Entrepreneur and chef-owner of Best Steak Burger Catering Denise Burnham isn’t sitting around waiting for things to happen. She’s going out and making things happen. After more than 25 years in a secure job as a medical coder, Burnham decided it was time to follow her heart and do what made her happiest. Cook. Not one for half-measures, she learned what she needed to know about business, earned her bachelor’s degree, made a solid plan and rolled out her new catering business last month with hopes of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2014.
The very best fresh ingredients and all homemade food are at the core of the Best Steak Burgers Catering menu. “I try to always use local products when I’m cooking,” says Burnham. She buys her meat through Bunzel’s Meat Market and fresh produce from farmers markets to ensure that the food will be top quality.
The menu is all about the food Burnham makes best. Delicious, fresh-ground steak burgers top the list, “because steak makes the best burgers,” Burnham adds knowledgably. Smoked dishes like slow-cooked barbeque pulled pork, spicy sausage and chicken gumbo and homemade desserts like peach cobbler and vanilla bean ice cream round out the choices. Aside from the standard menu, Burnham is happy to work with clients with special requests.
In addition to serving the freshest food possible, Burnham also wants Best Steak Burgers Catering to be an excellent value. “My research showed a lot of people didn’t use caterers because they didn’t feel like they were getting good food for a good price. I’m changing that because my customers will get their money’s worth, without compromising on taste at all,” says Burnham.
Though she may not have been classically trained, Burnham grew up in a big family with 12 siblings and now has as many as 53 nieces and nephews. “I was always cooking or entertaining,” she quips, “I love food. I know this business will work because I don’t just like to cook; I like to provide a culinary experience for the people who eat my food. That’s what I’m going for.”
For more information or to set up your own tasting, call Best Steak Burgers Catering at 414-916-5403.
