Our team

Kathy Koenig, Chief Executive Officer, is a 30-year veteran of the food industry and decided to take the challenge of founding her own Off-Premise Catering business. Kathy’s vision and direction have been the foundation for the growth and success of Culinary Concepts over the past 15 years. She is a master at large-scale event organization with an extraordinary sense of timing and a sharp skill for on-the-spot decision-making. In keeping with her personality, Kathy’s relationships with employees, clients and vendors alike are consistently based on respect, fairness, and honesty. As a result, Kathy has built Culinary Concepts into a company well known in the San Diego catering industry for friendly service, excellent cuisine and beautiful presentation.
Manfred Gerzabek, Chef/President, is a native of Austria, where he studied the Culinary Arts. Manfred graduated with honors from Tyrol, Austria’s Schonegg University, and apprenticed at Europe’s well-known Wagon Lits Cook Oriental Express. Manfred has held the position of Executive Chef at prestigious hotels around the world and in the United States, including three Rockefeller Resorts in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, the Hotel Steffani in St. Moritz, Phoenix’s Arizona Biltmore Hotel and the Hyatt Regency Resort in Scottsdale. One highlight of Manfred’s career was preparing and presenting a luncheon for the Queen Mother and Princess Anne of England at the Grand Jersey Hotel in England. For over 25 years, Manfred has dedicated himself to the field of Off-Premise Catering. His extensive background in international fare is demonstrated in his broad array of creative specialty foods & presentation.
Brandon Fortune, Executive Sous Chef,  is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Atlanta, GA.  In 2007, Brandon was recruited away from The Four Seasons Atlanta to manage the pre-opening culinary team for a new luxury resort in Del Mar, CA.  Over the next three years, he expanded his knowledge and skill; he progressed through all dining outlets in the resort; from fine dining catering to three meal restaurant services to a new tapas restaurant on the property.  Prior to his executive Chef position with Culinary Concepts, Brandon also opened and acted as owner and chef at Aquamoreé, located in the heart of La Jolla at The Cove on Prospect Street, offering upscale Southern Cuisine prepared as Tapas (small plates), but highlighting the traditions of Southern California cuisine.
Gina Eliason, Catering Specialist, has over 12 years experience in the event planning industry. Creative Design and Program Development was her focus at a local San Diego Destination Management Company for 6 years. Gina will be dedicated to your program as a consistent point of contact from the proposal development until the very last guest leaves your event. She brings with her vast experience in managing programs at venues throughout the San Diego Area, guaranteeing the highest level of service. Gina has played a key role in large programs including 5,000 guests at the Midway, 1,500 guests at the Natural History Museum, 3,500 guests at Miramar Marine Base, and 1,300 guests at the Amylin Pharmaceuticals Holiday Event, just to name a few. Detail and deadline oriented, Gina's primary goal is client service. Working with Gina will guarantee you a team member with great communication skills, that will offer you expert advice on menu choices, event style, décor, and vendor selections, will help monitor your event’s budget, and will make sure you are confident in our services and are able to relax and have fun at your own party (as you should!!).
Christie Radican, CMP, Catering Specialist, brings with her a wealth of experience gained in her years working within the hospitality industry, including renown companies such as House of Blues, Wilson Creek Winery, Crown Point Catering and the classic Hotel del Coronado. For several years, Christie was also able to work in the field of her other passion, scuba diving, as the sales manager for Skin Diver Magazine. Her experience in the world of publishing provided great insight into international corporations and their specific event needs. Clever events with stylish touches are her specialty. For over twenty years, she has shared her extensive knowledge with dozens of major local organizations including the SD Convention center, The City of San Diego, USS Midway, Balboa park, San Diego Chargers, Padres Baseball as well as countless brides and grooms. Whether grand in scale or intimate in nature, she has the unique ability to understand each client's vision and mission, and bring out the perfect menu and logistical plan. Christie is an active member of Meeting Planners International.
Laura Seery, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, has over 8 years of experience in San Diego's Catering and Special Event industry. Prior to that, Laura worked for several years in a professional environment, both in marketing and in the mortgage industry, until one day she realized that her passion for all aspects of fine cuisine, entertainment, and customer service were not being satisfied working in a cubicle! She began her career in the catering industry as a cook at another local catering & special event company, but later recognized that the best way to utilize her creativity, along with her sales, research and administrative skills would be on the planning side, rather than in the kitchen. Laura coordinates marketing efforts, menu development, and proposal generation, and is extremely detail-oriented, ensuring that no minute detail of your event will be overlooked.
