Mary Nell Bennett

The Beginning

1986

From the time she was in grammar school, Mary Nell Bennett, founder and owner of Nell’s Catering Company, can remember tip-toeing down to the kitchen in the middle of the night, being oh-so-careful not to wake her parents. It was not sneaking out or causing mischief that she had in mind - it was cooking. Even at that young age, she knew she had a passion for making great food. Mary Nell would spend hours digging through her mother and grandmother’s cookbooks, reading as many recipes as she could, and then she would get to work, tweaking every ingredient to make it her own creation.

New Orleans, LA

The First Venture

2014

This passion for cooking followed her to college where she worked in several restaurants and kitchens before officially relocating to New Orleans in 2006. Mostly due to their encouragement and constant requests, in 2014, she officially established Nell’s Catering Company. The vision behind Nell’s is simple: use fresh local ingredients, incredible attention to detail, and a creative presentation to provide an experience your momma or grandmother would be happy to call their own. Whether it is 50 or 500 people, the unique food and distinctive presentations Nell’s offers is just one way that it has separated itself from the rest.

Ryan Buck

A New Member

2016

Overwhelmed by the response to Nell’s, in 2016, Nell’s fiance quit his “day job” to run the company full time. He brings his own creative passion for cooking to the company. Originally from Mandeville, Louisiana, Ryan started in the kitchen when he was just 16 years old, washing dishes at Morton’s on the Northshore. Fast-forward a few years and he was promoted to line-cook by the age of 18. He carried his passion for cooking into college, working in several bars and restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi while attending Ole Miss just like Mary Nell. Ryan brings a new element to Nell’s. He loves anything that has to do with a slow smoke or a grill. And don’t sleep on his famous “Buck Burger” from the Sandwich Menu - pickled beets, capers, an english muffin, bacon, swiss, etc. etc. etc. - it’s a phenomenal creation.