IN THE BEGINNING
When Peter “Stephen” Milewics and Dan “Duvall” Stephens came to Charleston from New York in 1978, their dream of opening a restaurant was realized with the creation of Stephen Duvall Associates, a market and catering company on East Bay Street. Charleston was a different place then. The historic significance and natural beauty were there, of course, but the reputation as a world-class tourist and culinary destination was still years away. As their business grew, so did Charleston’s food and hospitality culture. Milewicz and Stephens cultivated lasting relationships with Charleston natives as they developed their signature blend of creative, modern cuisine with deep local roots.
AND THEN
Steve Wenger, a hospitality executive from Asheville, N.C., came to Charleston in 1990. His arrival coincided with Charleston’s cultural emergence, and his marriage in 1991 to theater artist Sheri Grace, a Charlestonian whose family owned a flower shop, formed a partnership that would shape the next chapter of Duvall’s growth. The couple bought Stephen Duvall Associates, believing that food connects us to art. Their skills proved perfectly aligned with the burgeoning of the Charleston food and hospitality scene and enhanced Duvall’s reputation as the go-to caterer for Charleston’s best parties for their 27 years of ownership.
TODAY
Our owner Dave Byron formed a friendship with Steve as fellow members of an esteemed invitation-only group of top caterers, Leading Caterers of America. Over years of attending LCA conferences together, they bonded over a mutual affection for the hospitality industry. Dave is founder and president of Best Impressions, a Charlotte (NC) catering company. His 30 years of professional catering experience and an abiding love for Charleston make him the perfect person to lead Duvall’s next chapter. “I hope to honor Steve (as well as Peter Milewicz and Dan Stevens) and continue the Duvall legacy of providing true Charleston hospitality,” says Dave. Duvall’s past, present and future center around a love of great food, professional hospitality and the creative arts. The company’s unique event catering, bar, floral arrangements for events and décor creations originate from its home at the Midtown Event Center on Azalea Drive in North Charleston. At 41 years old and with over 21,000 corporate and social events, from 15 to 5,000 guests, Duvall is dedicated to the local community, focused on local relationships and ready to be Charleston's premier full-service event catering company for the next 40 years.
Our Manifesto
If you’re the dreamer of dreams, we are the magic makers.
The set designers of celebration. The job brigade. We’re the wink before the walk down the aisle. The belly laugh at the punch line. The silence before the ovation. The warm glow of candlelight.
We hand select flowers, set tables, polish silver, smooth table linens, painstakingly prepare hors d’ oeuvres, craft cocktails, set lights, execute designs, artfully entertain, obsessively organize, and welcome the magic that follows.
Because we believe that any gathering of more than two people is cause for celebration.
Because we’d rather revel in the details than sweat them.
Because the best hospitality is a true expression of humanity – which neither the world nor any of us should do without.
