The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Sharon Shipley of Mon Cheri caters to corporate clients who want creative food service and amateur chefs who seek to master new cooking techniques.

Local caterer is served an international recognition

By Steve Enders

Sunnyvale's Sharon Shipley could be called an Epicurean explorer. She travels the world in search of the most scrumptious delicacies, then brings the newfound fare back to world leaders, diplomats and the valley's top CEOs.

Her cooking has tickled President Clinton's taste buds, as well as those of the Malaysian prime minister.

Shipley is the owner of Mon Cheri, home to both a successful catering business and an upscale cooking school.

Her catering business is so successful that she was recently honored with the prestigious Caterer of the Year award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Shipley accepted the honor at the organization's fifth annual global conference held two weeks ago in Portland, Ore.

"I was very surprised and quite honored," the humble Shipley said.

From an organization that boasts 3,500 members worldwide, Shipley and about 15 others were nominated to receive the award. On the night of the gala dinner during the conference, the field had been narrowed to three, including Shipley.

To be nominated, she had to present a portfolio of achievements that demonstrated her "commitment to excellence in culinary endeavors." She impressed the committee with a portfolio with photos from President Clinton's visit to Sunnyvale, as well as her spreads from important corporate events throughout Silicon Valley.

"My business is 99 percent corporate," she said.

She called the Clinton visit "interesting" because many security measures were taken to ensure that the president was safe.

She said that sniffing dogs sought out bombs in the Sunnyvale Community Center, the Secret Service staked out the rooftops and organizers developed a precise schedule, instructing caterers when they could enter the room. Also, tasters sampled everything on the table before the president did.

Luckily for Shipley, nobody choked on a chicken bone.

Besides creating lavish spreads for corporate functions, Shipley takes pride in her boxed lunches, which she prepares for corporate events.

"It's not just a boxed lunch, it's the boxed lunch choice of the valley," she said, noting that there are more than 30 items to choose from.

In the middle of every day, Shipley's alter ego emerges, as she closes the doors of Mon Cheri and begins preparing for cooking school.

Shipley said she offers advanced classes for "nonprofessional" culinary artists through University of California extension and De Anza College.

Mon Cheri's Sunnyvale headquarters consists of a modest house but contains a kitchen that would make any French chef proud.

Perhaps that's because the kitchen was designed with Europe in mind, Shipley said. Through her travels and extensive culinary training in Europe, Shipley was able to create a dream kitchen, complete with a wall-length refrigerator, a restaurant-sized gas range and a tall island with the surface area of an extra-large desk.

Like the kitchen, Shipley's food is a creative mix of California cuisine spiced with hints of French and Italian.

For more information on catering or other programs offered by Shipley, call Mon Cheri, 736-0892.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 6, 1998.
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