Waters Fine Catering

Mary Kay Waters, owner/executive chef

Mary Kay Waters received her BS in Nutrition at the University of Maryland, and her AOS at the Culinary Institute of America. She also holds a diploma from LâAcadamie de Cuisine under White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Waters was an apprentice at the Four Season Hotel and entremetier at The Four Ways Restaurant, both in Washington, D.C. She started her first company, Gourmet Lunch and Catering, in 1987 in New Jersey; and established Waters Fine Catering in San Diego in 1990.

Mary Kay Waters developed Waters Fine Foods To Go in order to establish a closer connection with her clientele and to enable customers to enjoy wholesome, delicious food on a daily basis. The shop has also allowed for new recipe development and menu ideas.

Mary Kay recently opened Waters Café @ SDMA for lunch and, more recently, for breakfast. The outdoor café has a spectacular garden setting with tables nestled among renowned sculptures.

Raising two young boys has inspired Mary Kay to host culinary field trips in her catering kitchen. The children learn to taste oils, herbs and artisan cheeses, to bake, to "throw" pizza, to filet fish, to make ice cream and to differentiate between organic and processed foods.

She supports many local organizations, including Camarada, Friends of Father Wasson, Children's Hospital and Passionfish.

"I am a food perfectionist with very high standards and refuse to accept less than the best. There is no greater reward than a thoroughly satisfied, blissfully happy client!"

Andrew Ryland Spurgin, executive director / chef

Andrew Ryland Spurgin has built a culinary career spanning three decades. He has designed and prepared menus and events honoring dignitaries from U.S. Presidents Clinton and Reagan, Soviet Union President Gorbachev, and Israeli Prime Minister Peres, to California Governors Wilson and Davis, and even Martha Stewart. Some of his regular clients include Cartier, Nissan Design, Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale's and Aston Martin. Event Solutions Magazine honored him nationally in 2004 as Caterer of the Year.

A champion of sustainable, handcrafted, organic, and regional foods, Andrew grew up in London, working in his relative's restaurant and butcher shop. His aunts introduced him early to the bounty of local purveyors at London's historic Borough Market. His family moved to San Diego in 1974.

Promoted at age 19 to banquet manager for a major area resort, Andrew moved on to become chef and baker of one of California's first handcrafted, on-premise bakery/restaurants. He was director of catering at Southern California's celebrated Piret's, and at several other respected catering firms. Andrew has consulted and cooked with London's Mustard Catering Ltd. and has been tutored by the cheesemongers at Neal's Yard Dairy, also in London.

With regular lectures on sustainability of food and on entertaining, his events, interviews and photos have been featured in numerous local and national magazines and TV. In 2001, to address growing concern for the environment, he co-founded Passionfish, an innovative educational concern addressing seafood sustainability issues.

Waters Fine Catering was voted Best San Diego Caterer 2005 by The California Restaurant Association, San Diego Magazine's Reader's Poll Best Caterer 2004, 2005 & 2006, amongst other recent honors and awards, including an invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York City

Andrew sits on the Advisory Board of Catering Magazine, is an Associate Board Member of the Slow Food Convivium San Diego . He is a past member of the Director's Cabinet for Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The International Catering Association and is an E.W. Scripps Associate. Currently, he is working with other educators, marine biologists, fishermen and chefs on a national project for the Blue Ocean Institute, developing a national curriculum for culinary students and continuing education for chefs.

After driving Land Rovers for 25 years, Andrew suffers from acute petroleum remorse and can be found more often driving his much more fuel efficient "retro" Triumph motorcycle. His favorite place to be is in or near the ocean.

Stephanie Craven, senior event design

Stephanie Craven moved to San Diego after graduating from the University of Florida in 2000. She specializes in sales/event design and has coordinated events for such preeminent clients as Senator John Kerry, Vice President Al Gore, The Salk Institute, Sony, Greenpeace and HBO. Her journalism background allows her the opportunity to freelance for several publications, as well. She lives in La Jolla and enjoys reading, traveling and collecting vintage records.

