Erin and Ray McHenry spend their days as department supervisors at Owensboro Health, but it is their family business that holds their heart. The couple owns McHenry Event Planning, with many personalized experiences that are offered through the business.
As the chef, Ray has offered in-home cooking events and dining experiences. In 2021, the couple formed their LLC to meet the needs of clients.
“The more he cooked for clients, the more demand for his food increased,” Erin said.
So while they were already planning these events for friends and family — Erin as the event planner and Ray as the chef — they decided to add more under their services.
“We offer in-home chef experiences, luxury picnics, take-home meals to order, small-event catering, and some wedding catering,” Erin said.
The majority of the help for the business comes from within the McHenry family. They also try to source locally for event partners, including event spaces, bakers, florists, photographers, graphic designers, and more.
The business constantly shares posts of other chefs, planners, events and bakery items from local vendors on their Facebook Page, encouraging visitors to try them all.
“It’s one of the most important and rewarding parts of what we do,” Erin said. “Small business supporting other small business.”
Recently, the McHenrys added a new service for clients. Erin said they saw a trend on social media of various picnics, and realized none were being offered in Owensboro.
“We saw … small, intimate picnics all the way to elaborate groups of women with all the bells and whistles,” Erin said.
So, they created a basic package but have included add-ons to make it as big or small as the client prefers.
For their luxury picnics, McHenry Event Planning offers three menus, which also includes setting up and taking down all that goes into the atmosphere. The picnics are scheduled for an hour and a half, and can also be upgraded with various enhancements.
“We are busier than we ever dreamed,” she said.
And the two aren’t finished thinking of other ways to feed the community.
“Long term, we hope to open a bed and breakfast and run our catering from that,” Erin said. “We hope to have a space for intimate dinners or meetings, both indoors and outdoors.”
To find out more about McHenry Event Planning and what they offer, visit their Facebook Page.
