Dennis Lewis makes a latte at Angela's Kitchen + Catering in Tyler Thursday Oct. 6, 2015. Angela's is located at 4815 Old Bullard Road. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

LOUANNA CAMPBELL lcampbell@tylerpaper.com

For over 35 years, Angela Gordon has been making homemade food to cater large and small events.

The Robert E. Lee High School alumnus and Southern Methodist University graduate has now moved back to Tyler and set up shop in the La Piazza shopping center on Old Bullard Road.

“I was shopping with my mother last year and saw that this place was available,” Ms. Gordon said. “I decided to move back to Tyler and open up my restaurant and catering business.”

Angela’s Kitchen and Catering specializes in three areas, full-service catering, grab-and-go meals and a cafe with items made from scratch.

“I saw a need in Tyler for a catering business and it was my forte,” Ms. Gordon said. “I do it well and I have a lot of fun.”

Ms. Gordon got into the catering business when she had young kids. She started working with a friend out of their own kitchens in their Dallas neighborhood to cater school events and fundraisers. From there, it evolved into making casseroles and cakes and a year later, it grew into a full catering business.

“I have always loved to cook,” Ms. Gordon said. “My grandmothers were country cooks who lived on farms in East Texas. I’m self-taught, have taken some cooking classes, but it’s a God-given talent that I have been given.”

Angela’s Kitchen and Catering’s full-service catering provides gourmet food and cocktails for large and small events. Bartenders, servers, flowers and event tables can be provided depending on the clients’ needs.

The breakfast and lunch menu at the cafe is made-to-order. The items are all made in-house by Ms. Gordon. Fresh turkey and Dijon ham are sliced for sandwiches. The dessert cases are lined with homemade cakes and pastries.

“Everything is made from scratch,” Ms. Gordon said. “One reason we have been successful is because we use fresh ingredients. I use some tomatoes and herbs that I grow myself.”

The grab-and-go coolers are filled with soups, salads and casseroles that can be taken home or to the office. The microwaveable containers contain the same fresh ingredients as those sold in the cafe.

With the holidays approaching fast, the cafe will be fully decorated. There will be tables with holiday food items and gift items for Christmas.

The loyal clients she left behind in Dallas are a phone call away. Ms. Gordon finds the time to continue catering events in the Dallas area. She makes the food in Tyler and transports it anywhere her talents and services are requested. This past week, she catered an event for The University of Texas system chancellor for the Red River Showdown.

The self-taught chef and owner with a degree in advertising found the time to complete the food service management program at Johnson and Wales University. While traveling, she made time for cooking classes in Paris, France and San Miguel, Mexico.

When Ms. Gordon gets some time away from her kitchen, she spends it with her three grandchildren.

Angela’s Kitchen and Catering is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed Sunday.

Twitter: @LouAnnCampbell