* Name: Double Portion Catering
* Owner: Terri Myers, who teaches at Catoosa Performance Learning Center and is originally from Louisiana
* Opened: July 2007
* Who they cater for: The full-service catering business offers its services for weddings, parties and luncheons like those held regularly by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce and the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club - though Myers got her start in the catering game with church dinners.
* What's on the menu: A plethora of "down-home cooking" delicacies like cranberry pistachio chicken and roast beef à la moutarde. Myers said the beer-braised brisket is a definite favorite, though she has a special place in her heart (and stomach) for the oven-fried chicken, covered with panko and Parmesan. The menu also includes a robust selection for vegetarians, she added, pointing to items like the cheese tower, a confection of cheese stacked up like a wedding cake, among a large selection of other meatless entrées.
* What's popular right now: The caterer said Double Portion's family-style meal service, where the food is taken out to each table in dishes and the guests serve themselves like they would at home, is becoming a favorite among hosts. "It avoids the buffet line, but it's less expensive to the party-giver," Myers said. "It's very friendly, it's very comfortable, it's very hospitable, and hospitality is very important to us." Plus, she added, it means no one has to get up if they're craving a second helping.
* What clients are saying: Two of the comments Myers said she often hears from those she's catered for are: "Their food has a lot of flavor," and, "You should open a restaurant." "If you hear it once in a while, it might just be somebody being nice, but I hear it consistently enough to think that we must be doing something right," she said.
* What the future holds: Myers is actively exploring the possibility of incorporating a venue for hosting events into the business's offerings. She currently has her eye on a promising location, and if all goes well, she said, the site could be open as early as October. The venue would seat about 125-150 people and allow "people to come to us," Myers said.
* Address: 175 Woodie Drive in Ringgold
* Availability: Every day except Sundays
* More info: Visit doubleportioncatering.com, call 423-316-1727, or connect through Facebook
- Compiled by Myron Madden