Event and Party Planning
“A funny thing happened on the way to traditional careers for Phillip Koenig and Kathy Hensley. They decided to party for pay instead.”
Phillip Koenig and Kathy Hensley were just regular folks planning traditional careers – his in veterinary medicine and hers in business administration. Then they figured out that life could be a never-ending series of parties if you're helping win friends and influence people on the corporate party circuit. What began in the 1980’s as two friends throwing together some party food for friends has become one of Louisville’s top caterers.
The Silver Spoon began business in the basement of Phillip’s parents’ home. For the first two years, events from 20 to 1000 guests came out of that basement. Looking back now, people ask how we did it – the honest answer is “nobody told us we couldn’t”. As Phillip says – all we had starting out was enthusiasm, good taste buds, good connections…and the willingness to work any hours.
And, as the saying goes “the rest is history”. After 20 years, The Silver Spoon has grown to a company of over 30 full time employees (many of which have been here since the business began) and a client list spanning the corporate and social elite. Carla Sue Broecker, social columnist for The Voice-Tribune weekly newspaper, says Silver Spoon is one of Louisville’s top caterers for corporate and/or social events.
Broecker says Koenig and Hensley are such an integral part of A-list entertaining, “they’re always welcome at any party either as guests or as professionals.
Bill Samuels, Jr., president of Makers Mark Distillery, says Koenig and Hensley have built a reputation by “reinventing the catering business in Louisville,” changing it from the business of simply cooking food on-site to cooking up the whole party concepts. “They’re the only caterers my wife likes to use,” says Samuels.
Lucie Blodgett, also a social columnist for The Voice-Tribune, says Silver Spoon is known in social circles for having “a flair for the dramatic…showmanship. Let’s face it, food is show business in a big sense. You’re dealing with entertainment as well as food.” Blodgett remembers two outstanding meals from Silver Spoon, “and I go to so many things, for these meals to stand out, they must have been good.” The Silver Spoon pulls off parties with “military efficiency.”
The Silver Spoon counts many corporate, non-profit and associations as clients. A partial list of our valued clients includes:
- Cabbage Patch Settlement House
- Kentucky Community Colleges
- Louisville Bar Assoc.
- Texas Roadhouse
- Coach Rick Pitino
- Greater Louisville, Inc.
- World Affairs Council
- CASA of Louisville
- Meeting Planners International
- Makers Mark Distillery
- Lonnie and Muhammad Ali
- Brown Forman Distillery
- Kindred Health Care
- University of Louisville
- Yum Brands
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- Anthem
- Humana
- ACLU
- International Assoc. of Architects
- Brain Injury Assoc. of Kentucky
- Louisville Ballet
- Louisville Deaf Oral
- Creative Alliance
- Louisville Orchestra
The Silver Spoon owners and staff are proud to provide exceptional and personalized service to our clients and hope to continue to do so for a long time. If we do not end an event by adding at least a couple of new names to our list of friends, then we don’t really consider the event a success.