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Morning Routine: Barrie Schwartz of My House Events

Barrie Schwartz's culinary curation company had simple beginnings: My House Events (formerly My House Social) started in 2012 as pop-ups showcasing local chef talent and were held in her home. In 2019, the female owned and operated company was recognized by The Knot in their 2019 Wedding Awards, underwent a rebrand, and continues to revolutionize the event space and hospitality industry. My House Events is based in New Orleans and has created an ecosystems of chefs and event planers nationwide; events are personalized, while a new revenue stream is created for up-and-coming and notable chef talent. The team has executed events for brands like Netflix, Essence Festival, and The New York Times.

JUNEBUG WEDDINGS

WEDDING BLOG: Colorfully Timeless Marigny Opera House Destination Wedding

With guests flying in from around the world, Laura and Stuart wanted to make sure their big day was unforgettable for everyone. They focused on filling their celebration with love, joy, lively music, and delicious food. That’s why they chose New Orleans, a city known for its vibrant energy. With their unique venue setting the tone, their Marigny Opera House destination wedding became a colorful and timeless event that perfectly matched their vision.

NEW ORLEANS CITY BUSINESS

Fastest Growing Companies 2024: ‘Catering Coast to Coast’ - My House Events expands, grows in New Orleans and Los Angeles

In 2021, New Orleans-based My House Events expanded its catering and event management services into Los Angeles. That expansion, combined with increased business in New Orleans, has led to a three-year revenue growth of 269% for the mission-centered, women-owned catering and event management agency.

My House Events reported a 2023 year-end revenue of $1.7 million, compared to $460,000 at the end of 2021. Revenue was also up year-over-year from the 2022 revenue of $1.6 million. Business in New Orleans makes up 70% of the total revenue, while Los Angeles makes up 30%.

Gambit

Pro Party Tips

Kaylene Torregrossa, director of production at event planning company My House Events, says venues typically have built-in staff to help with the less glamorous parts of hosting, like “taking out trash, bussing tables and making sure the food is out and at the right temperature.”

“It takes the work of throwing a party off your plate,” she says.

Getting a planner to help is also a good choice if it’s your first time throwing a big bash and you want to get it right.

“Most planners know the venues really well and can speak to the strengths and weaknesses,” Torregross a says. “New Orleans is an old city with buildings that have quirks, so planners can really help determine what space is best for the type of party.

Shoutout LA

Meet Barrie Schwartz | Founder of My House Events

We had the good fortune of connecting with Barrie Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barrie, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?

That chefs and food service industry professionals work so hard and put passion into everything they do! It’s a very manual labor intensive job with so much that goes on behind the scenes before the end product is shown. Handing food and working to provide an amazing experience for guests is one that we don’t take lightly and spend so much time preparing for!

Bold Journey

Meet Barrie Schwartz | Bold Journey

By 2012, I also began organizing food truck festivals and collaborating with talented chefs throughout the city. Under the name My House NOLA, we aimed to shake up the private events industry, which seemed saturated with uninspired menus and repetitive use of the same chefs. Recognizing the need for a change, we made a pivotal decision and rebranded ourselves as My House Events.