Southern way of life revolves around food.  Debbi's passion is in bringing together the fresh locally grown and produced ingredients with the individual tastes and preferences of her clients to create food from the heart.  Debbi explains the charm of the Low Country Boil, a local fall favorite for rehearsal dinners.  Debbie reminds couples that they should consider the personality and preferences of their guests in selecting a menu.  Think about the children in your wedding and make arrangement for the types of foods that they would enjoy.

Debbi is constantly creating new combinations and dishes.  Her latest creation - a blue cheese and dark chocolate muffin, is the perfect companion for the cocktail hour.  Debbi's advice for newlyweds - entertain at home as much as you can. The time in the kitchen, preparing food with love is how we communicate with each other.  Make happy memories.  Celebrate every day of your life.  Do it now.

Debbi shares her Wedding Words of Wisdom(tm) - You are getting married because you love each other and want to build a life together.  Wedding is just the start of your future.  It’s just one day and being married is for a long time.

Wedding on Spring Island, South Carolina

I met Debbi a few years ago when doing a destination wedding for my LA clients in Spring Island, South Carolina.  The couple owned land on the Island and wanted to treat their family and friends to a magical weekend, Southern style.  Debbi was selected to cater the Friday night welcome dinner. 

On a site visit to Spring Island a few months prior to the wedding, I observed a peculiar situation.  My clients had already made arrangements to hold their wedding at the Country Club, but something was missing.  I had heard so much about the land they owned and the dream house they would build one day, that I just had to see this place.  Standing in the midst of a forest, I asked a single question that changed everything: “Why wouldn’t you get married and have your reception HERE?”  My client seemed confused, as that’s exactly what they wanted to do, but had been told it would be impossible.  After all, their land was completely undeveloped. 

Debbie Covington is a rock star!  Not only did she say that it could be done, she and her staff put on a dazzling display of Southern food and hospitality that none of us could ever forget.  Catering is so much more than great food – it’s meticulous planning and preparation, ability to think on your feet and most of all the flexibility to work under unfamiliar and unexpected conditions.  The freshly cleared opening in the middle of a forest on Spring Island had all the challenging elements and with Debbi’s help, we transformed it into a warm inviting and fun-filled wedding reception.   When I close my eyes, I can still smell the aroma of Debbi’s amazing creations, mixed with the smells of summer grass.  I see smiling people savoring delicious food and the warmth of the perfect Southern afternooon.

Debbi did more than help my clients live their dream.  As a parting gift, she handed me her book Dining Under the Carolina Moon.  Tattered and marked with splatters of food, it is a fixture on my kitchen counter, a small token of the South that brings incredible meals to my family and friends in LA.  Now that summer is here, Celebration Potatoes can’t be far away.  

Debbi Covington launched her catering business in June 1997, after twelve years of party planning and two years of private catering, with a desire to make beautiful food that tasted good. Debbi Covington has a passion for cuisine and a high standard of excellence. Debbi delights in creating seasonal and locally inspired menus specially tailored to her clients’ needs . All menu items are chef-prepared. Catering by Debbi Covington has been voted “Best Caterer” for two years in a row by the readers of the Beaufort Gazette.

Debbi is the author of the cookbookDining Under the Carolina Moonand also writes the food column Everyday Gourmet in Beaufort's Lowcountry Weekly newspaper. She has been featured as a “Master of Entertaining” in Southern Livingmagazine and her recipes have been published in multiple cookbooks including Southern Living's Best Kept Secrets of the South's Best Cooks and The Best of The Best of South Carolina as well as numerable North and South Carolina newspapers.  She is currently writing her next cookbook, Celebrate Everything!, to be released in May 2012.

Debbi Covington holds a BS in Business Administration from Atlantic Christian College in Wilson, NC. She is married to her college sweetheart, Vince.