Cheers! to Ten Years

WRITTEN + PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Jessica Burke

This year marks a special anniversary for New Orleans venue, The Cannery. In June of 2012, this MidCity venue opened its doors and has been hosting events, large and small ever since.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary milestone, The Cannery hosted a fabulous party in July with hundreds of past clients, event industry partners as well as family and friends in attendance.

For this event, The Cannery’s Director of Sales and original visionary, Kellie Levy, wanted to transform the spaces that everyone is used to and showcase the possibilities for event design at the venue.

The Cannery’s 12,000 square feet includes five distinct spaces, all of which Levy designed to have a different feel for the party.

“I wanted to offer guests an experience as they moved throughout the different spaces,” says Levy. “Design is my passion. I love to research and see what is the most current trend. In this industry, the trends are constantly changing and you have to always be thinking outside the box and push the limits.”

THE HISTORY

The Cannery was built between 1965-1970 as a warehouse for the American Can Company until its closure in 1988. In 1997, Pel Hughes Companies, the parent company of The Cannery, purchased the warehouse as a location for their print and direct marketing company and in 2006 after Katrina devastated New Orleans, opened Floor de Lis in the space to help rebuild the city and employ family that was no longer employed at the family printing company after the hurricane.

It was also in the post-Katrina tragedy and devastation that another business, Toulouse Gourmet Catering was born. “While we were evacuated, we started thinking about how we could come back and help our community rebuild,” shares Levy. “With the faith of the Hughes and Levy families, we opened a catering business to help feed the people of New Orleans as they rebuilt their lives.”

What started with a BBQ pit in the back has grown to a successful gourmet catering company that survived numerous tragedies including the 2008 crash and the 2020 pandemic that shuttered so many businesses. “Toulouse Gourmet now serves as not only the in-house caterer for The Cannery, but also caters weddings and events across the New Orleans Metro Area,” says Levy. “Our story has been one of opportunity out of tragedy.”

With Toulouse Gourmet growing, Vic Hughes, owner of Pel Hughes Companies, approached Levy with an idea. “My Uncle Vic came to me and said, ‘I may be crazy, but what if we create an event space in this building.’”, referring to the space that is now The Cannery,” shares Levy. “I was scared and nervous, but also honored that he believed in me to create a space that people would want to come to.”

And create it she did! “I started with the bespoke lighting of New Orleans designer Julie Neill as my grounding point for The Cannery’s design,” shares Levy. “I was working with a cinderblock building in an industrial area and knew I needed to create a design that was not over the top in one direction to one type of taste.”

Levy chose neutral colors and timeless details that would allow The Cannery to be elegant on its own with no extra effort, but also a “blank canvas” that would allow clients to personalize the space to their taste if they desire, as have thousands of clients over the years.

Levy’s inspiration for the Anniversary Party design was born from a desire to showcase the possibilities she’s seen realized at The Cannery after 10 years of hosting events.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” says Levy. “We’ve seen so many magnificent designs in our space over the years.”

THE EVENT COLLABORATORS

“I believe you are only as good as your team and vendors and it’s important to have good relationships,” says Levy. “Everybody that I work with, we all have the same vision, the same mentality. We want to please the client. I can always depend on my vendors to bring ideas to the table. Each and every one of these vendors, the relationship that I have is beyond anything I could imagine.”

Levy called on her vendor friends to help bring her vision for the Anniversary Party to life.

“I have been using ELEMENT for years,” says Levy. “They have always been there to bring our vision to fruition with their extensive inventory and knowledge. Lesley and Val selected the perfect pieces for this party.” Those pieces included Circular Parlor Shelves, Woodland Bar and their Chesterfield Brown leather sofas for our Havana-themed Bourbon Bar.

This space was home to Cocktail + Creative Co.’s cocktail station where they served up their signature smoked Traditional Old Fashioneds and Lavender Limoncello cocktails. “They were amazing that night!” says Levy.

In the Royal Parlor, we treated guests to specialty Summer cocktails, Moscow Mules and Sgroppino Lemon Sorbet Cocktails.

In the Parlor we had our photo opp area withThe Modern Debutante’s new black rose flower wall embellished with an over-the-top balloon installation from Soirée Bouquets and a neon sign reading “The Cannery” from Calfee Productions along with Alpha-Lit New Orleans’ 4ft tall Marquee Numbers. “Everyone wanted a photo there!”

The space also included several grazing stations with a Toulouse Gourmet favorite, Savory Artichoke Cheesecake and specialty charcuterie displays designed by NOLA Events & Tailgates including one spelling out “The Cannery.”

“In our Bienville Ballroom, After Party Band performed throughout the evening,” says Levy. They started out with easy listening hits from Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke and then switched gears to top hits from five decades of music. “The band was thrilled to be selected to entertain for The Cannery’s 10 year anniversary party,” says band manager William “Chuck” Credo IV. “After Party has performed MANY incredible events at the venue over the years and couldn’t wait to be involved with the fun! The dance floor remained packed until the party came to an end.”

Also in the Ballroom, Toulouse Gourmet served their traditional New Orleans Shrimp & Grits along with many passed appetizer favorites. A sushi presentation by Cannery friend and sushi chef, Chef Ricky, was a focal point with a gorgeous tropical floral presentation by Perfect Presentations at the center of the table.

“Johnny is unbelievable,” says Levy of Perfect Presentations owner Johnny Lopez. “He’s a master at his craft, one of those people you can just say ‘this is what I’m thinking’ and just trust and see it come to life.”

Lopez designed topical arrangements throughout the party.

Also collaborating with Levy to execute her vision was event designer Christopher Jeffrey Guthrie who put the finishing touches on the decor.

The Toulouse Courtyard space was home to a jazz trio from Jazzman Entertainment playing classic New Orleans Jazz and NOLA favorite, Dat Dogs, who grilled up their gourmet hot dogs to order for party guests.

Last, but certainly not least, was the dessert room with elegant crystals and yummy delights, nestled in the Crown Room. This candle-lit room featured sweets from Zoe’s Bakery and frozen treats from Big O’s Pops.

“Each and every vendor did an amazing job and really brought my vision to life,” says Levy.

A FAMILY BUSINESS

“The Cannery and Toulouse Gourmet are family owned and operated and we pride ourselves on our family connection,” says Levy. “And in that we include friends who are like family.”

“Our Executive Chef for Toulouse Gourmet, Mike Reynolds, has been with us since the beginning,” shares Levy. “And my childhood best friend, Ashley Dubret, is the General Manager for Toulouse Gourmet and The Cannery.”

“We’re working together to build a business that will last for a long time,” says Dubret. “Our clients take comfort knowing that we have these life-long connections.”

“We’ve been through so much together and the pandemic was the biggest challenge we ever faced,” says Dubret. “By working together and having faith, we were able to make it to the other side.”

“This party was a celebration, not only of 10 years in business, but that we made it through all these challenges, including a global pandemic, together,” says Levy. “We wanted to celebrate with the friends and family who made it possible. It’s been an amazing journey and I look forward to many more years.”