The husband and wife duo of Ray and Erin McHenry have combined their talents to form McHenry Event Planning. Started in June, the business model is open-ended, leaving the services offered up to the imaginations of their customers.
General services include event planning, catering, grazing tables, and charcuterie boards. Ray’s passion for food, paired with his desire to be challenged, has encouraged the two to add private dining services to their repertoire.
“With private dining, the customer will design a menu with me, and we’ll handle all of the cooking, serving, cleaning, and more,” Ray said. “When they come up with a menu and you execute, there’s a strong sense of accomplishment there.”
With more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Ray handles the food side of the business, while Erin specializes in the organizational components. Erin added that private dining is something they wish to promote moving forward.
“If you have an idea, we can make it come to life; there is no set menu — it’s whatever the client wants,” Erin said. “Private dining can range from elegant in-home dates to themed dinners and picnics. It’s a task to get all the courses out on time … It’s a more intimate dining experience, and I know Ray enjoys it.”
The McHenrys’ catering services are also versatile, offering patrons flexible pricing with various menu items. Erin said it doesn’t matter if it’s fillet and lobster or peanut butter and jelly — their goal is to leave the customer satisfied. They offer buffet or plated services, and the leftovers always stay with the client.
Ray’s track record includes tenures at the Executive Inn and The Lure, where he climbed from dishwasher to kitchen manager. He and Erin presently work at Owensboro Health, and he serves as the catering manager at Niko’s Bakery and Cafe, where he performs under Chef Matt Weafer.
“Food makes people happy,” he said. “I developed the passion by watching my grandma in the kitchen and just getting out, exploring, and cooking over the years.”
The two got their start when they prepared the food and assisted in organizing Erin’s brother’s wedding. Ray was without work for six weeks due to layoffs from the pandemic, and the two decided they would like to start writing their own paychecks.
“We realized how well we worked together during the wedding; I planned, and he executed the cooking,” Erin said. “After contemplating the experience, we said to ourselves, ‘why not just do this forever?’”
Ray sources much of his produce and meats locally and takes pride in partnering with the community for many ingredients.
The two are booked most weekends through October, though a few days remain available. They are eager to become a staple in the community and hope to eventually own a food truck to use for their events.
“We want to have a food truck that we can take to events and cook on site as opposed to having to pre-cook,” Erin said. “It wouldn’t be your typical food truck — the clients would still set the menu; it would just allow us to offer even fresher food.”
To book an event or learn more about McHenry’s Event planning, visit them on Facebook here. Direct additional inquiries to 270-313-3678.
