A Letter from Chef Jacki Butterfield
My husband Chef Tom Campbell, a Towson native, and I decided to move to Baltimore from San Francisco, California after we had “walked the plank” at One Eyed Mike’s in Fell’s Point during a visit for a family celebration. The original intention was to open a restaurant similar to that of Woodberry Kitchen; however during our family celebration visit, Woodberry Kitchen was not yet in existence and by the time we made our way out east, it had opened and immediately became one of our many favorite local restaurants. Upon arrival in Baltimore, we quickly scrapped the idea of opening a restaurant during a time of economic uncertainty. I instead opted to work for several local catering companies while at the same time I started a personal chef business, a natural transition for me from a Private Chef position I held in Palo Alto, California, working for a Stanford Professor and his wife who was CEO of a billion dollar a year software company. In August of 2009, because of my experience, food philosophies and commitment to local sourcing, I became Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore winner for “Best At-Home Chef.”
Two years after the start of Chef Butterfield’s Personal Chef Service, Patchwork Catering came into being. Tom quit his full-time job to join forces with me, assisting me with the daily operations of a growing personal chef business, while I focused on the expanding special event segment of the business. Our combined 30 years’ experience working in top industry kitchens including four-star, fine-dining celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas such as Aqua, Michael Mina, RM Seafood, Tableau, Bouchon, Olive’s, and others, executing impressive fine dining food in unheard of volume, gave us the experience, knowledge and the knowhow to craft extraordinary food in quantity, while working under pressure with great attention to detail and organization — the experience of which became an essential skillset that translated easily into the roles we now hold as Executive Chefs of Patchwork Catering.
Patchwork means “pieced work”, a name that was born out of Tom’s kitchen culture of having several colorful nursery rhyme inspired body artworks – a veritable patchwork of tattoos beneath his chef jacket – but also reflects our philosophy of shared experiences through food and community. My passion for supporting local farms began in central Iowa, where the small farming community I grew up in influenced my desire for farm fresh ingredients. Patchwork Catering is a natural extension of my commitment to connect people though all our practices — whether it is time spent with us creating the perfect menu for your event, by connecting loved ones together over a shared experience, or by building relationships with the community and environment through local farmers and purveyors — whatever the extension, occasion or experience, Patchwork Catering is here to assist you with my personal commitment to ensuring the successful outcome of your event.
Our Mission
Patchwork Catering emphasizes exceptionally crafted food, using green and sustainable practices farm to table. Our mission is to work with you to design a menu that is perfect for your occasion, while using organically grown, seasonally available products wherever possible.
Without sacrificing your budget, Patchwork Catering thoughtfully chooses ingredients and products that support the local economies, community, and environment.
