Don “Duke” Williams was born and raised in Joliet and is a graduate of Joliet West. He attended Joliet Junior College and Lewis University, where he studied accounting. Don started working in the catering business in high school and continued throughout college. After college, he decided that catering was the career he wanted to pursue. He started Duke’s Catering in 2000 and in total he has over 14 years of experience in the catering field.

Don’s passions are Joliet, family and his business. He is committed to continuing the growth of his companies. Indeed, Duke’s Catering and Republic Banquet Hall have grown. All customers appreciate his honesty and integrity; which leads to the volume of repeat business done each year.

“I take pride in making sure any menu item leaving my kitchen is a quality product. More importantly, I make sure that whether I am preparing for 25 or 500 every item is consistently excellent. Personally, I have high standards for good food; Because Duke’s Catering is reflective of me as a chef, those high standards are what I expect for each order.” Head Chef Steve Ferlin.

Sam Helfrich, Director of Marketing and Sales, says, “It is so important to sit down with a customer to understand what his/her needs are. Once we determine that, we are able to come up with a menu. I want to make sure that the customer gets exactly what he/she had in mind at the right price.”