Private chef, catering business Simply Celeste’s to benefit from NFL’s Business Connect Program
Feb 16, 2024, 4:25 AM
(Arizona Major Events Host Committee photo)
PHOENIX — Cajun-style catering business Simply Celeste’s is one of many Valley businesses set to benefit from the Business Connect Program.
Executive chef Celeste Talley said being a part of the program is a boon to her business.
“This is definitely a great opportunity,” Talley told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “We are the go-to event professionals that they look to if they’re needing a caterer like myself or if they’re needing a photographer, event planner, you name it, they’re looking right here in the Business Connect group.”
The Business Connect Program started last year with the Super Bowl. The program gives members of the Business Connect group exclusive access to workshops, connections to NFL vendors and a spot on the Business Connect Resource Guide. Essentially, that means the NFL considers businesses in this program to be the best in their areas of expertise.
The Business Connect Program returned in January ahead of the NCAA men’s Final Four, which will flush the Valley with sports tourism this spring. The last four winning teams in the college basketball playoff tournament will compete at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Apr. 6.
What is Simply Celeste’s known for?
The private chef and catering business based in Phoenix specializes in Cajun-style Southern food and cheesecake.
“Everybody absolutely loves our food,” Talley said. “They rant and rave about our cheesecake.”
The daughter of a restaurant owner, Talley said she continues her family’s legacy with her business. Being a part of the Business Connect Program is an especially valuable way to network, she added.
“It’s such a great opportunity to be a part of a group of such excellent event professionals,” she said.
Talley, who loves working with celebrities, is looking forward to working with basketball players who will visit the Valley in spring.
“These young men in basketball … are going to be the future stars of the NBA,” she said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz-McNair contributed to this report.