A BIT ABOUT TINA
I’m the proud owner of Bon Appetina Catering serving the Lehigh Valley area. I specialize in making Gourmet Appetizers and Bite Sized Entrees. My menu has many choices of easy to eat apps, many without a spoon or fork, which gives you the freedom to mingle with your friends at the same time. But don’t let the words “appetizer” or “bite sized” fool you. I have generous servings and hearty food!
early years
Growing up, I was surrounded by amazing homemade food that has created within me to have a deep passion for cooking and of course, eating! As you can see, by feeding my Grammy, I was already learning how to share my love for food (and how much I loved anything with sugar in it). It was at her house that my uncle, who was raised in Italy, would whip up the most delicious dishes! I remember his homemade pesto sauce and all the pasta we would eat! And I also remember how I would sneak into the fridge and stuff my face with his octopus salad and marinated mushrooms. I wonder if they ever knew I did this?
going full time
Many people ask how I got started with Bon Appetina Catering. Well, let’s put it this way. A recession actually did me good! I was a Realtor for 8 years, and needless to say, when the economy started to go down, I decided I wasn’t gonna go down with it. I eased out of it and put my cooking skills in use. So I sat down one day, searched hours and hours for ideas on what to name my business. I literally put “words to describe food” in my google search bar and a list of words came up, one of them being “bon appetite”. And when I read it, “Bon AppeTINA” came to my head. I thought oh yea, Bon Appetina Catering! I slipped my name right in there and BAM! (I’m allowed to use that word too Emeril Lagasse!)
getting noticed by rachael ray
So let me share a great conversation piece that never gets old! One of the most incredible times in my life is my amazing story that far exceeds the unimaginable. I had the pleasure of sharing my love of food with Rachael Ray, Regis Philbin and Buddy the Cake Boss in my very own kitchen at home! I think it was my classic punch line, “I want your peeps to call my peeps…wait a minute, I don’t have any peeps”, that sealed the deal for this opportunity! After waiting for 6 weeks, it was revealed to my family and I that we were about to have a whole episode filmed in my home with big name celebrities. The most surreal experience ever!
After being featured on the Rachael Ray “most viewed episode ever” and getting a glimpse of “camera life”, I took the challenge to take things further, and create recipe videos for you! These videos consist of easy recipes that you can make for your family at home! Sometimes they’re my recipes, but I also like to have friends and family share their recipes!
So, if you need a caterer for your next event, contact me. If you need a tasty recipe to make at home, log in! And if you need someone to sing a song, I do that too!
lehigh valley style
I was humbled and honored when asked to be featured in LV Style magazine in May of 2014, which reaches thousands of readers in the area. They did an outstanding job and put together a 4 page spread speaking about who I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. Along with that, they provided beautiful pictures of some of my favorite dinner recipes.