When Larry and Lisa Wray started their second catering company in 2007, they knew how it should differ from their first, the very successful Edible Pursuits which they had sold two years earlier.

Wray & Company Catering by Design, first of all, didn’t have to prove their competency to the world. Their reputation was already golden on all counts: menu design and food preparation, event planning and impeccable service. They decided to accept only one major event per day. No more catering five Christmas parties in one day or multiple weddings in a weekend. This time around, too, the Wrays knew to rent, rather than buy, large trucks as needed to move the company’s dishes and silverware, massive warming oven and coolers, dozens of huge coffee urns and the food for events serving up to 600 guests.

“Catering is fun. There are a lot of long hours but there’s a lot of satisfaction, too,” Lisa Wray said.

Wray had been working in property management when she and her husband decided in 1992 that catering part-time would give her more flexibility while raising children. Larry had extensive food service experience.

“It was a creative outlet for me. I have always loved cooking,” she said. “Menu concept is my forte.” That goes back to a childhood when she designed all the menus for family parties.

The Wrays bought a 1930s dairy farm in the Los Indios area and did extensive renovations on the sturdily built, stuccoed milking barn, transforming it into a commercial kitchen. An adjacent barn was upgraded to store dishware, glassware, silverware, serving items and the décor used in catering events large and small. In the beginning, the company had only three employees: the Wrays and Lisa’s sister Suzanne Clifton, who continues to work with them as sales coordinator.

Around 2005, the Wrays decided that they had been in business long enough.

“We had worked hard for many years and were ready to try something different.  We met a group that was interested in expanding their business. It was great timing,” Wray explained. The new owners acquired all the dishes and catering paraphernalia, but the commercial kitchen stayed with the Wrays.

After a two year hiatus, the Wrays had a change of heart and an event they wanted to cater.

“It got to the point where we missed catering. But we decided if we were going to go back into it, we would be more selective,” she said.

For more of this story by Eileen Mattei, pick up a copy of the April edition of Valley Business Report, on news stands now, or visit the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this Web site.