Meet the Team
Larry Moore
Director of Catering
Larry brings over 26 years of hospitality experience to the team. He began his career as a Sous Chef at the Jai Lai Restaurant in 1986 and joined Ohio State University in 1991 as the Catering Sous Chef at the student union. A former member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), he served on the Columbus Chapter Board of Directors from 1992-1995. In 1995, he joined the Sheraton World Resort in Orlando, Florida as Executive Chef. From there, he went on to work as the Executive Chef at the Walt Disney World Headquarters, Team Disney. The homesick Buckeye came back to Columbus in the late 90's and rejoined the OSU student union as Banquet Manager. In 2001, Larry accepted another position within Student Life, running a gourmet coffee cart operation called Oxley's On The Go. Within a year, he added catered boxed lunches to the menu, which represents the early beginnings of University Catering. Larry is a member of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE).
Rae Neal
Floral Designer
Rae has over 20 years of experience in the floral industry and has received numerous state and national awards for his creative floral design. Rae joined the university in November 2002.
Katie Enciso
Senior Catering Sales Manager and Event Planner
Katie brings over 19 years of experience to the University Catering team. She received her Associate of Arts Degree with a major in Hospitality Management in 1987. Katie has held the position of Director of Catering for Creative Cuisine and the Columbus Marriott North She was later promoted to Corporate Sales Manager at the Marriott. She also worked as the Catering Director for Handke's Cuisine. Katie joined the catering sales team at The Blackwell Inn in 2002 and Oxley's On The Go Catering in 2004. Katie is a member of NACE.
Suzanne Buck C.C.
Catering Sous Chef
Sue has worked in the culinary industry for over 20 years. She graduated from the Chef Apprenticeship Program at Columbus State Community College in 1996. She was the Executive Chef at Tapatio for 9 years before opening her own restaurant, Elemental, in the Old Towne East Area. She has been featured on WSYX and WBNS television as well as in the Columbus Dispatch and Columbus Monthly magazine. She joined The Ohio State University in January 2006 and is a member of the American Culinary Federation.
Taryn Paschen
Catering Banquet Manager
Having been born in Columbus and with her childhood home sitting on Lane Avenue, Taryn is a Buckeye from birth. She graduated from The Ohio State University in the summer of 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After graduation she began working for off-premise catering companies and found she liked the work. After working for a number of caterers, she was hired in the winter of 2004 by Oxley's On The Go Catering as the Banquet Manager. She has since become an active member of NACE, sitting on the Communications Committee. She is solely responsible for coordinating the newsletter, including writing articles, editing the work of others, formatting the layout and arranging for online publication.
Robert Preston
Catering Sales Manager and Event Planner
Bob has over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry including 11 years as a wedding planner. The last 10-1/2 years were spent with the Columbus Marriott North, where he became a Certified Wedding Planner and the Director of Catering. Bob always dreamed of returning to Ohio State University since his first day as a freshman back in 1979. Everything came full circle on May 1, 2006. Bob is a member of NACE and currently serves as the Columbus chapter President.
Charles Balue C.C.C.
Catering Sous Chef
Chuck is a graduate of the Chef Apprenticeship Program at Columbus State Community College and is an ACF certified Chef de Cuisine. He worked his apprenticeship at Spagio in Grandview, Ohio. He went on to work as the Banquet Chef at Nationwide Insurance World Headquarters for 7 years before joining The Ohio State University.
Jamie Huston
Catering Banquet Captain
Jamie offers over 15 years experience in the hospitality industry at various upscale hotels within the city. He worked on the opening team at the Hilton at Easton as their Conference Concierge, and held the position of Banquet Captain at both The Hyatt Regency Columbus and the Columbus Marriott North. Jamie has also worked as the Banquet Manager at the Westin Great Southern Hotel, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and the Buckeye Hall of Fame Café. He has received many accolades, including Manager of the Year at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. He joined the University Catering team in Spring 2006.