Meet our Team
Catherine Buford Pellegrin
Managing Partner
3,000 is the approximate number of events Catherine has catered throughout her career. The food business is the only industry she's ever worked in! She's opened restaurants in California, Hawaii and Oregon and has lived in Portland for the last 20 years. Her love of food & hospitality has deep Southern roots in Louisiana and Texas. She started ChefStable Catering because she wanted to see a catering company as dynamic as the Portland restaurant scene.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Bresaola with blue cheese & candied orange--the perfect little bite.
Hometown: I'm a proud Texan!
Karaoke Song: Regulator, Warren G
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've catered: Setting up a dinner for 200 on a tennis court while 8 months pregnant in the middle of summer.
Dream Vacation: 3 months in Latin America.
Erin Wulff
General Manager
Erin started catering in 1998 while studying journalism and environmental science. She traded in her life's dream of making social justice related documentaries and subsequently saving the planet, to working for large and boutique catering companies along the west coast. She worked in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Francisco before returning to Oregon.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Anything & everything that our kitchen has pickled, candied, smoked, caramelized, confited (yes, this is the correct past tense of confit), preserved, cured, fried, grilled, roasted, or braised.
Hometown: Just another Southern Californian with a fear of dehydration
Karaoke Song: Kar·a·o·ke is Japanese for worst idea ever
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: My most memorable and most difficult AND craziest event that I’ve ever produced involved a James Beard Award-winning chef and many tears. I will not elaborate.
Dream Vacation: Andaman Nicobar Islands because they are beautiful and will be gone in 20 years
Alexandra Weitzman
Pastry Chef
Alexandra, Pastry Chef for Chefstable Catering and all around powerhouse. Catering got Alex out of a cake decorating job at Fred Meyer 13 years ago and she’s never looked back.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Coffee! JK, I love Doug’s shrimp ceviche and grilled flat iron with smoky tomato butter.
Hometown: Pacific Grove, California
Karaoke Song: “Good Feeling” by FloRida
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: 5000 ALL WHITE DESSERTS
Dream Vacation: Also, Pacific Grove, California
Amy Blettel
Operations Director
Amy’s been "taking charge" since kindergarten where the teacher told her mom that she didn't want to say Amy was bossy but that she had "leadership potential." Her experience and background is in management and operations for over 20 years.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Fresh pasta of any variety with butter and cheese.
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Karaoke Song: Watching other people sing :)
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: Last year, we threw a party for 500 people in a downtown block in Seattle. We had 4 themed bars, DJ, dance floor, outdoor games, as well as local non-profits partner booths to support their organizations and get the word out.
Dream Vacation Puerto Escondido MX. Every year in the spring.
Jeanne BarrettController
With over 20+ years in the food industry there really is no challenge too big. Whatever the event and no matter how crazy it is he’s seen and done it all.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Mediterranean dishes.
Hometown: Hayfork, CA
Karaoke Song: Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A Lot
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered:They’ve all been blocked out.
Dream Vacation: Australia
Kristen Jorizzo
Event Planner
Kristen has been in the Portland event industry for almost 10 years, but has been helping plan events since high school. The catering world is a blend of all the things she loves most. Kristen was an Art Major in college and loved using her creative skills to plan events. She is also Italian, which means she's a giant foodie and spends most time with family and friends eating or talking about eating. So, getting to mix her love for art and food into one job is the most amazing thing in the world.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Crab Cakes
Hometown: Medford, Oregon
Karaoke Song: I save my singing for when I'm in the shower or car alone
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: KISS concert
Dream Vacation: Namibia, Africa
Kari Young
Marketing & Digital Media
Kari has worked in the restaurant industry since the '90s. She is a photographer and food/prop stylist for major brands and restaurants. Her interest in marketing comes from her background in restaurant ownership, promotions and public relations. She is passionate about and a total geek for all aspects of cooking, dining, design and art.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Roasted grapes with manchego on housemade cracker
Hometown: I was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up here in Portland
Karaoke Song: There's not enough alcohol
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: Most memorable was definitely an after party for Duran Duran.