Steve Ferguson , chef

Born in New York, Steve Ferguson studied under Executive Chef Ron Lunge and Pastry Chef Ann Keller. While attending their culinary school for over two years, Steve graduated top of his class. This accomplishment and great performance allowed him to compete against the best students from other culinary schools in New York. Steve competed at the VICA, for the United States Skill Olympics in 1986, where he placed third and led his school to their first victory. After leaving school, Steve joined the Marriott Corporation for six years. Three years were spent with the Westchester Marriott in New York and the other three years at the La Jolla Marriott in California. After many years of working in catering, Steve brought his wealth of knowledge and experience to Waters Fine Catering.

Donald Coffman , sous chef

Donald Coffman, a San Diego native, has worked as Waters’ sous chef since 2004. His
culinary expertise was honed at a myriad of notable establishments: Milles Fleurs, Laurel,
Café Japengo and Hotel del Coronado, among others. He also worked alongside Charlie
Trotter and Roxanne Klein when they were here for their book tour. Donald has a unique
cooking style; he particularly enjoys incorporating environmentally friendly ingredients
into menus and revamping dated recipes. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two
children.

Leslie Morra, manager
	Leslie hails from Arizona and has worked with Waters for over eight years. She currently oversees all aspects of Waters. She is passionate about gourmet food and cooking, which has helped her tremendously in her multi-faceted duties here at Waters. In her spare time, Leslie enjoys traveling, playing tennis and spending time with her husband and their two Rat Terriers..

Saul Paniagua, marketing and sales associate waters bar service

A native San Diegan, Saul holds an AS in Business Administration from Mesa College and a BS in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Saul has worked extensively with many local dignitaries and professionals in the community. He complemented further his passion for the food industry when he began working with Waters in 1997. His years of experience in event design and management has highly developed his expertise in executing events from start to finish for the exclusive list of clientele Waters has served over the years.

Megan Mount, executive associate

Born and raised in Seattle, Megan attended the University of Washington, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. With an enduring interest in design, she worked at Nordstrom in sales and merchandising, then continued to hone her creative design skills at a public relations agency. With managerial experience in event planning and catering, Megan has developed a great interest in design, both visually and culinary wise. Now as executive associate to Andrew Spurgin, Megan shares her creativity and dedication assisting him in the design and production of events. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, photography and a variety of outdoor activities.

Sara Andrews, executive associate

Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Sara Andrews graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Studio Art.
After several years of experience in restaurant service and management, her passions for gourmet food, artistic expression, and exquisite service have found a home in Waters Fine Catering as executive associate to Stephanie Craven.

Jessica Beckley,manager waters fine foods to go; morena

Jessica was raised in Tumwater, Washington and attended the University of Portland in Oregon. She made her way down to Southern California after graduation in 2005. Once here, she worked various jobs until she realized that her true passion was food and creativity. Jessica started at Waters Fine Catering in 2006 and now acts as manager for the Morena location of Waters Fine Foods To Go. She is inspired by the creative environment that she works in and the host of wonderful clientele she assists in the cafe. In her free time, she enjoys having dinner parties for friends and family, camping and traveling.

Monica Cadden,event manager / staffing coordinator

Monica Cadden is originally from Northern California, and she moved to San Diego in 1994. She began working for Waters Fine Catering in 1995 as an entry-level server, and then progressed to a sales associate. She is now a senior event manager, as well as the staffing coordinator. Monica has managed some of the largest and most prestigious events that Waters has produced. These include fundraisers for dignitaries such as President William Jefferson Clinton, Senator John Kerry and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. She regularly manages events for local groups including Children’s Hospital, Burnhan Institute, UCSD and the SALK Institute. Monica’s eye for detail and execution of Waters’ high standards keeps her in high demand by clients. She is passionate about providing the best experience at each and every event. In her leisure time, Monica enjoys cycling, traveling and spending time with her husband and their two Cairn terriers.