The Juniper Spoon

The Juniper Spoon is a local catering business that creates farm-to-table meals for unforgettable events. However, what is perhaps more remarkable than The Juniper Spoon’s food is the woman who owns and manages it, Lali Hess. Lali’s dedication to serving harvest-inspired dishes, creatively designed for each individual client, has made her a prominent member of, not only the food scene, but also the community of Crawfordsville. Nevertheless, how The Juniper Spoon came to be, and its success, wasn’t always a guarantee.

Lali started out in the 1990’s as an organic market farmer with the idea of being part of a healthier food system.  After a few years, she and her husband Doug, decided to pivot their energies toward catering while also growing the vegetables for the business.  Lali dreamed about providing locally sourced and healthy food to others–with catering she could do that while also supporting small farms which offered products that she and Doug didn’t raise themselves. At the time they lived in eastern Pennsylvania, which had a saturated market and high land prices, making it difficult for them to break into that food scene.  They moved to West Central Indiana, which brought them closer to family and provided a lower cost of entry for small businesses.  Indiana gave them the ability for Lali’s business to stand out from the crowd.

In 2003 they moved to 5 acres outside of Crawfordsville where Lali began developing a business plan and Doug returned to school for respiratory therapy. They were thrilled to be in a unique college town, surrounded by small farms and businesses, with a supportive and active community. Initially The Juniper Spoon was denied funding for being too out-of-the-box, but this didn’t stop Lali from pursuing her dream. She started the business while living on their student loans to get The Juniper Spoon off the ground. The first few years were a difficult mix of low cash flow and long hours, with no guarantee of long term success.

From the start Lali has stuck to her mission: highlighting locally sourced foods through creative and vibrant cuisine.  Purchasing processed and frozen ingredients from distributors is easier and cheaper–but the money doesn’t stay in the community, like it does when products are purchased directly from a farmer. There are, of course, obstacles to this model, like increased payroll costs (starting with farm produce takes a lot more time than opening a bag!), the inconvenience of traveling to farms and ingredient availability. Fortunately Montgomery County has provided a community of small scale growers that could supply her with high quality meats, dairy and vegetables. Today she buys regularly from Freshly Dairy, Loralei’s Egg Basket, Prime 41, Silver Valley Farm and Step Back Farm, among many others.

For the first few years The Juniper Spoon grew slowly, allowing Lali to master and evolve her craft. She started off with small events, only catering her first large wedding in 2006. The Juniper Spoon now caters over 250 events a year and often events of 200 guests or more. Lali doesn’t just offer a fixed menu; she customizes menus based on the client's vision and budget, as well as what is seasonally available from small farms. Weddings catered by Lali have had menus inspired from all over the world and people cannot get enough of it.

In 2010, Doug and Lali built a commercial kitchen on their property which  allowed her to be home when her children got off the school bus.  Juggling home and work has always been one of the challenges of owning a small business, but Doug and Lali enjoy including the kids in the garden and in the kitchen.  Currently both kids are in high school and are taking a larger role with the business, from helping with events to graphic design.  Lali follows the motto of never biting off more than you can chew, and even today she knows that it wouldn’t be feasible for her to host large events with thousands of people. Knowing when to say no is as important as saying yes.

Last year Doug and Lali took a big risk and bought a brick & mortar location downtown that houses the Table Spoon and the Market. Doug quit his job as a respiratory therapist, knowing that losing the second income and benefits was a big risk. Doug was more than willing to take the chance to spend more time with the kids and the business.

The Juniper Spoon, The Table Spoon and The Market each have their own function and individuality. The Juniper Spoon is the umbrella for the others as it's the established catering business that supports the other two. The Market is a bodega-style grab and go cafe with sandwiches, salads, heat-and-serve entrees, as well as sweet goodies. The Table Spoon is an attached dining area for lunch-goers, or can be rented in the evenings and weekends for parties and corporate events. It also hosts pop-up events like happy hours, cooking classes and theme nights.  More than anything, Lali wants The Market and Table Spoon to be a place the community can use and enjoy…a community that has been so supportive from the start.

Check out www.thejuniperspoon.com to get more information on catering. Also stop by The Market at 116 S. Green for a convenient lunchtime treat or consider hosting your next party at The Table Spoon.  By supporting these businesses more of your dollars will stay right here in Montgomery County.

The Market is located at 116 S. Green St.

Hours: Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm

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Phone: (765) 365-2830