Dream Vacation: Vacation to Japan or a one way ticket to Rome, Italy
Jess Schantz
Senior Event Manager
Jess started out in the hospitality industry as co-owner of a restaurant that also had an amazing rooftop venue. After planning events on the rooftop for a few years she decided to take it on the road. Now she’s lucky enough to be in Portland, and working with all of the best venues in the city.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Fresh tuna poached in olive oil
Hometown: Prescott, AZ
Karaoke Song: These Boots are Made for Walking, Nancy Sinatra
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: After a surgery, I had my lower leg in a boot but still insisted on wheeling around on my knee scooter managing a wedding I had been planning for months. I looked ridiculous but I didn’t care as the wedding was beautiful!
Dream Vacation Headed to Belize in a few months!
Colleen Brobeck
Event Planner
Colleen has been planning events for the past 14 years. She has a background in art and loves organizing just about anything so planning events combines her creativity, artistry and organizational sides.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Chickpea Panisse
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Karaoke Song: Karaoke isn't my jam
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: Transforming the former Sears space at Lloyd Center into a vintage Parisian Circus for 1,500 guests
Dream Vacation: Maldives, Bali or Greece
Matt Pellegrin
Husband of the owner
Matt started catering in his twenties, picking up a few shifts as a second job to make extra money. Eighteen years later, he can't imagine doing anything else. He and Catherine also own the Daily Cafe at the Tram and he enjoys splitting his time between the cafe, the catering company and his two kids.
Favorite Chefstable Dish:Flat Iron steak with smoked tomato butter
Hometown:Originally from White Plains, New York, I've been in Portland for 20 years.
Karaoke Song:Back in Black, AC/DC
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered:I've managed countless plated dinners, weddings, and high profile corporate functions and they can be challenging and stressful. The most difficult situation I've ever encountered was at a smaller event while working for a different catering company. As we were about to serve the mint ice cream for dessert, we realized that we brought frozen herb butter (bright green!)by mistake. Thankfully I caught it before we served it.
Dream Vacation:Spain and Italy are at the top of my list.
Kris Kremers
Catering Sales Manager
Kris is a logistics expert with a creative flair. She's been planning corporate events and weddings in Portland and San Francisco for the past 17 years. She's a food nerd, too; ask about her collection of over 300 cookbooks from all over the world.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: I love to see unique themed stations. They add excitement.
Hometown Born in Germany, raised in Illinois. Have lived on the west Coast for 20 years. Tucson, my second home
Karaoke Song: Wannabe, Spice Girls
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've catered: Luxury VIP 4 course dinner for 30 in a polo pony stable. Ponies included.
Hannah Orloff
Event Planner
Hannah has been working in catering since 2013 and has a love for all things related to food and events. She loves bringing people together through food and is currently getting her master's in Nutritional Sciences with the hopes of advising others on how to use food as medicine.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Crispy Smashed Fingerlings
Hometown: Portland native!
Karaoke Song: Wannabe, Spice Girls
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: Turning the Portland Art Museum into a Parisian dream, complete with striped umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, can-can dancers, and champagne passed in a custom fabricated dress - it was truly amazing!
Dream Vacation Bali - next trip - Todo Santos
Maddie Langfitt
Marketing & Sales Coordinator
Maddie has been working in the food industry since the age of 15. She studied fashion in college and always really enjoyed her food industry jobs while in school. She became interested in sustainable food and cooking while living in Richmond, Virginia, and being exposed to the city’s food scene. Maddie fell in love with event planning while opening a pop-up art gallery with her sister last summer.
Favorite Chefstable Dish: Anything involving fig and goat cheese
Hometown: I’m from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and grew up close to the Chesapeake Bay
Karaoke Song: This is How We Do It, Montell Jordan
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: During one dinner service at a crab house right on the water, an unexpected summer thunderstorm came out of the blue and completely wrecked the outdoor seating area. The roof was completely ripped off of the outdoor bar, serving staff had to fish chairs out of the Bay, and the kitchen flooded!
Dream Vacation: My dream vacation is a trip to Barcelona. I don’t have any trips on the books now, but I would love to plan a Europe trip soon!
Kurt Huffman
Partner
Kurt founded ChefStable in 2008, with the mission to open culinary concepts geared toward the vision of individual chefs. ChefStable has since opened over 30 restaurant concepts, mostly located in Portland.
Hometown: Portland, OR
Karaoke Song: I haven't sung since 1993...
Craziest/most memorable or most difficult event you've ever catered: I leave the catering up to Catherine!