The Made From Scratch Team
Larry Clark
CEO & President
What happens when you're a 23 year old - thrill seeking - third generation chef? You start your own catering company!
Larry founded Made From Scratch in 1983, and has worked hard to make it the all encompassing catering company it is today, but he always saves time for adventures.
After receiving his scuba certification over 20 years ago, Larry enjoys spending time underwater with sharks, stingrays and barracudas any chance he gets. Since Ohio isn’t known for its vast amount of reefs and aquatic animals, he enjoys traveling to the Caribbean for its scenic underwater view.
Larry also enjoys traveling to the beautiful scenic lands of Montana every year where he participates in a yearly "round-up" of life long friends and cohorts on a trail ride. He feels that enjoying the outdoors, riding horses and hanging with the guys creates true camaraderie and offers to strengthen the mind during this week long trip.
A daily fair-weather adventure for Larry is cruising around on his Honda Goldwing. His two daughters, Ceci and Cozy, often join him for the ride and have proven to be as adventurous as their father.
Always thinking of new ways to make Made From Scratch more unique, Larry recently acquired several honey bee apiaries. He and his daughters spent an entire Saturday removing the honey from the combs and were very pleased to recover 70 pounds! The fresh honey is now being used in many Made From Scratch recipes.
Obviously, being the President of the top catering company in Central Ohio, there isn't any food that Larry doesn't like. However, when it comes to his favorite thing to eat....without hesitation, Larry says its his mother's German Chocolate Cake that she bakes for his birthday.
Tom Nelson
Executive Chef
At one time, Tom was unsure whether he wanted to be an architect or a Chef. After graduating with honors from The Culinary School at Hocking College, it's safe to say he made an excellent choice.
Although there isn't anything that Tom doesn't enjoy cooking, his favorite creations from the Made From Scratch kitchen are the Watermelon Tartare Spoon and the Roasted Marinated Pacific Salmon. Tom feels the success of these dishes depend on the freshest produce and seafood, making them even more enticing.
When not working and creating delicious entrees and desserts, Tom enjoys cat fishing at Norris Lake in Tennessee; and says the best way to cook fresh fish is to use a good Corn Meal coating and pan fry over an open fire. Delicious. His most memorable capture was a 12” Channel when he was 15 years old. It may not be the biggest he ever caught, but it was one of the few times he and all his brothers were able to get together to fish.
Tom doesn’t get the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors as much as he would like to, but tries to bring the wilderness inside by creating great woodwork pieces. Even though he loves the kitchen... he’s considered replacing his kitchen table with a table saw more than once.
Selena Vazquez
Director of Catering
Working in her parent's restaurant when she was nine, and waiting tables while she earned her degree from Ohio State, groomed Selena for success in the hospitality industry. She enjoys planning events and the opportunity to share in the special moments of others.
Having a mother who is Thai explains Selena's love for Thailand, where she enjoys visiting her parents when she can. Selena claims that the country offers the most beautiful beaches and kindest people.
Bringing more diversity into Selena’s life, her husband Miguel is Puerto Rican. While she has not had the chance to visit the beautiful island, she and Miguel hope to get there soon.
Enjoying an eclectic choice of food from all over the world has allowed Selena to bring more international ideas to Made From Scratch. Her favorite menu items? Anything simple and delicious that she can offer to her clients. Although Selena claims that she can order take-out better than anyone - her homemade Chicken Ala King is "pretty darn good."
At the moment, Selena and Miguel consider their Jack Russell Terrier, Daisy; and their cat, Ophelia to be their children. When not enjoying each other's company, they enjoy the company of their many friends, family, nieces and nephews.
Shelley Hart
Corporate Controller
Shelley joined the Made From Scratch team in 2012 and she has already taken "control" of our Controlling and Accounting department. Shelley is a great fit to our team--it's as if she's been here for years.
Shelley prides herself on being uber organized (have you ever met a Controller who wasn't organized?) and has past Sales experience in the catering industry, which is a bonus! We are all pretty sure that if you looked up "hard-working" in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of Shelley Hart.
Shelley is always up for an adventure; whether she's traveling to Africa, white-water rafting, or skydiving, you can count her in. She's a total animal lover--don't ask her how many pets she has. (But if you did ask, you'd probably receive an answer like "oooh....only a few!" ...wink wink).
Krysten Phillips
Marketing Director
Three words to describe Krysten: friendly, fun, creative. A self-proclaimed "fact guru", Krysten finds it important to know a little bit about everything, which one of her Ohio State professors taught her would get her far in life. So far so good!
Beginning her career in food service at the age of 16, Krysten has a passion for the industry. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, it may look like she didn't get far (only 2 hours North!), but at age 10 Krysten and her family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for two years. Because of this move, she attended quite a few schools as a child, and was forced to learn how to meet new people. To this day, Krysten accredits Toronto to making her the person she is today--outgoing, open, and immune to cold weather (just kidding)!
Joining Made From Scratch in 2012, Krysten is excited to focus all of her energy on Marketing, which is her passion.
Krysten loves the NFL ("Go Bengals!") and Fantasy Football, which she anxiously awaits season after season. Krysten loves spending time with her husband Tyler, her friends, and family--"nothing better than that".
Paul Claudio
Director of Operations
Why would a Florida native come to Columbus? And stay here? We wonder the same thing every day. The answer: "no idea". Paul was born in Key West and grew up in West Palm Beach. He played hockey professionally in Europe/Czech Republic. Paul & his wife Erika moved here in 2001 to continue his hockey career & to be closer to family--they haven't been able to leave ever since! Partially because he loves Made From Scratch so darn much.
