Jacques M. Hayes
Executive Chef/Owner

At an early age, Executive Chef of Elegant Events Catering, Inc., Jacques Hayes fell in love with the culinary arts. He credits this passion to growing up in his mother's kitchen, attending culinary school, watching cooking shows on TV, and reading many cookbooks.

Recognizing the value of a formal culinary education, Chef Jacques attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and graduated with honors.

After graduation, Jacques accepted a Chef's position for the Native American Indian co-ed House at Stanford University on the contingency that he be allowed to use their kitchen for his own catering company, La Bonne Vie, "the good life". In May of 1994 he purchased Elegant Events Catering, a 17-year-old company with a small but steady client base.

Chef Jacques' experience covers a broad span. In addition to teaching numerous cooking classes, he has worked in restaurants, country clubs, and catering companies, as well as a stint as food stylist for Tri Star Motion Pictures. Jacques also served six years as Executive Chef for the international publication “Epicurean Magazine” and previous to that, the same title for the “Food and Beverage Journal”, a California trade magazine.

Recently, Chef Hayes accepted invitation to be a member of the advisory board at The Professional Culinary Institute, sitting along side of some of our nations leading culinary visionaries. http://www.pcichef.com  Chef Jacques also teaches weekend hobby classes as well as corporate team building events at the school.

Being of French descent, Jacques has been fortunate enough to travel to Europe on several occasions as well as numerous other international destinations such as the Middle East, the Caribbean, Mexico, the South Pacific, Canada and most of the United States. On these journeys, he was able to sample some of the world's finest cuisine, the source of his ability to capture the authenticity of regional flavors. Jacques strongly believes in using the finest, freshest ingredients and serving generous portions all with special attention to presentation. "I feel fortunate to be a chef in Northern California where I have access to a wide variety of outstanding local products that include wine, produce, cheese, meat, herbs and seafood. What my team does with these products is what sets us apart from our competition.”

Dominique Rose
Director of Operations

Dominique came to Elegant Events Catering 12 years ago filling an open entry-level position. He quickly worked his way through the ranks and now directs a team of more than 30 employees, overseeing all day-to-day and major event operations.

Dominique follows the vision of owner Jacques Hayes in providing the finest quality of food, service and presentation available. His love for food has driven him to learn about the cuisine of Elegant Events. With his passion for BBQ, you can taste his love in our house made sauces and fine smoked meats, which he personally prepares.

His dedication to this standard of food and service quality, cleanliness, safety and sanitation as well as a true compassion for his craft and to his employees makes Dominique one of Elegant Events finest assets.

Sheila Repunte
Event Planner/Customer Relations

Sheila Repunte is an honors graduate of the California Culinary Academy’s Hospitality and Restaurant Management program.

The knowledge she gained while in school, along with her hotel customer service and events background is what enables her to provide our customers with complete, detail-oriented event services. Whether she is just planning a simple meal or planning a grand wedding reception from menu to entertainment, all events are handled in her precise, meticulous manner. Her extensive knowledge of vendor resources allows her to find the best of everything available for our customers. As the mother of two boys, Sheila has developed the patience necessary to deal with any situation that may arise in this fast paced profession. 

Angie Hermoso
Business Manager/Customer Relations

Angie Hermoso brings many hats to the table for Elegant Events Catering. With more than two decades experience in accounting, Angie is in charge of all corporate finance including accounts payable and receivables. In addition to these duties, she also acts as the Employee Relations manager as well as the happy voice you may hear on the phone taking your food order.

Additionally, you just may find Angie captaining the service staff at a weekend wedding or event. No matter which hat she is wearing, her skill, dedication, and positive attitude is truly appreciated by our customers, co-workers and just about anyone she comes in contact with. 

Armando Virgin
Executive Sous Chef

Armando has been working with Elegant Events catering for more than 8 years.
He began his tenure as our banquet captain where he showed his true abilities in organization, leadership, cleanliness, time management and absolute perfectionism.
His passion had always lied in the back of the house as he continually studied the work of our chefs. With his desire to learn the art of cooking, Armando studied many books and watched countless cooking shows to learn classic techniques and product identification. In his spare time, he planted his self by the side of our Executive Chef, Jacques Hayes as well as the brigade of kitchen chefs over the next several years acquiring their knowledge, invaluable tips and professional secrets.  In the spring of 2004, Armando made his permanent move into the kitchen where he has honed his skills as a Chef.  By the early winter of 2006, Armando had worked his way into the Executive Sous Chef position leading the entire kitchen in cooking, menu development, product ordering and organization.
His passion for using the finest quality of foods with masterful preparation can be sampled in every bite of his wonderful food.