Twelve-mile beaches, numerous parks, and a vast array of recreational facilities make the Hilton Head area a beautiful and exciting place to visit and live year-round. From the Harbour Town Lighthouse and the Coastal Discovery Museum to the Sea Pines Forest Preserve and the Bluffton Seafood Festival, there’s always something interesting to see and do.
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Known for its fantastic Low Country cuisine and boasting more than 250 restaurants, the area also offers a flourishing cultural community. While dishes such as She-Crab soup, Hoppin’ John, and Shrimp and Grits are local favorites, more and more people are looking for diverse dining options.  

While traditional Low Country fare is still found at the majority of local eateries, cultural cuisine is making its way into the area. And right at the forefront of this regional culinary shift is Fire & Rice Low Country, Hilton Head’s favorite paella catering!    

If you’re looking for a unique catering experience that’s fun and exciting, nothing beats award-winning paella from Fire & Rice Low Country. Whether you’re hosting a private party for 20 or an event for 200-plus, your guests will know they’re in for a treat from the moment they arrive. 

At Fire & Rice Low Country, our chefs prepare award-winning paella right out in front for everyone to see. With large pans filled with a palette of primary colors and gentle aromas in the air, guests gather around and are encouraged to participate in the preparation process. It’s fun and exciting, and everyone wants to join in!
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Our award-winning paella is made from only the finest ingredients dating back to 16th-Century Spain. Using a traditional preparation process, we fuse chicken, sausage, and saffron with Bomba rice for gentle flavors and textures that are simply divine. Meat ingredients can be substituted or combined with seafood, and vegan options are also available. With selections such as Mixta Paella, Paella Valencia, and Paella de Marisco, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 

From special occasions and wine tastings to festivals and corporate events, the Hilton Head paella catering concept is catching on like wildfire and getting rave reviews. If you’re in Hilton Head, Beaumont, Bluffton, Savannah, or surrounding areas and are looking for a unique catering experience that guests will remember for years to come, call Fire & Rice Low Country paella catering at (843) 949-0089 or book your party online. We look forward to sharing our award-winning paella with you!  

During our busy time of year, you’ll find Fire & Rice at the Naples’ farmers’ markets, local festivals and events, private parties, and on the PGA Tour. From November through the end of April, we typically cater 50-plus parties and events each month, so there’s a lot that we need to get in place during the slower months to prepare for the rush.
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As the demand for Naples paella catering grows, so does wear-and-tear on the equipment as well as the need to hire and train team members. Since it’s a little quieter here in Southwest Florida from May through October, we invest some time making sure that our food truck and catering equipment is in top condition and also focus on training and developing our staff. 

Before the in-season is upon us, it’s essential to inspect all equipment, make any repairs, and purchase any new equipment so that we can hit the ground running on the first of November. Once the crowds arrive in Naples, everything needs to be in top working order as our paella catering services will be in full swing.  
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When it comes to equipment maintenance, we undergo an in-depth inspection of our commercial refrigerators to ensure that the gaskets, coils, and air filters are in good shape and free of debris. We also clean and test our burners for safety and efficiency to make sure they are functioning the way they should. Additionally, the food truck itself has to be detailed and inspected before the season starts, and all cookware, serving dishes, and utensils must be in pristine condition. And the list goes on! 

Fire & Rice has been bringing award-winning paella to the people of Naples for more than a decade, and the interactive concept has caught on like wildfire. People love seeing our chefs prepare paella out in front for everyone to see while engaging the crowd in the process. It’s fun and exciting, something that people remember for years to come and want to share with their friends and families.
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As a result, we’ve seen an increased demand for our award-winning paella and catering services in the Naples area. With more parties and events on the books than ever before, there’s a need to expand our team over the coming months as we continue to grow. Look for new staff updates on our blog in the months to come!

While we’re busy getting ready for the in-season, you can still take advantage of our Naples’ paella catering services during the slower months. Just call us today at (239) 269-8857 or book your party online. We look forward to hearing from you!

​Now that you see Fire & Rice food trucks in multiple locations around the country, do you ever wonder how they came to be? We thought it would be fun to give you an inside look at some of our locations and find out how the franchisees got into the paella catering food truck business. 

​After graduating from Central Michigan University with a major in communications and a minor in hospitality, Nick worked in the restaurant business for most of his career. In the restaurant world, Nick had done it all, from dishwasher to General manager to Director of Operations to Culinary Director. He also spent several years working for hospitality companies and opened fifteen restaurants in different cities around the country.
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With years of restaurant and hospitality experience under his belt, Nick was looking to take his career in a new direction and had always wanted to own a food truck. After learning about the Fire & Rice food truck franchise from a friend three years ago, Nick traveled down to the original Fire & Rice location in Naples to learn more. There, Nick spent some time with Chef Paul, founder of Fire & Rice, and was impressed with the concept, success, and scalability of the business. Now, as the proud owner of two Michigan locations, Nick has found his calling in the food truck business, working parties, events, and festivals throughout the region – and having a great time. 

