When Betsy Byrd asked her mother, a restaurateur for many years, what she thought of her leaving her job as Regional Training Manager for Toshiba America to buy a catering business, her mother promptly said, “I’d think you’d lost your mind.” Nevertheless, like most people who have had a dream, Betsy went on to follow hers.
Betsy bought The Stuffed Mushroom, a full-service catering company operating out of 700 square feet in Largo, in 1992. The business grew at an astonishing rate and in the fall of 1998, after a three-year search, Betsy and her husband Mark found the dream home for her business on Main Street in Safety Harbor. Having remodeled the building inside and out, they were ready for the grand opening in 1999 and have hardly stopped since. Apart from the cuisine, which can run the gamut from a gourmet feast to a down-home barbecue, Betsy attributes much of their success to her highly trained and personable staff. Most of them have been with her since the beginning and are cooks as well as servers. This allows them to discuss the wide variety of interesting dishes intelligently with guests and prospective customers. Many clients request their favorite servers by name. The Stuffed Mushroom prides itself on providing a combination of delicious food with impeccable service. www.thestuffedmushroom.com