Mallory Woods, Catering Specialist, a San Diego Native, graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Majoring in Recreation and Tourism Administration with a Focus on Special Events.  She is an excellent recourse for both our corporate clients and our Brides & Grooms.  Having worked at Kuoni Destination Management, she gained a wealth of experience in the DMC world, and being a self described “foodie” she complements her event knowledge with creative menu planning.  Her energetic personality is contagious and she is a talented member of the team both in the office and onsite at events.
Craig E. Martin, Operations Director, a graduate of Southern California College with both management and marketing degrees, Craig joined Culinary Concepts in 2006 after an accomplished career with several restaurant concepts across the country. Craig’s management experience ranges from casual to formal service working with American, Asian, Latin, and Continental menus. At Culinary Concepts. Craig is responsible for delegating each separate event element to our experienced event staff, reviewing all vendor orders (rentals, lighting, entertainment, florist, bar, etc.) for accuracy and completeness, managing the load-in and load-out of all equipment, and overseeing and managing event staff throughout the duration of the event. His passion for impeccable service, top-quality food and fine wines rings through in every event. His staff stands ready to meet their clients’ every need from beginning to end. Whether your event is for 30 or 3000, Craig’s hands-on involvement and the Culinary Concepts Operations team’s efforts will work all of your event’s details through to fruition. You’ll see it all in your guests’ smiles. Craig and his team welcome the opportunity to serve you and your guests at your next event.
Cheri Gerzabek, Decor Specialist/Warehouse Manager, is part of the creative team that built Culinary Concepts from the ground up.  Cheri has an eye for design, and is the person behind the elaborate stylings of buffets, food stations, centerpieces and food presentations.  Cheri personally designs each event with the theme, location, time of year and client's desires in mind.  Our rapidly expanding warehouse houses the decor items that Cheri has obtained over the years, and a walk down the aisles of elegant platters, vases, linens and accent fabrics provides a glimpse into her artistic vision.
Leandra Almodovar, Business Development Specialist, brings 30 years of event experience, including Operations Manager for DMCs, Travel Director around the Globe, Venue event sales, Event Planning,  and Special Events/F&B instructor at SDSU.  Leandra's relationship with Culinary Concepts dates back to 1989, when she first hired us to cater events for her corporate clients. Now as a team member rather than a client, she utilizes her expertise to expand our client base and reconnect with past customers. Her experience spans sales, planning, research, development and program operations for all types and sizes of events--ranging from small groups of 20 VIPS to galas for 2,500.  Leandra has been responsible for transportation planning for groups of 5,000, and is frequently called upon to provide logistical support to the local DMC market. She has played an integral role in the successful creation of many large scale events, such as the Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, America’s Cup, and the Olympics in both Beijing & Vancouver.  Her passion is travel; she has visited over 35 countries and worked in seven.
Kevin Servais, Event Manager, brings 22 years of experience providing excellence in front of the house service.  The highest in customer satisfaction is Kevin’s priority, having worked in 5 star restaurants and numerous catering companies.  Kevin conducts weekly training seminars for new and experienced servers alike to ensure that our crew is always prepared and in tip top shape.  Kevin has had the honor of acting as event manager for prestigious events such at the Oscar’s and Emmy’s.
Andres Cardenas, Sous Chef, is a talented and creative member of our kitchen team  He has also been with the company since it's inception, so, with 20 years of experience under his belt has the most seniority of our strong, reliable crew.  Andres' strengths lie in beautiful and artful plate presentations, flavorful dressings and sauces, and international & fusion cuisines.  He is quick yet precise, and can be trusted to make last minute onsite decisions.  Over the years, Andres has played an integral in producing many large scale events.
Chris Gerzabek, Sous Chef, literally grew up in the kitchen, as his father Manfred has been the co-owner of Culinary Concepts since Chris was 12 years old!  Over the years he had mastered his father's treasured recipes, and come up with a multitude of his own creative innovations.   Chris's library of catering knowledge is infinite--and since he has worked here full time for nearly 14 years, he is our go-to reference for onsite kitchen info at local venues and successful menus from past events.  His hardworking ethic and longevity is a result of the supportive family environment at Culinary Concepts.