Catherine Polinard Hodge - Event Coordinator, “The Courtyard” at Gaslight Square,                                                  

Catherine, a local of our coastal community, is a 2007 graduate of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with a focus in Communication.

Catherine has over 3 years of party planning experience, producing a variety of corporate, wedding, and charitable events. As the Event Coordinator for “The Courtyard” for more than two years, and recently married herself, she has a unique perspective and the skills to help other brides discover ways to make their wedding day exceptional. With over 100 weddings scheduled at The Courtyard in 2010, Catherine enjoys the prospect of working with each bride and groom on an individual basis to create the wedding of their dreams.

In her spare time, Catherine enjoys giving back to her community. She has been a Volunteer at The South Texas Women’s shelter since 2008 and finds working with residents there extremely rewarding. She has also been a volunteer for The Foundation to Rid Gangs in America and helped lead a PR Campaign for the Center for Mexican -American Research in 2006.

Clay Anderwald,  Banquet Manager, “The Courtyard” at Gaslight Square.                                                                          

Clay is a native of South Texas and has attended UT SA and Austin Community College.

In 2003 he went to work for “The Cheesecake Factory” in San Antonio as part of the opening team and later transferred to Austin as a “front of house” trainer.

In addition to acting as the Banquet and Special Events Manager for “The Courtyard” at Gaslight Square, he is a partner in “Concrete Catering”, a division of C.C. Procurement, Inc., catering to some of the top current musical tours. His relaxed manner while maintaining a strict eye on event details make him a valuable member of the team and well-liked among clients. In his limited time off, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his girlfriend, son, and American bulldog, “Big Boy”.

Mercy Dulavitz, Executive Chef “The Courtyard” at Gaslight Square                                                                                                                                      

“Growing up in a different culture I learned family values, appreciating the food my father prepared for us. My father owned several restaurants in the Philippines. I am the oldest among six siblings. My father was the source of my inspiration. I fondly remember watching him prepare many types of cuisine. Someday, I will visit other countries to learn their culture and cuisine.”

Mercy finally joined her mother in America upon completion of her final semester of college. A year later she met her husband, and moved to Corpus Christi where she worked at the Officer’s Club for sixteen years, while simultaneously pursuing a degree in Culinary Arts. Mercy graduated (honors) with an Associate Degree in Culinary, Restaurant Management with a Specialization in Pastry.

From 2005-2008, she worked for Utopia as Executive Chef, while also teaching culinary classes at Delmar.  In 2006, she received an award as a Junior Chef of the Year.  In 2008, Mercy was elected the chapter director of Texas Chef Association and American Culinary Federation, Corpus chapter and still serving the term.  This year the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Texas Chef’s Association  has selected Mercy as the 2009 Chapter Chef of the Year!  (This is a chapter of the American Culinary Federation.)   She will be recognized at the annual Texas Chef’s Association Convention President’s Ball on August 1st. in San Antonio.