WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE
Hi, I'm Cherri Shaw. I'd like to thank you for visiting my website and tell you just a little bit about myself. I've enjoyed hosting parties and entertaining most of my life and realized early on that this was my true calling. I majored in Hotel, Restaurant, and Travel Administration at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville (formerly Gainesville College).
During my 40+ years in the industry, I've also taken additional classes through the National Restaurant Association, the Round-table for Women in Food Service, the National Association of Catering Executives, and Wilton Industries. My job positions have included everything from hostess-cashier to executive chef and catering director. Now, semi-retired and encouraged by my incredible husband, Larry Shaw, I have my own catering business.
Food must not only taste good, it has to look amazing! Younger chefs that I've worked with in the past jokingly dubbed me the "Parsley Princess" because I garnish everything, sometimes to excess. I believe that you taste with your eyes first, so in my kitchens the art of garnishing became known as "A la Cerising" (Cerise being French for Cherry). The definition has expanded somewhat over the years and A’ la Cerise now applies to just about everything I do. It's just my style - over the top, excess within control. As Emeril would say "Kick it up a notch!"
That's A’ la Cerise.
I believe life and love should be celebrated often and to the fullest. Don't just celebrate the big events but the small events as well. I've catered wedding receptions for 500 people but I've also catered private dinners for 6 people and everything in between. To borrow a quote from the movie Mame, "Life is a banquet and most people are starving." (Not an exact quote, but close enough. Mame had a more colorful vocabulary.)
In addition to being the owner of Cherri Shaw Catering, I am the Chef/Manager at The Hope Center of Toccoa, a local non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, shelter, educational assistance, counseling and much much more to people in need. Please check us out. GOD has blessed me so much and through my association with The Hope Center, I am in a very small way giving back to our community and doing GOD'S work. Please enjoy the website. I Iook forward to meeting with you very soon and A’ la Cerising your next special life event!