OREGON ZOO   .    PORTLAND, OREGON   .   WWW.OREGONZOO.ORG

Catered Events at the Zoo
Banquets & Receptions w Group Picnics and Barbecues w Reunions
Meetings & Retreats w Private Parties w Weddings
Facilities w Event Guidelines & Policies
Catering Menus w Meet Our Catering Staff w Event Services

Gary's passion for doing what he loves led him to the restaurant / catering field. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a political science degree, he fulfilled his three passions- food, jazz and art- and opened the Jazz Station Cafe, an eclectic, personable bistro in Eugene, Oregon. "I was never able to put my three passions in order," Gary says. "The joy of the restaurant was that they all came together."
As the main caterer for Eugene's Performing Arts Center, he showcased his years of experience in event planning, coordinating and facilitating, with events ranging from casual to formal. Gary later ran his own catering company out of his home. When the desire to be closer to his family brought Gary to Portland, he began working at the Oregon Zoo where he has been for the past three and a half years.
"What I love about the zoo is that I'm not doing it all. We're a team here." Gary enjoys being personally involved in your event, from the initial contact to the day of your event. He can assist you with an intimate party of fifty, but is just as comfortable with a group of 10,000.

Kim has spent the majority of her restaurant / catering career working in beautiful locations. Born in Hawaii on the Big Island, she moved with her family to the Pacific Northwest when she was three years old. As an adult, she was lured back to Hawaii where she worked in banquets at the Hyatt. After eight years, Kim grew tired of island life and moved back to the Northwest. She worked as catering manager at Salty's on the Columbia, planning everything from small corporate events to weddings. She has been at the zoo since January 2000. Kim feels that the zoo comes in close comparison to the beauty of her past job locations.
"It's a great adventure working at the zoo. Wherever I've been has been in beautiful locations, and the zoo is just as beautiful," Kim says.
Outside of catering, Kim enjoys outdoor activities such as camping and traveling. Some of her travels include Australia and Tahiti.

Jimmy came to the Oregon Zoo a year and a half ago with twelve years experience in the restaurant field. After graduating from the University of Montana, he knew he wanted to be working in the food industry. "I'm not a traditional person," Jimmy says. Jimmy later went back to school at Western Culinary Institute in Portland. After graduating in 1996, Jimmy and his wife moved to Colorado where he spent two years working as Sous Chef in a French restaurant. When management at the restaurant started to crumble, Jimmy entered the catering business. For two and a half years, Jimmy worked as operations manager, doing everything from securing rentals and coordinating delivery times to ordering flowers, making props, setting up the decor, and scheduling staff.
Jimmy and his wife returned to Portland in 1998, and he worked at Jake's as banquet captain doing everything from organizing staff to planning and running events.
Outside of work, Jimmy is the father of two children, ages four and two. In addition to spending as much time as possible with his children, he is fascinated with world instruments. He enjoys experimenting with everything from drums to flutes, and he teaches himself how to play instruments from all over the world.

Chef Paul came to the zoo one year ago with twenty-four years experience in the restaurant field. He took his first cooking job in 1976, and in 1981, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Chef Paul's experience also includes working part-time as a chef instructor at Clark Community College in the culinary arts program, teaching prospective chefs to master soups, sauces and garde manger (cold items such as salads, dressings, desserts, and fancy garnishes).
Chef Paul became the zoo's chef of choice when, during the interview process, he was given a huge tub of food and was asked to prepare dinner for eight people in an hour and a half. His three-course meal included a hot appetizer of salmon filet with almond risotto, grilled pear and wild green salad with basil vinaigrette, and two main courses of beef Tri tip and chicken breast prepared two different ways. He also made fresh bread.
Chef Paul loves the zoo so much, he says he'll retire from here "unless the leopards eat him."
"I love the non-profit organization feel, it's a nice environment," Chef Paul says.
Although his talent proves he loves what he does for a living, cooking is not the most important thing in his life- it's being a good dad. Even though he is more than capable of winning many awards in his field, he concentrates his time on his six-year-old daughter.
"In order to win awards, it takes a lot of time outside of work. I'd rather be a better father than enter contests," Chef Paul says.