President and owner, Creative Edge Parties, New York, 49Launchpad: Ruben started her catering company at 27, working out of a small New York apartment. She did everything herself, from cooking the food and driving the van to bartending, bussing tables, serving the meal, and packing up at the end of the night. More than 20 years later, Creative Edge is one of the city’s most respected caterers, trusted by organizations like Target, the Museum of Modern Art, and Bravo to dream up creative menus that Ruben describes as “clean and intelligent, not tortured or pretentious.”
Big innovation: Last year the company launched the Creative Edge Culinary Council, a global exchange program that brings guest chefs to cook in New York, while sending its own chefs to other cities to learn new techniques. “We believe innovation does not come from just one chef, but from a collaboration of ideas, skill, and inspiration.”
Career highlight: “Catering a 1,800-person lunch and then flipping the room in 90 minutes for a 2,300-person seated dinner.”
Up next: “Tablecloths are a thing of the past. Buffet tables are the backdrop to our food—we consider them an extension of our design. So it’s not just a matter of interesting vessels to present the food in, but what type of material or furniture you’re putting it on.”
On Twitter: @CarlaRuben