Recognizing demand for high-quality catering in Jacksonville, Fl., Liz Earnest started The Chef's Garden, a food delivery business in 2002 after her daughter Jennifer left for college.
Upon graduating in 2005, Jennifer joined the company which quickly grew from three to 75. Driven by their love of cooking, each other, and their mission to use food to bring communities together, the mother-daughter duo grew the business into a full-service catering and events company. "[Our personal banking team] guided us from the beginning to make sure we were prepared. They are professional, kind and attentive to detail, guiding us no matter what questions we had," said Liz Earnest.
Soon, they began to work with local cultural institutions, expanding their services to accommodate a booming food scene, eventually finding a permanent spot at the Cummer Museum. Today, The Chef’s Garden is the official in-house caterer for the museum. “Ameris Bank has successfully guided us through an extensive addition to our current commissary and kitchen. We also utilize other services such as checking and saving accounts," said Liz Earnest.
As a family-owned business, it was important that they find a bank that cared for their business and could offer a collaborative and educational approach to banking. “You can tell that people cared about helping us get where we needed to be. They would tell us exactly what we need to do and get together,” says Jennifer Earnest, “They defy what you think of as banking. We feel like we get that personalized interaction with all the capabilities of a bigger bank.”
Upon graduating in 2005, Jennifer joined the company which quickly grew from three to 75. Driven by their love of cooking, each other, and their mission to use food to bring communities together, the mother-daughter duo grew the business into a full-service catering and events company. "[Our personal banking team] guided us from the beginning to make sure we were prepared. They are professional, kind and attentive to detail, guiding us no matter what questions we had," said Liz Earnest.
Soon, they began to work with local cultural institutions, expanding their services to accommodate a booming food scene, eventually finding a permanent spot at the Cummer Museum. Today, The Chef’s Garden is the official in-house caterer for the museum. “Ameris Bank has successfully guided us through an extensive addition to our current commissary and kitchen. We also utilize other services such as checking and saving accounts," said Liz Earnest.
As a family-owned business, it was important that they find a bank that cared for their business and could offer a collaborative and educational approach to banking. “You can tell that people cared about helping us get where we needed to be. They would tell us exactly what we need to do and get together,” says Jennifer Earnest, “They defy what you think of as banking. We feel like we get that personalized interaction with all the capabilities of a bigger bank.”