Annabelle and Walter Johnson were living in the Naples area as retirees for several years. Annabelle is a potter, who was also a vendor at the Third Street Farmers’ Market, and Walter had been a Director in the IT business. The couple caught up with Chef Paul at the local Farmers’ Market in Naples, and with just one bite of his award-winning paella, they say they were sold on the paella catering concept! 
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The Johnsons had always wanted to live near Hilton Head, South Carolina, and decided to come out of retirement and open up a Fire & Rice franchise in that area. After taking care of logistical matters, such as selling their Naples’ home, the Johnsons uprooted to Low Country, and a new Fire & Rice paella catering food truck franchise was born. Now, you can find them having the time of their lives catering paella parties, wine tastings, and festivals throughout the Hilton Head, Beaufort, and Bluffton area. 

Glenn Michael had been in the restaurant business for many years and was looking for a unique opportunity to grow his career but wasn’t sure where to go.  Although Glenn Michael lives in Connecticut, his father resides in Naples and is involved in the golf scene, and, while attending a party with an 18-holer crew, his father had the opportunity to experience award-winning paella from Fire & Rice in Naples. Not only was the paella amazing, the atmosphere was fun, exciting, and interactive. His father couldn’t say enough good things about the business!   
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With Glenn Michael’s passion for the food industry and incredible people skills, his father was certain that he would be a great fit as a franchise owner. After learning more about the concept, seeing beautiful photos of the paella, and hearing his father’s rave reviews, Glenn Michael took a trip to Naples to learn more about the Fire & Rice franchise, and the rest is history!  Now, Glenn Michael owns and operates the Fairfield location, catering parties, charity events, and more, bringing delicious paella, fun, and excitement wherever he goes. 

As franchisees make their mark in multiple locations throughout the country, the paella concept continues to catch on like wildfire. By sharing award-winning paella in an interactive and exciting atmosphere, whether it’s at a party, festival, farmers’ market, wedding, or corporate event, people can’t wait to get in on the fun. If you’re interested in learning more about our franchise opportunities or our Naples’ food truck catering services, call (239) 269-8857 or book your party online. We look forward to hearing from you! 

​If you’re considering buying a franchise, you know it’s important to gather as much information as possible about the business model before making a commitment, but how do you know what to ask?  As part of his business tips series, Chef Paul Schmidgall, founder of the booming Fire & Rice paella franchise, recommends asking seven crucial questions to determine whether or not a franchise is right for you. 

To get some real-world answers to these seven essential questions as they pertain to Fire & Rice, we interviewed Nick Neveau, franchise owner of Fire & Rice in Lansing and Ann Arbor. Nick took the time to answer our questions and share his experience about taking on the Michigan locations.

When buying a new franchise, you want to assess the success rates of the existing franchises. If they’re doing well, you can feel more confident knowing there is a process in place that works and will help you reach your financial goals. Make sure to find out the success rates of each franchise as well as any reasons why a franchise may have failed.

​For Nick Neveau of Fire & Rice in Lansing and Ann Arbor, the phone is ringing off the hook. When we talked to Nick at beginning of his third season, he said he just had eight voicemails over the weekend and that the business was growing just as he wanted it to.  Nick said that a lot of his success is due to the training and support he gained from the franchisor, Chef Paul Schmidgall.  Before getting his franchise up and running, Nick spent six weeks at Chef Paul’s Naples’ catering location learning the business.  

Nick reported that Chef Paul’s communication with franchisees is second-to-none. Since Chef Paul has been running the original Fire & Rice location in Naples for more than a decade, he’s able to share what works when it comes to growing the business as well as what to avoid. Since Nick has worked with other franchise groups over the years, on the side of the franchisor, he can say without a doubt that Chef Paul’s level of support is phenomenal.  

While there are challenges that are common to owning a new business, such as having enough capital to get started and putting in the overtime necessary to get things off the ground, it’s also important to understand the challenges that are specific to a given franchise. Determining these unique challenges upfront can give you the insight you need to make an informed decision as to whether the franchise is a good fit for your business goals.

Nick said one of the challenges that he personally needed to overcome was doing something on his own that he’d never done before. While Nick had extensive experience in the restaurant business, he was new to the paella concept. He wondered, is paella too narrow of a focus? Is it enough to do one thing really well?

After his first event, Nick quickly learned that what Fire & Rice does is very unique. By using the best ingredients in the world and sharing award-winning paella in an interactive, communal setting, people can’t wait to get in on the fun. It’s different from traditional catering fare, the concept is exciting, and people rave about it.

The scalability of the business is also an advantage. Nick told us he could be hosting a party of 20 one night and an event for 400 the next, and the business is set up to make that work well.  And it’s a great product – people absolutely love it. 

To get the remaining five questions and answers, please call Fire & Rice paella catering in Naples at (239) 269-8857 or email [email protected]. ​

​Chef Paul brought the Fire & Rice paella catering concept to Southwest Florida more than ten years ago and it caught on like wildfire. Now you can enjoy his award-winning paella in Naples and multiple locations around the country. If you’d like to learn more about Fire & Rice franchise opportunities, go to our website or contact Chef Paul at (239) 269-8857 or email [email protected].