The Louisiana Culinary Institute and BRQ restaurant recently teamed to launch a new Baton Rouge catering venture—Bacon and Fig Events.
The company offers catering services for offsite events as well as those held at the culinary institute’s facility on Airline Highway. BRQ executive chef Justin Ferguson will be in charge of the staff and developing the menu for Bacon and Fig Events, which features a food range from traditional barbeque and seafood to gourmet sandwich trays.
“The culinary institute was doing some catering and BRQ was doing a ton,” says Charlie Ruffolo, marketing partner at BRQ and public affairs director at LCI. “We got to the point where we needed to think long-term about having a crew that can handle everything. It’s the best of both worlds.”
And the timing is right, Ferguson adds, as the culinary scene in Baton Rouge is “exploding with new opportunities.” There’s also a demand for catering services for large organizations in the area, like LSU and the petrochemical plants along the river, he says.
“People know we have a brand and have made a name to go along with it,” Ferguson says.
With the culinary institute’s dining room and amphitheater, the new catering company has ample space to host large-scale parties and dinners. They also have access to an experienced staff between the two businesses.”
A pop-up event is in the works to showcase Bacon and Fig Events’ services and menu.
