Published: October 30, 2009 08:39 am      

Not so secret success

Laurel County caterers honored for start-up business

Click here to see the Oct. 31, 2009 Neighbors section in its entirety


By Sharon Dodson / The Center for Rural Development

After working in the food industry for more than 20 years, chef Larry Murray and his wife, April, were looking for ways to get busy families back to the dinner table.

Their initial vision was to help people prepare gourmet meals under their expert instruction. They quickly learned most customers wanted to take credit for the culinary creations, but secretly leave the cooking to them.

The Murrays took the hint.

“That’s where we got the name, ‘Your Secret Chef,’” Larry Murray said of his meal-preparation business. “We’d tell our clients to just sprinkle a little flour on themselves and if asked, tell people ‘the secret chef’ prepared the meal.”

Their business concept — along with their “Chef on the Run” catering business — earned the Murrays recognition as the region’s top entrepreneurs in the “Start-Up Business” category at the 2009 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards (EIEA).

Community leaders, family and friends, and clients gathered at London Country Club on Oct. 22 to recognize the Murrays for their EIEA win.

The Center for Rural Development, Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Business and Technology, and Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation originally presented the award to the Murrays in September at the EIEA luncheon at The Center’s headquarters in Somerset.

“The expansion of our business from a small meals-to-go operation into a dual-faceted food service operation has proven our commitment to growth within our company and our community,” Larry Murray said. “We are honored to accept the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award.”

As Your Secret Chef grew, the couple expanded to create Chef on the Run, a full-service catering company that provides food for a wide range of events, including weddings, family reunions, private parties, and business and community events.

Both businesses are built on the connections between family, fellowship, and food.

“I like the idea of a company taking us back to the family dinner table,” Larry Combs, director of business services for The Center, said. Combs nominated the Murrays for the award.

“Chef on the Run allows families to enjoy the fellowship of a meal without having to spend time preparing it,” Combs added.

Your Secret Chef and Chef on the Run Catering are operated from facilities at the London Country Club, serving both club members and the community through the use of public dining and meeting rooms.

All in-home meals are vacuum sealed in oven-safe containers and are ready for customers to take home and complete with minimal time and effort.

“By eliminating the process of menu-planning, shopping for ingredients, and preparing the meal from scratch, we enable today’s busy families to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal in their own home,” Murray said.

The Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards program was established in 2001 to recognize and honor excellence in entrepreneurs who demonstrate exceptional achievements in a 55-county region of Southern and Eastern Kentucky.

“In the reality of today’s economy, entrepreneurial businesses—both nimble and innovative—are best able to adapt to rapid market changes and be successful,” said Kristel Smith, program emcee and director of Entrepreneur Services for Eastern Kentucky University’s Eastern Region Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC), Center for Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (CEDET).

“Chef on the Run Catering is a great example for us to celebrate with today,” Smith said.

Larry Murray prepares all meals himself and creates all of the menus. He has worked for Outback Steakhouses, Crown Reef Resort in Myrtle Beach, and The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, N.C., a four-star diamond hotel in the heart of the University of North Carolina.

April Murray serves as marketing director and event planner for the business. A native of Corbin, Ky., she has worked in the event industry for the last six years as a catering manager, wedding planner, and travel director.

Larry Murray, accepting on behalf of Chef on the Run Catering, was presented a framed photograph with EIEA program sponsors taken at the awards luncheon in Somerset, a framed certificate, and DVD video of the full EIEA luncheon.

“We believe it is our responsibility as business owners to be an active part of our community and gave back to it as much as possible,” Larry Murray said. “God has blessed me.”

To view in-depth video presentations on Larry Murray and Chef on the Run Catering/Your Secret Chef and other EIEA winners, visit www.kyean.org.

The Center for Rural Development—the Center of Excellence for rural Kentucky and the nation—provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county primary service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com.