Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Anderson.
Hi Eric, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Mother2Son Catering was born during one of the most unexpected seasons of my life. After serving as an Assistant Superintendent with Roanoke City Public Schools, my position ended as a result of restructuring. I was devastated. So much of my life and identity had been connected to education and leadership, and suddenly I found myself trying to figure out what was next.
What initially felt like a setback eventually became an opportunity to rediscover a passion that had been with me since childhood—cooking.
My love for cooking began in the kitchen with my mother. During a difficult period in her marriage to my father, the kitchen became a special place for the two of us. We cooked together, talked, laughed, and bonded. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was teaching me much more than how to prepare a meal. She was teaching me about love, resilience, perseverance, and the power food has to bring people together.
Years later, during my own difficult season, I found myself returning to the lessons and memories created in that kitchen. Cooking became more than something I enjoyed—it became a passion and eventually a new purpose. From that experience, Mother2Son Catering was born.
The name Mother2Son is inspired by Langston Hughes’ powerful poem “Mother to Son,” which speaks about perseverance and continuing to climb even when life’s journey is difficult. That message reflects both my mother’s story and my own. When life presented me with an unexpected turn, I kept climbing.
Today, Mother2Son Catering is about much more than food. It’s about creating experiences, bringing people together, and carrying forward a legacy that began between a mother and her son in a kitchen many years ago.
What I once saw as one of the most devastating moments of my career ultimately opened the door to a gift that had been inside me all along. Sometimes the end of one chapter gives you the courage to discover the story you were meant to write next.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly hasn’t always been a smooth road. Like any small business, we have experienced challenges, made mistakes, learned difficult lessons, and had moments when we questioned whether we were doing everything right. Balancing the demands of a growing catering business with our other professional and personal responsibilities has also required sacrifice, flexibility, and a lot of teamwork.
But the challenges have been outweighed by the joy of watching something we created continue to grow. One of the greatest blessings of Mother2Son Catering is that it has truly become a family business. I have the opportunity to work alongside my spouse and our two children, and there is something incredibly rewarding about building something that belongs to us together.
We are not just building a catering company; we are building a legacy. Every event, every new client, and every opportunity reminds us of how far we have come. There are still challenges, but we are enjoying the journey, learning together, and taking great pride in watching Mother2Son become something our entire family can call our own.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At Mother2Son Catering, we believe great catering is about much more than putting good food on a plate—it is about creating an experience. We provide catering for weddings, corporate events, private celebrations, community gatherings, and other special occasions. We specialize in elevated Southern-inspired cuisine while also creating customized menus that reflect the vision, tastes, and personality of each client.
I think what we are becoming known for is our attention to detail and our ability to make an event feel special. From the presentation of the food and beautifully designed buffet tables to professional service and those small finishing touches, we want our clients to feel that we have taken care of everything. We often say that we are “Turning Delicious Dreams into Reality,” and we work hard to make that more than just a tagline.
What sets us apart is that this is personal for us. Mother2Son is a family business, and when someone chooses us, we understand that they are trusting our family with an important moment in theirs. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.
I am most proud of how much we have grown while still maintaining the heart behind why we started. Every referral, returning client, wedding, celebration, and person who tells us how much they enjoyed their experience means something to us. We are proud of the food, but I am even more proud of the relationships we are building and the reputation we are creating.
At the end of the day, we want people to remember more than what they ate. We want them to remember how Mother2Son made their celebration feel.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I believe the catering industry will continue to become much more experience-driven over the next five to ten years. Great food will always be important, but clients are increasingly focused on presentation. They want food that tastes amazing but also looks beautiful and complements the overall theme and atmosphere of their event.
We are already seeing more interest in creative grazing tables, interactive food stations, elegant buffet displays, unique serving pieces, coordinated décor, and personalized menu experiences. Social media has also changed expectations because people want moments that are visually appealing and worth photographing and sharing.
For Mother2Son Catering, that shift is exciting because presentation has become an important part of what we do. We see ourselves continuing to grow beyond traditional catering by creating complete culinary experiences where the food, presentation, service, and atmosphere all work together to tell a story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mother2son.org
- Instagram: Dr.eanderson
