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480-242-5160
480-242-5160
Carmen Garza’s legacy to becoming a proud culinary figure started when she married Juan, the love of her life, on the 2nd of May 1965. Their new life together started with humble beginnings in Guadalupe, AZ. A small town where love is abundant, but resources are not. Despite the love Carmen had a big problem…. She didn’t know how to cook, and her mother never shared any of her secrets with her. Thankfully her husband Juan was a somewhat willing guinea pig, and over time she improved immensely. As the years passed Carmen’s kitchen became a family destination for Sunday meals, parties, and holidays. If there was a get-together than Carmen was cooking. Soon after Juan and Carmen married, they welcomed four children into the world. Juan III, Bobby, Michelle, and Anthony—but to this day, Carmen’s family eats together at the dinner table every evening. There is no eating in front of the TV, food scarfed down in the car, or dinner skipped altogether in the Garza home, because food is not the same without love. Even in the face of adversity Carmen built her family from her kitchen.
Carmen’s only daughter Michelle spent countless hours in the kitchen as a kid; cooking, cleaning, watching, and learning. Carmen ensured Michelle had the same tactful mind in the kitchen, but Carmen also positioned Michelle to be a culinary phenomenon with a wealth of knowledge. Michelle quickly learned how to cook side by side with her mother Carmen daily. Weeknight dinners are a constant battle, but the biggest challenge was cooking for the Sunday feast. On Sundays you never know which family member will show up, and who they will bring. It didn’t take long for Michelle to adapt to the pressure and become a culinary warrior standing on her own merits. Preparing pans tacos, beans, rice, burritos, and she put a cherry on top by preparing desserts too. Even at a young age Michelle decided to develop an extra skill to set her apart from her mother.
Once Michelle became an adult she decided go to college while also working a full-time job to support her family. She proudly earned a Bachelor of Finance from ASU and went into the banking industry for the next 20 years. Eventually things took a turn for the worse and Michelle was caught in massive company wide layoffs. This was the opportunity a chance for Michelle and Carmen to follow their dreams and start a business together. Carmen’s Authentic Mexican food and Carmen’s Catering.
We are a true family owned and operated catering business. The matriarch of our family Carmen is both our beginning and inspiration for our company. We don’t cut corners, we don’t mail it in. We live by two mantras from Carmen and Juan every day. 1st Put love in everything you do, 2nd Always do your job right the first time. As a catering company we aim to make a great first impression every time, because your guests are our guests. We prepare our food for you, the same way we’ve prepared food for our family over the last 50 years.
Carmen’s words always matched her actions. The same love you felt from her warm hugs is the same love you will feel in her food. This is why our mission statement is “Put love into everything you do” it’s our way to embody Carmen’s values for generations. You might ask; what does this mission statement look like on a normal day. Every day we buy fresh produce, every day we make our fresh salsa from scratch, every day we provide quality 1 on 1 customer service. Our entire menu is connected to our family. All our dishes are made the exact same as we make them at home. We don’t serve anything below Carmen’s standards, and we don’t overpromise and underdeliver like our competitors. Our menu is small and delicious because we take catering very seriously and food very seriously. We will always be your tastiest and most reliable caterer you ever use because we
Put Love into Everything We Do.
