Safety Harbor, Fla., a quaint city on the western shore of Tampa Bay, is a respite from nearby tourist hubs Clearwater and Tampa. Due to its laid-back vibe, it’s a go-to spot for conferences and weddings.

You can’t have those without good food.

In steps Betsy Byrd ’78.

“A lot of people, when they entertain here, are doing weddings and big events in their lives,” Byrd says. “They’re having people come in from out of town, so they want to have that Florida flavor in their menu.” Byrd has been providing that taste of the Panhandle with her catering company, The Stuffed Mushroom, for nearly three decades. Hear how she does it:

I bought the business almost 30 years ago.
It was an existing catering company, and I did most of the cooking myself. It was a two-person operation, along with serving people. But as we’ve grown, I have full-time staff who do most of the food prep and all of the serving. I do the event planning.

We make all of our food.
I know it sounds funny, but a lot of places don’t, particularly when you’re in a catered environment because of the large quantities. We don’t open cans of sauces and pour them on top of the chicken; we make it all from scratch. You can tell the difference when you taste the food.

When we want to try a new item, we’ll put it in a hot box, and three hours later open the hot box and taste it. If it doesn’t hold well, we won’t make it. Typically, food in a catered situation is eaten several hours after it’s been prepared, so you have to know what you’re doing and what things work.

If you pick the right things and make them the right way, you can serve fabulous food, even to 250 people, four hours after it left your shop.

We have a tropical salad with mixed greens and sliced strawberries and mandarin orange segments with coconut mango dressing. We’re known for our beef tenderloin — we roast it in a really hot oven, which seals in all of the juices and the tenderness. We do a wonderful dish that we call Key West Shrimp, which is shrimp, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts in a cream-based sauce that’s flavored with sherry and amaretto.

Byrd has tips for those tying the knot:

Don’t stress: “My advice is to keep it as simple as possible. I have a lot of clients who don’t realize how much work they’re making for themselves if they go into too much detail.”

Pick two food options, one simple and one exciting: “If you want to try something a little bit crazy, that’s fine, because you can have one crazy thing and then have one normal thing.”

Don’t forget to add food to your budget: “Figure out your budget before you start inviting people, and either have a smaller amount of people at a really nice reception, or do a large reception at the church and have cake and punch.”