“Sisters by Chance, Friends by Choice” is a popular quote by an anonymous author that accurately describes the thriving Galena catering team of Amy Chance McGee and Joan Chance Enfield. Sixteen years apart in age, Amy and Joan are not only sisters and friends, but business partners who complement each other. And despite some people’s expectations, they are not nuns!
Their business started fifteen years ago at Rudnick’s Auction in Galena, where their mother, Louise Chance and grandmother, Julia Chance had been cooking for years. Customers would come in and say, “We’re having a wedding. Can you feed the guests?” When Rudnick’s closed, Amy and Joan went into catering, offering customers many of the foods that they liked to eat, such as bread pudding, rice pudding, burgers, and fried chicken.
Their main staging area is the Olivet United Methodist Church kitchen in Galena, which they brought up to code. They also cook onsite at events and at the Cecilton Firehouse kitchen, where they recently prepared a dinner of appetizers, chicken marsala, baked ham, roasted potatoes, green beans, and salad for 96 people at the Cecilton Alumni Reunion. They have prepared meals for as many as 325 people. They hire extra help for large jobs, including Joan’s middle daughter.
Joan and Amy cater 8-10 functions a month. The business has grown each year, almost entirely through word of mouth. Both women are active in the Sassafras River Business Council, but they do very little advertising.
Joan grew up on Colchester Farm in Georgetown, where her late father farmed for 52 years. She and Amy still buy produce from Colchester Farm, as well as from Priapi Gardens and other farmers’ markets.
Catering is physically demanding. They have to haul heavy pots and platters and they have to stand for hours on end. And things can – and do- go wrong. One time the prime rib got stuck in the dumb waiter at the Cecilton Firehouse. Another time they ran out of propane when the steaks were half-cooked. But they always get the job done and they feel good about sending excess food to a homeless shelter.
Sisters by Chance, LLC is licensed in Kent and Cecil Counties as well as in Delaware. For sample menus and more information, visit www.sistersbychance.com or call Amy at 302-540-9552, or Joan at 410-708-1322.
RD Sweetman says
Awesome!
John Carroll says
Two of my favorite caterers in Kent County. A hard working team and wonderful food!
Nancy Robson says
They are not only hardworking, honest and reliable, they know how to cater to their clientele. They can come up with menus for anything from down home comfort food for a group or a crowd to upscale 5-course formal dinners, and they do it all well using many locally-sourced ingredients.