A Spice of Life Catering + Events rebounds

2023 Mercury 100 fastest-growing private companies

BOULDER – A caterer and event planner has been growing in Boulder with a simple mission: “To provide quality food and beverage, overwhelming presentation and first-class service while making our clients guests at their own successful event.”

That formula still holds true 34 years later, helping A Spice of Life see revenue growing 110% over the past two years, placing it among this year’s Mercury 100 fastest growing companies in the Boulder Valley. The company, with offices at 5541 Central Ave. in Boulder and a 10,000-square-foot commissary kitchen around the corner at 2108 55th St., saw revenue rise by more than $2.3 million between 2020 and 2022; it stood at $2.05 million at the start of that period.

“We’re rebounding in a huge way from the pandemic,” said president David Rubin. “We’ve hired more than 100 employees, and we’ve got renewed juice.”

Rubin took over ownership from founder Tom Ward 28 years ago and survived the challenge of the September 2013 deluge, when it lost its own events space next to the Flatiron Golf Course at 5706 Arapahoe Ave. It rebounded the next year and signed a pact to manage a new events space in the future home of the Boulder History Museum at the northwest corner of Broadway and Pine Street. Now it has rebounded again from the restrictions put in place to fight the pandemic.

“I’m getting back on board, on committees, helping the hospitality and tourism sectors,” Rubin said. “We have a fresh group of people who are so excited to be back to work, showing their creativity in the kitchen, and their event planning has been fantastic.”

That “back to work” theme is prompting a shift in A Spice of Life’s emphasis, Rubin said.

“Catering was our staple – weddings, galas, nonprofits, lunch deliveries,” he said. “But now that revenue and growth are back on the path and corporate America is coming back alive, we want to focus on our corporate cafe division.”

The company operates corporate cafes within companies from Fort Collins south to the Denver Tech Center – including at such sites as Emerson, Intrado and SpectraLogic – and Rubin hopes to open more, at least two every year for the next 10 years.

“We want to bring that flavor back to our partners who need that benefit to get their employees back to work,” he said. “We want to make it exciting to come back to the office again.

“Celebrating core values requires a central gathering place, and we are built for that,” Rubin said. “We’ll have kitchens and staffs at all those locations.”

Great food, a smiling staff and a great place has made for “a winning combination” at A Spice of Life,” Rubin said, “and we know we can continue to grow.”

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