About Us

Catering St. Louis Events is the food management provider for several of the best venues in the city.

Leadership

headshot - Mark Erker

Mark Erker

CEO

Mark Erker

CEO

Mark Erker is a native St. Louisan, and is owner and CEO of Catering St. Louis Events. Catering St. Louis was founded in 1980 and has grown to over a $7 million company specializing in being a food service management provider for some of St. Louis’ most iconic institutions.

Mr. Erker is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. His passion for the hospitality industry has made him a leader in St. Louis in creating innovative and beautiful venues for the St. Louis community to host their celebrations.

headshot - Sharon Endicott

Sharon Endicott

President

Sharon Endicott

President

Sharon, President of Catering St. Louis Events, finds joy in creating lasting memories for clients through exceptional food and attentive service. Her career, spanning over three decades, began when our owner, Mark, walked her through her first event, leaving an impression that hooked her for life.

Sharon believes in the power of a strong team of talented people to create a successful event. She understands how important it is to listen to clients, understanding that they are often planning the most important day of their life. Sharon is known as a team builder, and brings together planners, chefs, servers, bartenders, accountants and logistics experts to create successful, memorable events.

For Sharon, the balance of excellent food, attentive service and attention to detail is key to creating the best events possible. Her focus ensures that Catering St. Louis Events will continue to thrive and deliver the best experiences to every client.

The Team

headshot - Tina Opdenbrouw

Tina Opdenbrouw

Lead Event Coordinator

Tina Opdenbrouw

Lead Event Coordinator

Tina loves that no two days as an Event Coordinator are the same. Her journey in event planning began when she was fresh out of college—she worked as a full-time event planner at a local theme park and quickly fell in love with the world of events. She then moved to Premier St. Louis Hotel as a Catering Sales Manager and gained valuable experience in sales and event planning.

With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Tina excels at breaking down tasks into manageable steps and adapting to meet each client’s unique needs. She has a hands-on understanding of both front and back-of-house operations, with her career spanning small gatherings to large events for over 1,000 guests.

For Tina, the best part of her job is seeing her clients’ faces light up when they see their vision brought to life. Her passion for the events industry, which began by accident, has spanned over 27 years, and she continues to find joy in creating unforgettable experiences for her clients.

headshot - Jessica Molli

Jessica Molli

Event Coordinator

Jessica Molli

Event Coordinator

Jessica’s passion for meeting new people and hearing their stories fuels her love for event coordination. What began as a part-time job suggestion from a friend has turned into 16 years of “on the job training.” She looks at each event as a learning experience and thrives on the uniqueness of every occasion.

Described by her colleagues as strong, independent, flexible and fun, Jessica excels at managing intricate event details. One of her biggest successes involved coordinating multiple vendors and devilry times to ensure a smooth setup. In a situation that could have been chaotic, Jessica was able to help the setup go smoothly. The most rewarding moment for her is when her client sees their space and “they get that smile that says, ’This is perfect.’”

Regular communication is incredibly important to Jessica to ensure she stays aligned with her client’s vision. Her proactive approach is reflected in each event she plans.

headshot - Rhonda Wineinger

Rhonda Wineinger

Event Coordinator

Rhonda Wineinger

Event Coordinator

Rhonda loves being able to see all of the plans come together on the day of the event, as well as see the client’s reactions when they see it all fall into place. With a love for detail and color, Rhonda brings a detail-oriented, creative touch to event coordination. Her extensive experience in the events and catering industry has given her a well-rounded view of the industry.

Rhonda is easy to work with, client-oriented, and always making sure everyone involved in an event is happy. A memorable moment for her was when a skeptical client was unsure they would get what they wanted out of the event, and ended up overjoyed at what Rhonda and the team were able to deliver!

Rhonda loves working with so many different kinds of people, from clients to vendors, and is continuously learning from these interactions. She is not afraid to ask questions and actively listens to clients to ensure she is doing everything possible to perfectly execute their vision. Her passion for beautiful, well-designed events and her love for working with people make her a valuable asset to any event.

headshot - Karen West

Karen West

Event Coordinator

Karen West

Event Coordinator
headshot - Chris Fletcher

Chris Fletcher

Food and Beverage Director

Chris Fletcher

Food and Beverage Director
headshot - Lynn Heermann

Lynn Heermann

Executive Chef

Lynn Heermann

Executive Chef

Our Executive Chef, Lynn, thrives on the unique challenges of creating special event menus for each of our clients. With over 35 years in the restaurant industry, Lynn began his culinary career as a Sous Chef at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Known for being a hard worker, a team player and dependable, Lynn has had many memorable moments in his career. One standout memory is when renowned artist Dale Chihuly praised Lynn’s lunch so highly that he signed three books for him at a book signing!

Lynn understands how important his work is to creating unforgettable events for our clients. One of the most important things to him is following through from beginning to end, and maintaining communication with clients and planners.

He draws a lot of his inspiration from social media, magazines, going to new restaurants and cooking at home, and this is reflected in his cooking. Through detailed conversations and tastings with clients, Lynn ensures every menu reflects the client’s vision.

headshot - Maria Erker

Maria Erker

Wedding Sales

Maria Erker

Wedding Sales

Maria loves that every day brings something new in the world of wedding sales. Growing up in the industry, event planning naturally fell into her lap. Her degree in Fine Arts, with an emphasis in fashion and visual merchandising, may not be directly related to her role, but definitely contributes to the creative flair she brings to the team.

Described as driven, knowledgeable, creative and strong-willed, Maria is dedicated to making our clients happy and creating the best possible event and experience for everyone involved. She loves the variety her work brings her and finds joy in creating unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime events for our clients. Her passion for weddings and ability to adapt to any challenge make her a valuable asset to our team.

headshot - Katie DeRouchie

Katie DeRouchie

Corporate Sales

Katie DeRouchie

Corporate Sales

Katie loves how different every client and event are, and always aims to make every event memorable. She has a deep-rooted passion for the hospitality industry, and enjoys helping people and making sure their events are special and unique to them.

Growing up with an event planner mother, Katie has always been around the events industry. Her sales experience and training from previous roles have honed her skills and made her into an energetic, helpful, hardworking professional.

Katie’s dedication to creating unforgettable events, along with her strong work ethic, make her a valuable asset to our team. She takes pride in understanding each client’s specific needs and delivering exceptional service to ensure every event is a success.

headshot - Lauren Doorack

Laren Doorack

Corporate Sales

Laren Doorack

Corporate Sales

Our Mission

To create magic for all of life’s celebrations!

Our Vision

To be recognized by our staff, clients, guests and competitors as the most professional and best managed hospitality contract management and events planning company in St. Louis.

Our Values

We believe that a positive attitude greatly impacts our environment by creating positive results. All employees have a choice each day regarding the attitude they embrace.

We insist employees bring a positive attitude to their work and maintain this attitude even during stressful situations.

We believe employees who are accountable will make consistent contributions toward the success of Catering St. Louis.

We insist that managers and staff assume total responsibility for the duties contained within their respective job descriptions.

We believe employees want to work in a respectful environment where every effort is made to listen and be sensitive to others’ opinions and feelings.

We insist upon respectful relationships among coworkers, guests, suppliers and all others affected by our words and actions.

We believe employees want to work together to achieve positive results that benefit everyone.

We insist upon cooperative relationships between individuals, teams, departments, venues, guests, and suppliers.

We believe employees want to work in an open, honest, and trusting environment.

We insist upon cooperative relationships between individuals, teams, departments, venues, guests, and suppliers.

Search

(314) 961-7588
info@cateringstlouis.com