by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
Liz Grenamyer needed room to grow, so she tripled her workspace.
The longtime Jacksonville chef and owner of Catering by Liz recently moved from a 3,000 square-foot rental to Bella Sera, her 10,000 square-foot facility in Riverside. She purchased and began renovating the Italian farmhouse-themed space two years ago. Bella Sera features an expanded, chef-designed kitchen, a showcase window and retail section and indoor/outdoor event space for up to 200 people.
“People think this has happened very quickly, and it’s been a slow growth,” said Grenamyer. “When Catering by Liz started, I cooked it, booked it.”
She started the business officially eight years ago, but Grenamyer said she’s worked with some of her current staff for 14 years. Right now, she has about four people working in her office, 20 people employed for the kitchen and 50-plus catering waiters on contract.
The purchase and development of Bella Sera was a deliberate and planned expansion that’s been on her mind for years, Grenamyer said.
“I think if you’re standing still, you’re stagnant,” she said. “I knew I needed to buy my own building.”
Her knowledge and love of food is still part of her daily life, Grenamyer said, but little of her time is spent in the kitchen now.
“I’m a chef. That’s my trade, and I learned on the job,” she said. “But my hat has really changed.”
Instead, she spends most of her days running the business, in meetings or overseeing the events Catering by Liz serves (about five or six a day on average). While she owned her own restaurant for a while, Grenamyer said she doesn’t plan to return to that side of the food business.
“I like catering the best,” said Grenamyer. “It’s all different, with props and platters and the whole look.”
She said catering allows her to change the look of a dining event each time, and gives her a reason to keep up with new trends.
“We try to create ideas for them,” said Grenamyer. “I feel that’s part of our job.”
Her new location is near King and College streets, an area of Riverside that doesn’t hold the same upscale reputation as areas closer to the river – like Herschel Street, Catering by Liz’s last home. Still, with a recent streetscaping project and a variety of other businesses trickling in, Grenamyer said she’s optimistic about growth in her new section of the neighborhood.
“I think this area is changing. Not overnight, but I’ve seen it change in the last two years,” she said. “This is a transitional neighborhood ... and I think Catering by Liz has grown with the city.”