Caterer is no flash in the pan

Portland chef Rob Leon provides locally grown, organic meals year-round

By Jo Ostgarden

LocalNewsDaily.com, Aug 8, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Christopher Onstott / Pamplin Media Group

Chef Rob Leon’s company, Phresh, is dedicated to providing full-service catering using all organic ingredients and, when possible, all locally grown produce and naturally raised meats.

Chef Rob Leon isn’t the first person to focus on a primarily organic catering business, but he is on track to becoming one of the most visible, if not one of the most successful.

He owns and manages Phresh catering, Portland’s only full-service catering business dedicated to offering exclusively organic and local, sustainable foods.

Leon, who lives in Southeast Portland, has run several of the city’s finest kitchens, including Atwater’s, Saucebox and Rivers. He started Phresh in 2004 while working at Rivers. He recently left to operate Phresh full time, and has catered events for the Portland French School, Hip Chicks Do Wine and Carlton Winemaker’s Studio.

The Portland Tribune talked to Leon about the joys and difficulties of maintaining a sustainable food business in Portland and the Willamette Valley.

Portland Tribune: What differentiates Phresh from other caterers?

Rob Leon: Every Phresh event features local, seasonal and certified organic products. I use organic dairy and dry goods when possible, and only use naturally raised meats. I augment my menu with farm-direct produce and purchases from local companies.

Tribune: What convinced you Portland was ready for an organic and sustainable foods caterer and helped you make the leap from restaurant kitchen to catering kitchen?

Leon: I got my big break cooking and hand-delivering Thanksgiving dinner to families two years ago, and continued cooking for my first client twice a week for a whole summer. I did a few office parties and then found some great people in the wine industry. I continue to cook at the Carlton Winemaker’s Studio – a green construction winemaker’s facility in Carlton – almost every Wednesday evening.

Tribune: What’s the hardest part of your job as a caterer dedicated to sustainable foods?

Leon: I would say the most difficult part is staying focused on these goals in the dead of winter when the growing season is a long gone.

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