Art and Tess Rios bought Talk of the Town Catering in July and have been going nonstop since.

"We wanted to own something in the food industry and something that would help us control our own destiny. Talk of the Town was the perfect opportunity," Art said.

After purchasing Talk of the Town, the Rioses kept most of the staff and started to develop new menus.

"We've had a really good time doing this and learning the catering business as we go along. It's going better than we could have hoped for," Art said.

It was important to Art that they find a business in the San Jose area and even better that the new business was in Willow Glen.

"I lived and grew up in this area. I've always loved the look and the feel of Willow Glen," he said.

Talk of the Town is a full-service caterer with a twist. The duo also has a storefront and is planning to open a cafe section.

"At a lot of catering places, you call and place an order," he said. "Here with us, a customer can come in and see some of the items we offer. And soon we'll have a cafe for lunches."

Since the holidays are fast approaching, Talk of the Town is now starting to offer its holiday menu to customers.

Included on that menu are a large variety of hors d'oeuvres and other holiday specials.

On the list of hors d'oeuvres are mini quiches, jumbo chilled prawns with a spicy cocktail sauce, mushroom profiteroles and teriyaki chicken skewers, as well as other items.

"The holidays are always a busy time for people, the shopping and cleaning for company. A lot of people just don't have the time to cook like they used to, when more people stayed home instead of worked. We hope to be able to help our customers with that," Art said.

For $14.25 per person, Talk of the Town offers a mixed winter green salad, with either chicken breast Dianne, sliced marinated tri-tip, roasted turkey with stuffing or honey-glazed ham. These meals include a side dish of either new potatoes with fresh rosemary, winter rice pilaf or egg noodles with parsley butter.

And dessert consists of assorted holiday cookies and sweets and a cranberry fizz punch.

"We've had lots of customers call and ask for things that we don't usually offer, and we try to accommodate as many of those requests as we can," Art said.

As for the regular menu items offered by Talk of the Town, Breakfast-in-Bed has become a popular attraction.

Quiche or sausage en croute, assorted home-baked muffins and breads and seasonal fresh fruit come served on a beechwood bed tray. The breakfast tray also includes a long-stemmed rose in a vase as a keepsake gift.

"Our menu has a lot of home-cooking-style food," Art said.

From the homemade meatloaf to the old-fashioned-style chicken potpie, Talk of the Town can cater or prepare takeout for two to 200.

"We're hoping that once we get off the ground at Talk of the Town, we can start giving back to a community that has been so great to us," Art said.

Talk of the Town Catering is located at 898 Lincoln Ave. Call 408.294.2121 for ordering or visit the website at http://www.talkofthetowncatering.com.