Paul has a strong background in Operations and has done a wonderful job here at MFS. He is a true handiman--you'll see Paul fixing things periodically around the office, including our cars. Yes, he's a huge car buff--his favorite car: 1993 Mazda RX7.
Paul & Erika gave birth to a beautiful daughter in 2012, Julianna. We are all in love with her and we make the lovely couple bring Julianna everywhere we go. Literally. Paul tries to dress her up in Chicago Blackhawks gear, but we don't think that flies with the wife. "Go Hawks!"
Carol Chivington
Senior Event Consultant
Carol likes a challenge! As an Event Consultant with Made From Scratch for 20 years, she has had the privilege of planning some of the largest , most challenging events that Made From Scratch Catering has produced.
Carol likes to stay current with the ever changing food and decor trends by networking with other event professional at ISES (International Special Events Society) and WPC (Wedding Professionals of Columbus). Carol is also proud to say that she serves as Treasurer of the Ohio Chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding, a non-profit organization providing weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances.
Relaxing time for Carol consists of hiking, gardening and tending to her "pack" of three mischievous Terriers. Travel is also a passion which she feels has contributed to her career by providing inspiration for event theme development and authentic menu design. Her adventures in Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Turkey have influenced her approach to making an event a unique experience.
Carol values the many clients that have grown to become personal friends through the process of planning events together and always loves the opportunity to entertain in her own home.
Currently, Carol eagerly awaits an announcement from her daughter and son-in-law about the possibility of a grandchild in the near future.
Janet Ogden
Event Consultant
Janet is a family woman. When she and her husband Chris were married, they knew they wanted a big family. Six children and eleven grandchildren later - Janet's plans are a reality.
Janet feels fortunate that all her family have remained in Columbus and looks forward to having everyone over once a month for Sunday dinner, as well as celebrating birthdays and holidays. Janet's grandchildren look forward to her annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast where everything from the Pancakes to the Butter are...green!
With many busy schedules and activities, traveling can sometimes be difficult. However, in the Ogden tradition of spending time together, the entire family recently traveled to Duck Island, North Carolina. Janet says that with so many people in the house, there was constant commotion, but the memories are wonderful.
Janet began her career with Made From Scratch 20 years ago. She has had hands on experience with the service department, operations and even the kitchen. She found her niche when she became an Event Consultant. Having planned and designed the perfect weddings for her own children, Janet enjoys creating the perfect wedding for others as well. She understands working on a budget and family dynamics; and she strives to make sure everyone feels special for that perfect day.
Janet receives many verbal accolades for her attention to detail, but her favorite compliment came from a client who told her "Janet, you understand our vision. You did such a wonderful job designing the wedding for our first daughter, we now want you to plan the wedding for our second daughter."
Kimberly Frank
Event Consultant
Food, family and fun - all done with style - is the only way to describe Kimberly.
Named after her Uncle Kim Tucci, Kimberly loves food and she loves to cook. Her husband Matthew and two daughters, Maddie and Kenzie, look forward to home-cooked Italian meals made from family recipes passed down from generations.
After preparing Sunday dinners for her friends in college; and after creating her own salad dressing for her wedding 11 years ago - choosing catering as a career only made sense. Kimberly catered out of her home for several years before joining the Made From Scratch team. She feels that her knowledge of food helps to create perfect custom menus that showcase her client's vision.
Although she has many much loved recipes straight from the Made From Scratch kitchen, Kimberly says her favorite would have to be the Herb encrusted Beef Tenderloin and the homemade Bruschetta.
Fashion and style are also essentials of Kimberly. Even though she is always dressed professional and “To-a-T” for every event, on her days off, she can throw a baseball cap on better than anyone.
Lauren Dillon
Event Consultant
One thing is certain--Lauren loves to entertain! Needless to say, she's made for this industry. Some of her favorite memories have been made sharing great food, wine and laughs with her closest family and friends.
When she isn't planning fabulous events at Made From Scratch, the Ohio native can be found spending time at her family's 33-acre property on Nolin Lake in Kentucky--the site for her recent 2012 nuptials! Her favorite hobbies include snow skiing, watching Ohio State football, and hanging out at home with her husband, John, and their two cats, Buster and Betsy.
Leveraging her experience in the food and beverage industry with her passion for design (she once owned her own design company!), Lauren joined the Made From Scratch team in 2012. Her incredible "infectious" enthusiasm and experience with full-service event planning made her a fantastic edition to our innovative sales team.
Lauren loves developing unique event experiences by tailoring the menu, linen and floral design to celebrate each individual personality. It is no surprise that when she periodically wanders back to our expansive warehouse, exploring new design supplies, we can hear her exclaiming to the world "ooooooh I LOVE this!".
Jami Benjamin
Service Coordinator
Jami wears many hats at good ol' Made From Scratch: Service Coordinator, Sales Assistant, Cheerleader, Mascot, Payroll Manager...the list goes on. Fun, passionate, athletic and full of laughter, we see Jami tackle all tasks with a smile on her face.
We don't call Jami our Cheerleader for nothing--she attended The Ohio State University where she was Captain of the Women's Competitive Cheerleading Squad. It doesn't surprise us to see Jami fling her body into a back handspring every once in a while down the office corridore. Never a dull moment! After college, Jami became involved with Olympic-style Lifting and even participated in the Arnold Classic! After some Restaurant Management experience, Jami came to us with a yearning to join the Catering World. Now, after two years with Made From Scratch, Jami is on her way to becoming part of the sales team.
In her spare time, she enjoys snowboarding, zip lining, traveling and relaxing with her boyfriend, Trent, and amazing puppy, Captain.
