Cafe Mavi Owners To Open Catering Service

The Zeren family has been in the food business for over a decade. Owners of Café Mavi, they will be branching out in a new direction with this month's launch of Full Dishes Catering, whose storefront will be next to Mavi on Union Place.

"We've been doing this for a long time," said Erol Zeren, who owns Full Dishes along with his father, Fevzi and uncle Ozkan. "We know what we're doing, and now we're trying a different approach."

The watchwords at Full Dishes are healthy, wholesome and affordable. Everything is freshly prepared, with nothing store-bought or frozen. Though Mavi's chef will be making the food for Full Dishes, Zeren is quick to stress that the catering company is a whole new concept: different menus, different themes, different customers. The food will not necessarily be ethnic, but Full Dishes can offer an international selection. Expect Full Dishes to be eclectic and versatile.

"People may wonder, 'Why can't I just go down the street to (our competitors)?'" says Zeren. "Well, you can. But we can do everything they can, plus a whole lot more."

Zeren, who grew up in Mountain Lakes, recently moved back to the area to help start the catering company. Previously, he was a party planner in Miami, and he will draw upon his experience in that industry to do things that may be beyond the abilities of other catering services. For example, one of the special packages at Full Dishes is a Caribbean party, with West Indian food, decorations, servers and the kind of drinks that require a blender and a little umbrella. In fact, the only reason Full Dishes isn't a full-on event planning service is the lack of a dedicated venue. Zeren says they'd eventually like to obtain one, but in the meantime they're happy to do the legwork in finding one for their customers.

But does that mean if you just want a few trays of food you need to look elsewhere? Certainly not, says Zeren.

"Look, catering's a luxury," he said. "People don't have $1,000 to spend. We can absolutely keep it simple."

The Zerens made their first foray into the restaurant business 12 years ago with the Mountain Lakes Market in Mountain Lakes. Eight years ago, they opened Café Mavi in Summit. Zeren says having the whole family involved has made the tough times less tough and the experiences richer.

"We're very family-oriented," he said. "Nobody will work better for you than family."

Full Dishes will open its doors within the week. Keep on the lookout for a grand opening party at Café Mavi in September.