Gabrielle Moes has always enjoyed cooking, so after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, she attended the prestigious California Culinary Academy. After working in several restaurant and catering companies, she started her own business, Seasons Catering, in 2000.
“My family and I came up with the name Seasons because I always believed in cooking with what was available in the farmers’ markets,” she says. “So that’s always what I strive for and what’s really been the backbone of the business. We have high-quality produce and our meats are really high end. And I used to work in Hawaii, so seafood is my niche. I love it.”
Gabrielle and her team, many of whom have been with her for many years, have catered for a wide range of events in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. This includes everything from weddings and nonprofit gala events to providing meals to institutions such as the Music Academy of the West and Crane School.
“We’ve done events with 1,500 people,” says Gabrielle. “We have people on our team who thrive with large numbers and others who are more well versed in small detail work, so we bring both of those types together. It’s a recipe for success.”
In 2018, she was honored as a business owner by Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV). As a member of WEV’s Million Dollar Club, Gabrielle had grown Seasons Catering to over one million dollars in annual revenue, a milestone that only 2% of woman-owned businesses achieve.
Seasons Catering was doing great, and then COVID-19 hit. “On March 12, it came out on NPR that [Governor] Newsom had made some changes and events could be no greater than 50 people. I literally pulled off the freeway,” she says. “Within two weeks, we lost our bookings for all of March, April and May; by the end of the first month, we got wiped out through the end of July. Then we were wiped out until the end of the year.
“What we did do right off the bat was reach out to World Central Kitchen and we were able to partner with them. It’s been wonderful and we’re still working with them today. We started with the first responders, so we were doing hospitals, providing nurses, doctors and administrators with meals.”
Seasons then joined up with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, which provides meals to the elderly.
“We love it,” says Gabrielle. “Some of the feedback we get from clients is, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re the only people we get to see all day.’ It’s rewarding in a way we really weren’t anticipating. Our community involvement through this whole thing has been something that has been super important to not only me but to my team as well.”
It was also critical for her to keep her team employed, so she had to get creative about how Seasons was going to provide meals outside of large events. After the initial lockdown, people didn’t want to go out or go to grocery stores, so she and her team thought, “Why not make freshly made meals at a reasonable price available for pick up?” They already had the capacity to do a drive-through meal pickup.
“The Good2Go idea was something I had been thinking about doing for years,” she says. “We started the first segment of it right away with the drive through, and then Good2Go was quietly launched in May.
“It’s a chef-prepared meal with generous portions that people can reheat at home. It’s a great alternative to regular takeout—you can have hot food exactly when you want it hot.”
Their website, TheGood2Go.com, includes chef-curated menus, making it easy to place an order for pick up. Seasons is also delivering from Santa Barbara to Westlake Village.
“A lot of our clients who can’t do events right now still want our food, so it’s been great to be able to provide it,” says Gabrielle.
It’s apropos that Seasons Catering mission statement is, “Where imagination and flavor have no boundaries.” With the ability to offer its services outside of traditional events, there are now no obstacles to being able to enjoy delicious, chef-prepared meals right in your own home.
Learn more at SeasonsCateringCA.com and TheGood2Go.com or call 805.339.9665.
