It’s A Woman’s World: Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering Co.
Since 2014, Genee Habansky’s Herbaceous Catering Co. has made the rounds all over. Catering, sure, but you’ve most likely come across her, if not at a private party, then it’s been at an event somewhere in Fairfield County (and beyond). If not there, then maybe you’ve picked up her food at the Westport Farmers Market where Herbaceous is a steady vendor.
Habansky’s philosophy when it comes to her catering business is all about caring for the environment, plus, seasonality, locality, and super fresh as it pertains to ingredients she uses, something she became passionate about, first, at culinary school, then at Paul Newman’s The Dressing Room and her other stints at places like Pagano’s Seafood, Heirloom, Walrus + Carpenter, and Centro.
The last time I saw Genee, we barely had a chance to chat except for a quick “hello!” as she was busy running her table, and I was busy wood firing 40+ grandma style pizzas at Wakeman Town Farm’s annual fundraiser.
So, I’m just as excited to get to know her a bit more…RIGHT NOW!
Let’s dive into her food origin story and get to know more about Herbaceous Catering.
Give us your earliest memory that made you fall in love with food and what made you want to go to culinary school?
I have always loved food since the moment I can remember. I was primarily raised by my father, who wasn’t a good cook, at all, but he could definitely grill a mean steak or salmon collar, or was an expert at getting take out or going out to eat. We ate well at some delicious restaurants. I really fell in love with all aspects of food when I met my husband’s family. They would gather in the kitchen and bond over food. Each time they gathered they would cook for each other. It was then that I could see the impact of food and how happy everyone one was when gathering around the kitchen table. When my father-in-law got sick, I realized the importance of food and health. I decided to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute. NGA was a plant-based culinary school that taught me how to cook, then how to cook holistically.
You’ve worked at some great restaurants. What made you leave the line and start Herbaceous Catering Co.?
After leaving culinary school, I knew I wanted to continue working in restaurants and continue working. Working the line is where I learned how to become an efficient cook. I had the opportunity to learn from some amazing chefs and became a stronger person working with some not-so-great ones. Line work is tough; long shifts, no breaks, little pay. I knew I wanted to cook my own food. I knew I wanted to be a part of people’s celebrations, we knew we wanted to know who grows our food, and source from amazing local farms. That is when my husband, Jesse, and I, started Herbaceous.
Explain what Herbaceous Catering’s ethos is.
Herbaceous Catering was born out of a love of food and gathering around the kitchen table. We are a true farm to table catering company. We scour the state looking for the best farms to source from. We develop relationships with our farmers who are the backbone of our business. These farmers have become our friends, raising the food we serve to our clients. Because of that, there is so much love in our food from seed to table. Being farm to table, taking care of our environment is also a must. We have eliminated plastic packaging and package salads and soups for prepared foods in mason jars, taking a deposit on each jar in order to reuse. We have also composted 17,000 pounds of food since 2019, dropping off any leftovers at Fridgeport in Bridgeport. This way we have done our best to eliminate food waste.
Where can people find your food?
We are primarily event-based caterers that cater all sorts of events like weddings, cocktail parties, birthdays, graduations, and more, and it’s an honor for us to be part of such events. Our prepared food is available EXCLUSIVELY at the Westport Farmers Market, that runs every Thursday from May through March.
You also host pop up dinners. One that I find particularly fascinating is the Foraging Hike & Nature Dinner Series. Tell people what they can expect if they’re considering attending that dinner or one of your other events.
This to me, is the ultimate foodie experience. It combines our love of mother nature with our value of the farm to table ethic. We have staged these dinners at some incredible Fairfield County farms, like Palmeiri Farm in Easton, The Hickories in Ridgefield, and the beautiful Open Farmhouse in Redding. We have partnered up with master forager Amy Demers of Connecticut Foraging Club, who will escort groups on a one to one-and-a-half hour forage and identification walk, returning afterwards to the farm venue, and finally enjoying a five course forage to table meal. Foraged mocktail/cocktails are included. The main course includes a choice of carnivore, vegetarian, or pescatarian options.
How are you a pioneer?
Our commitment to seasonality, the farms & to the environment. As farm to table caterers, we homestead hard. We start preserving the seasons immediately in early May with spring onion pesto and chive blossom vinegar and strawberry and other fruit jams. We jar tomatoes from July to October. We pickle vegetables like crazy, recently pickling under-ripe strawberries and carrots. We make fresh ginger simple syrups and rosemary simple syrups and so on. We care about the environment. We compost, use reusable packaging and offer no-waste food products (we make a refreshing corn cob & lemon rind lemonade during the summer months). A business like ours is few and far between. Authentic to the farmers, authentic to the soil.
For more info on catering, pop ups, and more, visit herbaceouscatering.com
