The Maiden Voyage Team
Food is our passion.
Based New York City, our woman-owned catering company is full of passion, talent, and dedication. Our diverse team infuses our menus with rich, authentic flavors. We’re a group of enthusiastic, creative, and caring individuals, committed to curating unforgettable experiences for our clients. Our roster of talented chefs craft creative menus that cater to a wide variety of palates and preferences. We believe in the power of personalization, ensuring that each bite and every detail is special for you.
Rachel John
Culinary Director, Executive Chef
Introducing Rachel, our distinguished Executive Chef & Culinary Director, whose culinary journey seamlessly weaves family tradition with a professional trajectory marked by collaboration with some of NYC’s most prestigious catering companies.
Raised in a kitchen that embodied the heart of her immigrant family, Rachel’s love for culinary arts was honed in the daily rituals of cooking, fostering a connection between food and togetherness. Eager to recreate those cherished moments, she pursued a culinary education in college.
Rachel’s culinary prowess has graced the kitchens of culinary giants, including: Great Performances Food: renowned for transforming events into culinary spectacles. Great Performances Food stands as a beacon of excellence in the catering industry, Creative Edge: this catering powerhouse is celebrated for pushing the boundaries of culinary creativity, offering clients a taste of the extraordinary in every bite. Michael Scott Events: they are known for orchestrating elegant affairs, combining culinary artistry with a sophisticated touch that elevates events to new heights.
Emily Rodriguez
Executive Pastry Chef
Bella Karakis
CEO
Maiden Voyage Catering, is led by co-owner and CEO, Bella Karakis. We are about 90% all women, a team of chefs and culinary professionals that are all super talented and love what they do.
Growing up, Bella first discovered her love of food through time spent baking, cooking, going to the local farmers markets and pickling seasonal produce with her grandmother. This has led to a life long preference for fresh local ingredients and is a fundamental aspect of Maiden Voyage Catering. We love to entertain and feel deeply the joy and the bonding aspects of sharing a fine meal together.
With 30 years of management across multiple industries, including retail, food, hospitality and legal, business development, strategic partnership & IP legal experience, Bella brings a proven track record of success.
Prior to Maiden Voyage Catering, she was a co-founder of a shared commercial kitchen and food hall concept, as well as co-founder of a mobile hospitality company with 2 food truck operations, in the DC Metro area.
Bella is also currently the co-founder and CEO of e.terra Kitchen, a flexible commercial kitchen with 2 locations in Harlem NY, with over 8,500 sq ff of space. e.terra is a culinary workspace solutions company for chefs, bakers and makers of products. These NYC commercial kitchens provide on-demand, commercial kitchens and comprehensive support, customized to the needs of F&B brands, from Startups, to CPG Manufacturers and Delivery-only/Ghost/Virtual Restaurants. One location has a private kitchen that is ideal for media production and culinary events.
Prior to co-founding e.terra Kitchen and Maiden Voyage Catering, Bella was a full-time, practicing trademark attorney. As an attorney, Bella has substantial experience in negotiation strategy, transactional/deal flow, domestic and international intellectual property law. With over 20 years of IP experience, both in a law firm and in-house settings, her practice has spanned over 120 countries worldwide. Bella has managed and enforced worldwide trademark portfolios and advised clients in various industries, including food and beverages, restaurant, nutritional, entertainment, fashion and apparel, consumer and luxury goods, import and export, among others.
Bella and the e.terra/Maiden Voyage Catering team volunteer monthly to support the community in efforts aimed at reducing food insecurity in Harlem and other economically challenged communities in NYC, volunteering their time for meal prep, serve, packaging and delivery, as well as food rescues with organizations such as City Harvest, Gods Love We Deliver, Encore Community Services, Project Eats, Union Settlement and Monday Night Hospitality.
In 2023, Bella launched Makers Pantry, to further support the smaller F&B brands who call e.terra their business home as well as select small local brands who collaborate with e.terra, by providing them a platform to showcase their unique, handcrafted, small batch, products to the corporate community, while doing good for the hospitality industry. Sales proceeds from curated gift boxes benefit Southern Smoke Foundation.
She received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania & a JD from Touro Law. An avid life-long learner and believer that knowledge is power, Bella strongly believes in supporting the community that she works and lives in, through volunteering and mentorship. Bella is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10K SB Accelerator Program, Cohort 38.
Bella is from Ukraine and speaks fluent Russian. Bella’s favorite hobbies include reading, baking, gardening, traveling, & beach going. She calls Manhattan home.
We Care.
Our team is made up of people who genuinely strive to make a positive difference.