Rolling Up to the Party, Cornerstone & Company
What do three zestful individuals, a love for old trucks, exceptional food and drink, and stellar service have to do with one another? Meet Cornerstone and Company’s Shannon Illch, Chef Ryan Kelly, and Joel Illch. This dynamic trio combines their individual and shared passions to set the table that goes above and beyond ordinary catering services. What started as a meal prep business has evolved into a unique full-service catering experience that features each team member’s expertise and talents.
Chef Ryan has 30 years of culinary experience under his belt and worked closely with celebrity Chef Roy Yamaguchi as a chef/ partner at Roy’s, where he spent over a decade honing his creative culinary skills. Joel is an artist, welder, and partner in a shipping container sales and modification company. Joel can turn a shipping container into a functional home and an old GMC truck into one of the coolest bars you’ve ever seen. Shannon is an all-around extraordinaire and brings her background as owner of a meal prep and catering company to the table. Oh yeah, she’s also a Florida state powerlifting record holder and a bikini and figure competitor.
The three share a love of old trucks. Vintage trucks have always been a part of their lives. Ryan’s everyday vehicle is a 1948 Chevy, Shannon drove a 1950s Ford and helps husband Joel restore old trucks. This passion was a common thread that led Ryan into partnership with Shannon and Joel to form the business.
These restored trucks serve as Cornerstone and Company’s mobile work spaces. The fleet started with their pizza truck sporting a full-on wood-fired oven popping out delectable favorites such as “The Pig & Pear”: Port-soaked pears, prosciutto, gorgonzola, and a cracked pepper balsamic glaze creates the perfect balance of sweet, salty, rich, and crispy. “The Hipster” is another hit made with port-soaked figs, caramelized onions, herbed goat cheese, pine nuts, prosciutto, mozzarella, and topped with a sunny-side-up egg and baby greens dressed in a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer vinaigrette.
As the culinary side of Cornerstone and Company elevated, so did the idea of bringing cocktails to the table—but not just any cocktails. Shannon’s, Ryan’s, and Joel’s appreciation of expertly crafted cocktails upped their game. Full-service bars were created out of a transformed vintage truck, a 1940s tap bike, and old Coca-Cola and 7 Up coolers. The ingredients include fresh-pressed juices, house-made shrubs and syrups, and garnishes that resemble works of art crafted by dehydrating and candying fruits, vegetables, and other edibles.
Taking full advantage of an abundance of fresh fruits available year-round and ingredients from their backyard gardens, signature drinks include agave-based margaritas made with fresh lime juice and shrubs; there’s the prickly pear margarita and a spicy version garnished with candied jalapeños.
Gin is another favorite spirit they like to use. Shannon prefers using American gins for their floral botanical notes, mixed with house-made tonic and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Shannon shares that honey also goes very well with gin to sweeten the drinks.
Unlike standard catering companies, which start the process by providing a menu and pricing, Cornerstone and Company wants to know what your vision is, what you imagine. They then take that, run with it, and produce an event beyond your wildest dreams.
“We’re not your average catering company,” Ryan says. “We like to get the client’s vision. When they tell us they saw this crazy thing somewhere, we tell them we’ll make it for them.”
The team can create diverse experiences to cater to any guest or gathering event. A recent three-day destination wedding combined a client couple’s Haitian side paired with family and friends from New England. The guests were brought together on the first evening by way of the pizza truck; on the main day guests enjoyed a lavish Caribbean-inspired Haitian spread; and the third day concluded the celebration with a classic American-style breakfast with omelets, bacon, pastries, pancakes, breakfast meats and fruits. Grazing tables, a growing trend that have been a huge hit, were also part of this extraordinary event. They can be made either savory or sweet.
“It’s one of my favorite ways to eat,” says Ryan. “It’s just fun.”
For savory, think the ultimate charcuterie board abundant with cured meats and artisan cheeses, house-made pickles, gourmet mustard, pickled okra, onions, and green beans accompanied by dried fruits, nuts, breads and crackers. Sweet grazing boards include pastries, fresh fruits, and old-time dessert favorites such as s’mores bars but jazzed up with cookies and candies.
“It’s bringing fun back to food, taking guests back to their childhoods,” he says.
When asked what sets Cornerstone and Company apart, Ryan says, “You have to be a little eclectic to do what we do. We deliver a quality product, it’s how we roll.”
Cornerstone & Company: 3706 Webber St, Sarasota; 941-706-0941; cornerstoneandco.us
