Crowds flocked to the Connor’s Park Pavilion on Sept. 27, as hungry guests were drawn to the free supper provided courtesy of Charlotte’s Catering.
According to an early estimate by co-owner Charlotte Dombowsky, the event drew around 400 guests, but an exact tally was not available.
The reason for hosting the event was twofold: first, the catering business is celebrating 31 years serving Moose Jaw and the surrounding area. Second, the event formally announced that Aleksandra Bijelic is now an official co-owner of the business.
“Aleksandra joined us in 2014, and she is our kitchen manager. The big story is that Aleksandra is now a big partner at Charlotte’s Catering,” said co-owner Bernie Dombowsky. “I want to work another 10 or 15 years, but I want to work at my own pace. With Aleksandra being in the picture, I can work at my pace and enjoy work, rather than doing it as a chore.”
Aleksandra wanted to share the story about how she came to meet Bernie and Charlotte.
“We first came in October of 2013, and during our first week in Canada we met Bernie at McDonald’s when we went to breakfast,” Bijelic recalled. “He asked where we were from, and we said ‘Croatia.’ We chat a little bit, and then Bernie invited us for supper.
“He showed me the kitchen… and after seven months when I got my work permit, I stopped by the kitchen to see if there was any job for me. Bernie said I can start today — like, today!”
Her timing was considered miraculous, as she walked in before a job posting was even drafted, and at the same time, the existing kitchen manager had just given her notice. The two-week period was enough to bring Aleksandra up-to-date with the ins and outs of running the kitchen.
Aleksandra said she’s excited at the prospect of working there in the future.
“I’m looking forward to working with them, and they are very great people. They’ve helped me and my family a lot,” Bijelic said.
Aleksandra’s son is playing professional soccer in Europe, but when he comes home in the off season he works with Aleksandra. Sandra, her daughter, also works in the kitchen.
“So, it’s a family thing,” explained Bernie. “The whole Bijelic family (works here),” said Bijelic with a smile.
The free meal was Bernie and Charlotte’s own way of saying thank you to both Aleksandra and the community for its ongoing support.
“The menu today was our new dish, pulled pork. Then we brought our signature wheat salad, marinated salad, coleslaw, a bean salad,” said Charlotte.
For dessert, Charlotte’s Catering offered one of the most popular items on the menu for dessert: the cheesecake. This dessert stands out for being hand-made by the kitchen staff at Charlotte’s. “We make them from scratch,” Charlotte confirmed.
Everybody in the pavilion commented about how good the food was, although no comment was necessary as the relative silence of a large crowd was all the cooks needed to hear.
“We were hoping for 400 people, but (more are) still arriving,” Charlotte said about the attendance.
“We want to express our thanks to Moose Jaw for supporting us for 31 years in the community. We are thankful for all the people that came out to celebrate with us, and we look forward to the many years ahead,” she said.
“Seeing lots of faces that we haven’t seen for a while was nice, and it’s nice to connect with so many people. We’re thankful that so many people came out to celebrate with us,” Charlotte added.
“Charlotte’s will continue in Moose Jaw, strongly, and with new ideas. New blood brings new ideas. I think there’s going to be a lot of new surprises coming to Charlotte’s Catering in Moose Jaw and the surrounding area in the years to come,” announced Bernie.
To book catering for your next event, Charlotte’s Catering can be reached at 306-692-4000.
