You don’t get to the top by taking shortcuts. our stellar reputation was built with intention, one event at a time.
Barbara apprenticed as a chef in southwestern Germany, a region with one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars in the world. After a stint at the 5-star Hotel Savoy in Zürich, Switzerland, she returned to Houston in 1996 to a city that didn't care about her resume’. Starting anew, she joined Jackson and Company, at the time the top catering firm in Houston, and learned how to run elite events. But it was the same script every night: filet, potato gratin, asparagus tips. Over and over again.
She knew there was a better way. The vibrant and diverse city of Houston deserved a higher standard.
By 2000, she had begun to attract her first clients through St. Martin's Episcopal Church, whose parishioners included the Bush family and many of Houston's top philanthropic families. Word traveled. Twenty-plus years later, Culinaire is the caterer of choice for some of the city's most discerning clients.
Every event begins with a focus on you
The company, the institution, or the nonprofit
Our creative process is comprehensive: we learn about your guests, your venue, your story, the time of year, the time of day, your budget, and the occasion itself. Then we build a menu that's a real extension of the event goals and the standard you are representing.
If you want a package, we're not a fit. Bring us your challenges!
A Pakistani-Korean wedding gets a menu that honors both families.
A world-class art museum gets a tasting menu themed to the season's exhibition.
A milestone birthday gets a menu built around the honoree's favorite foods.
That's what we mean when we say, “We don’t do average”.
Small-team agility
Large-company capabilities
The Culinaire team has more than a hundred and twenty years of high-end events experience combined.
Founder and CEO
Chef Barbara McKnight
Our Not-So-Secret Ingredient. Honors graduate of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Hotel and Restaurant School in Germany. Polished skills at the Hotel Savoy in Zurich. Founded Culinaire in 2000. Headquartered the company at the historic Hofheinz House in 2006. Designs the culinary direction for every major event.
Senior account executive
Dana K. Cagle
The “Diva of Details” and your main point of contact for bookings. Friendly, practical, and a fountain of knowledge about every aspect of an event. The reason corporate clients describe working with Culinaire as effortless.
executive Chef
Chef Luis Rubio
Kitchen Wizard. Leads the prep, plating, and execution that turn Barbara's design into the dinner your guests will remember
The Team Behind The Team
Operations and Event Management
Logistical Geniuses. A tight team of event managers, logistics coordinators, and service leads. They've worked together long enough that nothing in a run sheet surprises them.
Our Four Values
The standards we hold ourselves to, even when nobody's looking
Happy to Help
We treat clients, partners, and colleagues like people whose day we're trying to improve. Even if a project isn't a fit for us, we help you find someone it is. Nobody leaves a conversation with us feeling brushed off.
Conscientious
Fine isn't good enough. The catering industry is full of fine. We design and execute toward perfect, knowing perfect is the moving target it should be.
Demonstrated Expertise
Every member of our team is fluent in their role. Calm authority. No nervousness. Hosts get nervous about important events. Our job is to be the team that radiates the opposite.
Respect
For your home. For your guests. For your art on the wall and your rugs on the floor and your housekeeper in the kitchen. We treat every environment we work in with the care it deserves.
Our Headquarters
The Hofheinz House
We operate out of the historic Hofheinz House. In 2006, we acquired this beautiful, architecturally significant building for adaptive reuse, saving it from demolition. It's our production facility, our office, and our home base.
Twenty-five plus years in. Still hands-on, detail-driven, committed to getting your event right every time.
