and communication from Arizona State University. Additionally, she has been married to her husband, John, for eleven years, and they have one seven-month-old daughter, Arielle.

How did her journey in business begin? “I had the idea to open a catering business, yet, I didn’t have any indepth information on how to go about it,” she says. The motivation for starting her business derives from Celeste’s passion for cooking, her love of excellent cuisine, and a tradition of entrepreneurship experienced by her family. She later rented out a shared commercial kitchen facility to bring her dreams to fruition.

Celeste shares she developed a love for cooking at a young age. “My father instilled in me an entrepreneurial mindset and love for cooking. I bonded with him heavily through food. I was always in the kitchen with him as my other siblings did not have the same interest in cooking that I did. He taught me how to cook, and I witnessed him and my mother run their own restaurant in the 90s called “Hearts of Lettuce”. Celeste’s father’s niche was healthy cuisine, including salads, sandwiches, and soups.

After receiving advice from her father, Celeste set her sights on making her dream of owning her own business a reality. She did her research and wrote out recipes, yet unlike her father, her vision wasn’t to set up shop in a brick-and-mortar establishment; instead, her vision involved operating a catering service.

The launch party for Simply Celeste’s occurred during a tasting for her friends and family and continued on from that point. Unfortunately and unexpectedly, her father passed away in 2017. Yet, Celeste has been committed to operating her company in his legacy. “We talked about food every day and that was okay with me. He loved to hear about what I had made for dinner and wanted to know all about my catering events. I was devastated when my father passed, but I wanted to keep his legacy alive. The best way to do that is to honor him through how I live and run my company. I do what I do because of his influence,” she says.

Cooking is something Celeste says she loves to do. “I love to cook in general, it is something I am really passionate about. I love experimenting with different flavors and seasonings, and I also love serving people and putting smiles on their faces,” she says.

Moving forward, Celeste is working towards building out the cheesecake subsidiary portion of her business and making them available for sale in grocery stores and other restaurants. Presently, she is seeking to expand her staff and build a team of permanent employees. This may include a Sioux Chef, several prep cooks, and servers for events. She is also working on building brand awareness for her services through social media and other marketing strategies. “The goal is to drive repeat business through superior customer experiences,” she says.

To learn more about Simply Celeste’s Catering, please visit their website.