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Our Team
At Beau Catering, our people are everything – and the heart and soul of our success. We're so grateful for Beau's vision and proud to continue his legacy. We owe it all to the countless individuals who have supported us throughout the years. From our friends and family to our dedicated coworkers who became family, know that each one of you has built this company.
Katie Hopkins
Katie Hopkins brings nearly two decades of hands-on experience and heart to the culinary world. She began her catering journey in 2007 at Baker’s Best (Boston, MA), starting as a sandwich prep cook and quickly rising to sous chef. From there, she honed her skills in full-service catering with Morin’s Fine Catering (Seekonk, MA), where she cooked for high-end weddings and large-scale events at iconic venues like the Newport Mansions.
Katie’s love for food started at home, cooking alongside her mom for over 30 of their closest family and friends during every holiday. From handmade pierogis on Easter to her family’s signature cheesecake, it was these cherished traditions that sparked her passion for creating delicious, meaningful meals.
At Beau Catering, Katie combines her deep culinary roots with leadership and creativity, ensuring every event is memorable, flavorful, and crafted with care. Her favorite dishes to cook are classic comfort foods—but when it comes to dessert, she loves to get playful, inventive, and just a little decadent.
Lauren Erickson Bennett
Known for many things throughout the community, Lauren Erickson Bennett is both the owner of and partner, alongside Chef Katie, of Beau Catering. There is nothing Lauren enjoys more than watching Katie and the team carry on Beau’s legacy, while building a phenomenal company based on the core values of delicious, yet simple, food; exceptional customer service; a team that trusts each other’s ideas, palates, and work ethic; and, most importantly, having fun while they do it.
Lauren looks to her partners, Katie and Paul (at Little Gem), to run the day-to-day operations, while also being the best teammates she could ever hope for, something she is immensely proud of. We all know Beau would be too.
Ali Nikolic
Originally from the fast-paced kitchens of Los Angeles, Ali Nikolic spent 15 years behind the line before swapping her chef’s coat for a clipboard and stepping into FOH management. Since moving to North Carolina in 2015, Ali has helped lead a variety of restaurant concepts—proof that she thrives in organized chaos, no matter the zip code. These days, you’ll find Ali fine-tuning events, crafting the perfect Old Fashioned, and navigating the joyful madness of toddlerhood. Married life and menu planning keep Ali on her toes—and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Paul Finn
Paul Finn moved to North Carolina from New Jersey in 2002. Working in restaurants was initially a way to pay the bills while pursuing music. The hospitality bug caught on while working at Acme, a fine dining southern restaurant in Carrboro. Craft bartending became his primary focus while working at the James Beard award-winning Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill. Paul joined the Beau Catering team as Beverage Director in the Spring of 2025 and opened Little Gem in August 2025. This new neighborhood cocktail bar and event space features original craft cocktails, monthly mixology classes, and food from Katie & The Beau Catering kitchen.
Andrew Pava
Andrew Pava joined Beau Catering in the fall of 2023. Andrew is in charge of business operations and administrative tasks at both Beau Catering and Little Gem, including but not limited to human resources, accounting, financing, marketing, and web/social media. Andrew has worked in a similar capacity across multiple organizations and industries before joining our team in the fall of 2023. Andrew received his Master's from the School of Hospitality, Retail, and Sports Management at the University of South Carolina in 2020 and has proven himself as a valuable asset to our growing organization in his short time with us.
Taite Pando
Taite Pando grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, and began his culinary career in 2013 as a dishwasher at Continental Divide, a local favorite since 1994. He went on to work in a variety of restaurants, gaining experience across both casual and fine dining kitchens. After moving to Chapel Hill in 2023, Taite became kitchen manager at Lantern before stepping into the role of Sous Chef to help open Proximo in the fall of 2024. He enjoys nothing more than cooking for friends and family, and looks forward to bringing that same passion and care to your holidays and celebrations.
Join Our Team
We are always looking for experienced Front of House and Back of House staff members to join our ever-growing team. If you are interested in becoming part of the Beau Catering family, please contact andrew@beaucatering.com for more information on available positions.
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