Whom You Know: MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Carla Ruben, Co-Owner of Creative Edge Parties

Thursday, June 18, 2009

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Carla Ruben, Co-Owner of Creative Edge Parties

Carla Ruben, co-owner of Creative Edge Parities, was on her way to a successful career as an opera singer when she realized that she didn’t actually like to be on stage. Luckily for her clients, she has transferred all of her talent and ambition to making other people’s moments in the spotlight brilliant ones.

Carla’s path to founding one of the most successful and premier catering companies in New York has been interesting and exciting. After deciding not to pursue singing, Carla switched her focus to Communications and upon graduation from Northwestern University, landed her first job at ABC’s 20/20. This was followed by a successful career at Burson-Marstellar, one of the foremost public relations firms in the country. Here she honed the skills and instincts that constitute her rare ability to understand a client's objectives and deliver them.

Carla believes a successful gathering--one that creates a memorable time for guests while effectively communicating the client's message--involves far more than delivering hot food and hiring attractive wait staff. And after seeing an opportunity in the entertaining industry, she decided to act on it. In 1989, she partnered with friend and chef Bob Spiegel to bring to life Creative Edge Parties, a full service event planning and catering company dedicated to high quality food and design.

For the past 20 years, Creative Edge Parties, with Carla and Bob at the helm, have been satisfying the most discerning of clients and their guests with food that is regarded as equal to the best restaurants in the world.

In 1995 Carla and Bob also co-founded Daily Soup. Daily Soup is a chain that serves dozens of delicious soups from inventive and fancy to simple and comforting at reasonable prices. At the time of the launch, this company was unique to the NYC fast food landscape and forever changed the way soup and lunch are viewed in the City. Bob and Carla also co-wrote the Daily Soup Cookbook that brings over 200 of their soup recipes to the at-home cook. They sold the business in 2000.

Carla grew up in Princeton, NJ, and currently resides in NYC’s Upper East Side with her husband and daughter.

Peachy Deegan interviewed Carla Ruben for Whom You Know.

Peachy Deegan: How did you become interested in the opera?
Carla Ruben: My Mother was very involved in the Metropolitan Opera and as a child we had opera singers constantly practicing for auditions in our home. I started to sing with one of them and that was the beginning of my love of singing.

Have you been able to combine your love of the opera with your parties?
In a sense all parties are a performance. The only difference is they open and close in one day.

What did you do on 20/20 and how did you like it?
I was in the research department. We found interesting “cases” to present to the producers. There was an immense amount of research/detective work that went into each piece which I absolutely adored.

We understand one of our Movers and Shakers, Marcus Goldhaber, works with you. Does he ever sing at your parties?
Marcus is a great performer.

What are your most popular items ordered at Creative Edge Parties?
Chopped Mediterranean Salad, Surf in a Turf or the Neo Tiramisu.

What future visions do you have for Creative Edge Parties?
We are celebrating our 20th year and have really set the standard in entertaining. Our future is to continue leading the industry in new ideas in terms of food and presentation.

What parties were the most fun to throw?
Anything that forces us to come up with a new idea, new approach, new foods.

What is your favorite place to be in NYC?
I love to walk (when I have time). Walking along the Hudson River is one of my favorite unwinding spots.

What is your favorite shop?
Who has time to shop?

What is your favorite drink?
You won’t believe it, beer – I like to try beers from every possible far away location.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Momofuku Ssam Bar

What is your favorite NYC book?
Manhattan by Eric Sanderson—it is fascinating

What is your favorite thing to do in NYC that you can do nowhere else?
See the Musical “HAIR”

What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
Chinatown is overrated-nothing is underrated, it’s nyc!

How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers? info@creativeedgeparties.com

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