It's more than just a meal

Pete’s Firehouse BBQ is a family owned and operated BBQ catering company based in the Temecula Valley.  What started as a hobby and passion for owners Pete & Melissa has quickly turned into a second career.  Pete works full time for the Riverside County Fire Department, thus the name “Pete’s Firehouse BBQ!”  Pete’s Firehouse BBQ has been a full service, BBQ catering company since 2009.

Pete, our pitmaster, has been BBQ’ing since he was tall enough to reach the grill.  Many years ago we discovered what real BBQ was, cooking meat low and slow over real wood. We bought our first smoker, and the rest is history.  Melissa has been an avid designer and decorator for years, and her passion really shows through in our table decorations and set-up. Not only do we provide amazing food for your guests, we design and decorate all of our tables to match your wedding décor.  Including fresh flowers, table linens, menu signs, and decorations.

All of our food is prepared fresh in our own health department approved kitchen.  We cook everything fresh on-site on our custom built BBQ catering trailer. Your guests will be able to see and smell us preparing their meal.

We specialize in weddings, but offer our catering services for all events, including retirement parties, corporate events, school events, fundraisers, etc.  Pete’s Firehouse BBQ also believes in giving back to our community.  We support the local food pantry’s on a regular basis, and are huge supporters of our armed forces.  Several times a year, the Pete’s Firehouse BBQ team cooks for the military at several events throughout Southern California.  We are very honored to offer discounts to all military, police and fire personnel.

In addition to BBQ catering, we also participate in BBQ competitions.  We have been very successful on the competition circuit winning many awards and prizes.  Some of our notable accomplishments include Reserve Grand Champion at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, Grand Champion Burger entry at the 2012 OC BBQ Festival, and First Place Ribs at the 2014 Pechanga BBQ Competition.

We have also created our own Pete’s Firehouse BBQ Sauce and Spice Rubs.  Our sauces and rubs have been used in all of our bbq competitions, and are used for every event we cater. All of our products are gluten free, all natural, and contain NO MSG or high fructose corn syrup.

We are fully licensed, fully insured, and are very proud to be the ONLY BBQ catering company in Southwest Riverside County to own and operate our own Health Department approved commercial kitchen.  We also have a dedicated tasting room as part of our facility designed just for our wedding clients.

We feel so very honored when we are selected to cater a wedding.  Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life, and we are excited to be a small part of it. 

~Pete and Melissa

A Family Floral Affair

FAMILY FLORAL AFFAIR - Meet Christine Petal Planners!

This darling duo called Christine Petal Planners is owned and operated by best friends Stephanie LaFleur and Terha Newby. “What made you two join in business together?” and “Why the name Christine?” are two questions that are often asked of these ladies. Stephanie and Terha got married within six months of each other, and after months and months of planning their weddings, attending showers, bachelorette parties, and numerous DIY nights, they both missed being a part of the whole wedding planning process. With creative minds and a desire to help brides in their planning, they ventured out and began a floral business.

There is much more than just business that these girls have in common. Both love wine, mani/pedis, and country concerts, and hate spiders. Stephanie is obsessed with pineapples, plants, and the beach, while having a strong dislike towards disorganization, like grocery shopping without a list. Terha is madly in love with her baby boy, Hunter Grant Newby, anything off Etsy, and deep cleaning. She hates the sight of cotton… yes, cotton, and is one of one person that despises cheese. The similarities extend beyond this duo’s personalities as both their husbands, Rich and Chris, work for Escondido Fire Department. In fact, the only reason Stephanie and Terha met was because their husbands became friends while in paramedic school. And the most important commonality of them all… BOTH girls’ middle names are Christine, which made the business name a given.

With so many different avenues in the wedding industry, why choose floral? - ”I think floral is one of those things that brides either are obsessed about or they have zero knowledge and can only explain what they want through pictures,” said Stephanie. “Terha and I both fell into the “zero knowledge” category when planning our weddings, and relied on the expertise of our florist, and yes, for those wondering, we had the same florist. We desire to educate our brides on flowers, specific types that would be best for certain items, arranging, creative design, etc.”

The heart and soul of this business is family -- owned, operated, supported… the list could on! “We would not be where we are today without the help, creative suggestions, and sacrifice of both husbands,” said Terha. “Our men work anywhere from 24-72 hour shifts at a time with minimal to no sleep. They get off work in the morning and will not only help us load up, but also join for delivery and setup on a couple’s big day. They've been our biggest supporters since day one of sitting on my couch on a December night playing around with this idea of running a floral business.”  

More often than not, you’ll catch Rich or Chris carrying Terha’s four-month old son Hunter around in the baby carrier, making faces at him on the blanket, or just supervising his nap time.

Every once in awhile, the girls will ask the guys for help, whether it be their opinion on design, tying an altar piece stick to a tree, or securing an arch piece without the aid of a step stool (seriously though, no step stool needed with Stephanie’s 6’ 7” husband Rich around).

With the support of their husbands, Stephanie and Terha continue to dream big for their company. Family will always be number one in their lives, but when it comes to business, customer service is their highest priority. “The look on a bride’s face when she sees her bouquet for the very first time is the best satisfaction as a florist!,” exclaims Terha. “We are passionate about seeing a bride’s vision through from beginning to end.”

Christine Petal Planners meets with their clients over coffee for a free consultation to get to know both the bride and groom, their personalities, hear their love story, and talk all things floral. To read more about these ladies and their bloomin’ business head on over to their blog (https://www.christinepetalplanners.com/blog) or visit their website (https://www.christinepetalplanners.com/),  and to see their latest work, be sure to follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/christine_petalplanners/?hl=en), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christinepetalplanners/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/petalplanners/) !

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with some wonderful couples in 2017 thus far, and are looking forward to the rest of this wedding season with some amazing clients! We anxiously await all that 2018 has to offer! Shoot us an email (christinepetalplanners@gmail.com) we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for taking the time to read about us, our friendship, families, and our business!”

-Stephanie & Terha