Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine (Cathy) Mayes.
Hi Catherine (Cathy), please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a 4th generation native of Jacksonville Beach. I come from a long line of self-taught chefs. My Grandparents, William Sr. and Eva Mae Gufford, owned restaurants in the ’30s & ’40s (Gufford’s Chowder House and Gufford’s Steaks and Seafood Market). My Uncle, William Gufford II, owned Bill’s Broiler in the ’60s. My mother catered to bring additional income to our family while I was growing up. My sister, Susan, and I, assisted her, which is how we learned so much about food and food service. Fast forward to the late 1980s when I met my husband, who owned a business that co-produced several events (mostly outdoors), for which he provided the food and beverage concessions. We combined our skills and formed Mayes Food Services, Inc, the parent company of our meal prep, “The Freshly Forked.” We’ve been in food service for more than 33 years. In addition to our concession operations and corporate catering services, we provided “meal prep” to our corporate clients. During the pandemic, we were concerned about our business, as 2 of our largest contracts were shut down during the lockdown. Like everyone, we were unsure to what extent the shutdown would last. We were able to lease a retail spot at Jacksonville Beach, where we took our corporate meal prep to the public which, in addition to our catering and concessions, is where we find ourselves today.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We are truly blessed to have been in business for over 33 years. The ‘ups & downs’ haven’t been too drastic, but the “food fashion” changes have been interesting, fun, and challenging. We’ve never turned our business over to anyone. We are on-site at every event and every business location we own. We credit this for our longevity and may be the secret to our success.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Our services include:
Corporate catering ( events between 50 – 2,000)
Food service for large outdoor events
Meal prep (healthy and delicious)
We are most proud that we have been able to sustain our business for many years. I believe what sets us apart from others, and why we are still in business today, is because we are involved and on-site for every event we are contracted to.
Our core business members/owners:
Catherine Mayes, President, co-owner (woman-owned business)
Michael Mayes, VP, co-owner (veteran-owned business)
Chad Mayes, Operations manager
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’ve lived in Jacksonville Beach my entire life, and I love Jacksonville and its Beaches. We have the most beautiful beaches, weather that gets slightly cold in the winter, beautiful falls and springs, and wonderfully hot summers (yes, I love the Florida heat). I love all the water in our city, the St John’s River, the Intracoastal Waterway, and our gorgeous Atlantic Ocean. I love that everyone wants to live in Florida, and I am fortunate enough to call myself a native of such a desirable and beautiful place. My least favorite thing about our city traffic. Ugh!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thefreshlyforked.com & www.mayesfoods.com (if you need to list just 1 of the websites, use the freshly forked)
- Instagram: thefreshlyforked
- Facebook: thefreshlyforked
Image Credits
n/a
