Determined Entrepreneur: CAB's Catering

Kierston Eastham Rosen


    As any entrepreneur knows, launching a successful business from initial idea to functioning enterprise is wrought with challenges. Cory A. Boggs, owner and chef at CAB’s Catering in Ashland, Kentucky, has experienced these challenges – and more – firsthand.

    Boggs is a 2010 graduate of Paul G. Blazer High School and a 2012 graduate of Ashland Community and Technical College’s Culinary Arts Program. “I took 22 credit hours my first summer and 18 hours my second summer – I wanted to hurry up and finish [the program],” Boggs said with a laugh. After completing the program, he began applying to various positions within the culinary field, but those close to Boggs encouraged him to consider opening his own business. “I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to cater but maybe not own my own business,” Boggs said.  

     After much consideration, Boggs officially opened CAB’s Catering in July 2013. “My parents [Pat and Angie Boggs] were a huge help,” he recalled. His parents are still actively involved with the company; Pat Boggs works as a firefighter in Lexington, Kentucky, and Angie Boggs works as a full-time flight nurse.

    When CAB’s Catering opened, there were already two well-established caterers in Ashland, plus local restaurants with which to compete. Boggs was also only 20 years old at the time he started the company, making the process of obtaining financing difficult. On one occasion, he visited a bank to see about obtaining a loan to start the business and took along his parents’ financial information for the bank to review. “They were very suspicious,” he recalled.   

    Not only was he initially turned down by several local banks for financing due to his age and the amount of risk involved, but CAB’s was also unable to obtain the property initially chosen for the company. However, Boggs obtained his current property on Winchester Avenue in October 2012 – formerly housing a boutique and a real estate office – and converted the space into a fully equipped kitchen, a process that took about six months.

    Despite these setbacks, Boggs was able to get CAB’s Catering off of the ground and the company has now been in business for almost six years. Initially, he was only catering events for family and friends, but the business quickly expanded after another popular catering company in Ashland shut its doors, leaving its clients looking for another local option. “We had a ton of business immediately without hardly any advertising. It was mostly word of mouth,” Boggs said.  

     During the first year, CAB’s business model was mostly centered on providing daily box lunches to local businesses, but that quickly changed after CAB’s was tapped to cater the Wine & Bourbon Ball in 2013. “They kind of went out on a limb and trusted me to see if I could do it. Now, we’ve done it for five years straight,” he said.     

    CAB’s offers a diverse menu, but if a potential customer has a particular dish in mind, Boggs can more than likely accommodate the request. For instance, at the most recent Wine & Bourbon Ball, a patron requested Gouda scalloped potatoes and Cory made the dish happen. “If I made a menu of everything I could do, it would be a book! People can basically request just about anything and I’ll see if I can do it.” One of CAB’s most popular offerings is the chicken cordon bleu, along with grilled chicken, pulled pork and roasted potatoes.   

    CAB’s caters events ranging from intimate luncheons to large banquets, wedding receptions, family holiday dinners, and everything in between. The company also offers rentals, including china, glassware, silverware, and linens. Among CAB’s largest events, the company has catered Morehead State University’s Annual Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards Breakfast, the Jingle Bell Charity Ball and, most recently, the Ashland Alliance’s 20th Annual Meeting at EastPark where nearly 1,000 people were in attendance. “That was one of the largest crowds that has been catered in the area – it was cool to be a part of that.” Boggs was able to staff the event with 28 of his family members and friends, who are always willing to help when needed. “I’ve been blessed . . . I don’t know what else I would do [if I wasn’t catering], this is what I enjoy.”