History

 

When George Jewell founded George L. Jewell Catering Services (now Jewell Events Catering) in l967, he had already honed his exuberant and innovative style through years of experience in traditional dining service. He was schooled in hotel management at Acton University and Oxford, in his native England. He gained indispensable skills and knowledge while apprenticing at some of Europe’s finest hotels, including Brown’s in London, George V in Paris and The Grand Hotel in Rome. Working for the elite London caterer, Searcy, heightened his interest in and knowledge of off-site catering. Working first out of a small florist shop, Mr. Jewell began serving afternoon tea sandwiches to his clients who would come to the shop to discuss their orders. The first event he ever “catered” was a tray of hors d’oeuvres he prepared and delivered himself.

 

From that first hors d’oeuvre tray grew a multi-million dollar company, now operating out of a 40,000 square foot facility, with a fleet of vehicles and enough in-house equipment to serve a formal sit down dinner for 2,000 people. After over 50 years in the industry, George Jewell still engages in his hand-on management style and continues as the spokesman of the company. His impassioned enthusiasm for special events and his dedication to excellence set the tone for the entire company.

 

We provide first class event management services, classic and contemporary cuisine and impeccable service to the social, philanthropic and corporate arenas. Our deep knowledge of event logistics is unparalleled. To provide this superior service, the company is divided into separate but cohesive divisions:

 

 

Each division has its own specialists, yet everyone works together on event planning, menu creation and event execution, creating a true team effort. With a collective industry tenure of hundreds of years experience, our expertise is deep and our effort collegiate. This does not go unnoticed by our clients, who often remark on the respect and camaraderie of our staff.

Jewell Events Catering is the caterer of choice for those planning the area’s most important events. We have served every U.S. president for the last 53 years and the governors of Illinois as well as Mayor and Mrs. Richard Daley. Other notable guests include Queen Sophia of Sweden and Prince Charles and the late HRH Princess of Wales.

 

We are proud of our history and of the illustrious clients we’ve been chosen to serve. But we never lose sight of the most important client – the one who we are serving right now. Whether plans call for an elegant dinner for 12, a full-scale gala for 2,000, we have the experience, knowledge and creative panache to serve memorable meals with style.