Papa Bear's Event Services, Graham, NC
First and foremost, Papa Bear's is a family business. Probably the best way to tell you who we are is to tell you how we got here.
George, aka Papa Bear, has been cooking for over 55 years - he started when he was five years old and he's got a few recipes. While admittedly, a lousy teacher, his sons, James and Philip, picked up his love of cooking and taught themselves how to cook. Both are great cooks and with this many good cooks in the house, we had to do something with it - hence Fancy Vittles was born.
George followed in his father's footsteps and spent almost forty years with the telecom industry before starting down the Papa Bear's road. It didn't take much to go from telephone receiver to PA speaker and with his son-in-law, Brian's, personality and love of music, it was just took one little push and Brian became "DJ Infamous". George's daughter, Brian's wife, Jessica, became so interested in what her hubby was doing, that she began to learn how to connect the sound equipment and work the mixer, so then the Sound/Stage/DJ arm of our business was born.
Long ago, George's mom was a portrait photographer. He grew up loving the images captured in pictures and with his love of gadgets... i.e. cameras, it wasn't a long path for him to enroll in the New York Institute of Photography. George shoots everything from pets to boudoir and most things in between. His daughter, Jessica, works as his second camera on larger shoots.
Back in 2013, Jessica wanted to have a hand fasting for her wedding to Brian. The only person she could find to do it , charged wwaaayyyy too much for her budget, so George went online and got ordained. He performed her wedding and has done many more since. Being a Druid, George took a different path with his wedding and funeral training. He studied Celebrations of Life with OBOD (Order of Bards Ovates and Druids), the largest Druid organization in the world. His rituals are different to say the least. George has performed Druid weddings, Viking weddings, Harry Potter weddings, Native American/Christian weddings, Christian/Jewish/Native American/Druid weddings, and many more... he even did a non-religious service for a Muslim and Christian, bi-racial, same sex couple. The best thing about the rituals though, is that they are written for the couple, for their beliefs and personalities. George does the same with other rituals. Eulogies are written to honor the life of the deceased and to bless their path to the afterlife.
With all this going on, you might wonder what is Mama Bear's role in the business. Mama keeps the books and keeps the cooks in their own lane - most of the time. Obviously the toughest role in the business, but she can handle it. Ever heard of behind every successful man is a woman? Yeah, she's back there... with a whip and a chair... and a spatula... Yes Ma'am!! I'm going!!! Later folks!!
