Founded in 1994 by Mr. Carlton A. Brown, Occasional Occasions by Carlton has been repeatedly praised for its culinary displays, dynamic flavors, and unique table presentations. Chef Carlton is the owner of Occasional Occasions by Carlton LLC, a boutique style, custom catering company, specializing in Contemporary Southern cuisine and providing off-premise catering for the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. He obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary Arts Management from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Occasional Occasions is also a Minority, Veteran and LGBT certified owned establishment.
Chef Carlton is an accomplished culinary professional who has tickled the palates of celebrities Who’s Who such as Supermodel Beverly Johnson, Former Mayor Andrew Young, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, the late Mr. E. Lynn Harris (national bestselling author), Nikki Giovanni (Grammy-nominated American poet), Ian Smith, M.D. (award winning medical correspondent for NBC News) and the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, just to name a few.
He has also provided services to such corporate giants as; Super Bowl LIII Business Connect, NBA Team Washington Wizards, American Express, Morgan Stanley & Co., Hewlett Packard, Office of the Mayor, Wells Fargo, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, Delta Airlines and Fed-Ex.
Chef Carlton was voted the #3 Cater in Atlanta for 2009 and again in 2017 in “The Best of Atlanta” featured in The Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine. He received the award for (Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) AGLCC Member of the Year 2016, and AGLCC Business Man of the Year 2017. He has appeared on WAGA Fox 5 “Breakfast with Buck” highlighting his former breakfast restaurant “Hilda’s…A Breakfast to Write Home About!”, WXIA Channel 11 “Atlanta and Company” demonstrating several live cooking segments. He is an active member of the International Catering Association, American Culinary Federation, National Association of Catering and Events, as well as the AGLCC just to name a few. His cuisines, talents and presentations can be viewed via his website at www.occasionaloccasions.net.
Follow Occasional Occasions on LinkedIn, and connect with Carlton on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Jan Hill is the owner and principal planner of J Hill Events, a full-service event planning company based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jan started her business, formerly known as “La Fete Weddings and Events, in 2006 while working in corporate America. She was able to turn the business into a full-time career in 2011. Since the business began, she has planned everything from intimate private dinners and parties to a fabulous ballroom weddings, galas and celebrations for 1000+ guests.
Her work has been featured in various publications including essence.com, VoyageAtl, Munaluchi Bride Magazine, The B Collective Magazine, Southern Weddings, The Knot, Borrowed and Blue and Modern Luxury Atlanta and most recently Grace Ormond Wedding Style.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Jan is also a graduate of South Carolina State University, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and currently sits on the board of the DDD Foundation, Inc. (Dentistry for the Developmentally Disabled)
When she’s not planning events, Jan enjoys reading, writing, listening to music…especially live music, traveling, tennis and spending time with family and friends.
Connect with Jan on LinkedIn and Twitter, and follow J Hill Events on Facebook and Instagram.
About Your Hosts
Telisha Farrow Jackson brings her engaging personality, as well as, over 15 years of experience in managing all levels of large scale projects to the SBDC. She has an extensive and varied career in multiple industries, including lending and underwriting; business development; project management; compliance and controls.
She has initiated negotiations, partnership initiatives and cost analysis for businesses majority of her career. Her expertise lies in analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of program operations to ensure that strategies can be effectively and efficiently executed.
One of her most rewarding professional experiences was developing young minds as an elementary school teacher. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she developed curriculum and led multiple school-wide process improvement and best practice initiatives.
Telisha has used her people skills to build community involvement and awareness by participating in various community outreach events and professionally moderating conferences. She is an inspiring talent and we look forward to the innovative outlook she’s going to add to the UGA SBDC at Georgia State University team.
Follow SBDC on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and Instagram.
Paul Wilson, Area Director with SBDC, has extensive industry experience that spans leadership roles in supply chain management, procurement, marketing, supplier diversity, and small business development. His expertise includes strategic analysis, operational planning, leadership development, contract writing, video marketing, video production, training and curriculum development.
Having worked with Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and educational institutions, Paul brings a diverse wealth of knowledge, perspective, and skills to the small business community.
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.
