Blake and Lori Jensen will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary next year. And the calendar change will also mark 35 years since the young couple moved to Taylorsville, in 1991. The Jensens put all four of their kids through Taylorsville High School, with graduations in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007.

Tiffany Allen served nutritious meals to former Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert for years. (Photo courtesy Tiffany Allen)

Daughter Tiffany (the 2001 THS graduate) says Dad purposely moved the family into Taylorsville for her brothers. But she’s not complaining – because Blake Jensen has also helped her build one of the most successful catering businesses in Utah. 

“My Dad played baseball at BYU, graduating from there in 1987,” Tiffany Allen begins. “We are a baseball family, and dad wanted my brothers to have the best opportunity to succeed in the game. Taylorsville High was a baseball dynasty back then. That’s the biggest reason why we moved here.”

Her brothers’ baseball playing days have come and gone. But now all four of the siblings are on a different team: Blake’s Gourmet catering company (blakesgourmet.com).

“The business gives my family a great opportunity to work hard together, for each other,” Jensen said. “We all trust one another, because we’re all related – or close family friends. I know I’m getting their best work.”

 When they decided to start the business, Blake Jensen was a school teacher. And, although he boasts of “making a mean barbeque,” he was not much into cooking. 

Blake Jensen’s sister Jan (L) and family friend Lynda Wilson recently served their Blake’s Gourmet cuisine to Mayor Kristie Overson and other dignitaries at a Taylorsville Art+ Plaza event. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

So, why jump into the competitive world of professional catering? He says it’s because his daughter asked.

“Tiffany had been a catering manager for Jason’s Deli for several years – but always wanted to run her own business,” Jensen continued. “I had been teaching junior high for several years and was ready for something else. So, in 2013 I bought an old Snap-on Tools truck and we began converting it into a food truck.” 

“I had been a catering director for a long time, working for other companies before Jason’s Deli,” Tiffany Allen added. “During much of that time, I wanted to start my own bakery shop. But, instead, my dad and brothers bought the truck and we decided to go into catering instead. Dad and I co-own the business – but I manage it.”

Siblings are also in the mix.

“My sister Ambree does our payroll and accounting,” Allen continued. “My youngest brother, Justin, operates our website and does our ‘tech stuff.’ My other brother, Blake Jr., isn’t really involved in the business anymore. But he helped Dad convert the Snap-on truck into the one and only food truck we still operate today.”

Allen reports it took about a year to retrofit the food truck. By then, the catering business was already starting to take off.

Blake Jensen and daughter Tiffany Allen launched their catering company by refurbishing this former utility truck into one that could produce burgers and fries. (Photo courtesy Tiffany Allen)

“We actually have a much larger menu through the catering business,” Allen said. “We only serve sliders (beef, chicken and pork mini-burgers), scones and fries out of the truck. Ever since COVID, we only book the truck for private events.”

 Meantime, Blake’s Catering serves hundreds of meals a week – sometimes even more.

“Our business has just snowballed, mostly through word of mouth,” Allen said. “We do lots of weddings and corporate events. The largest hot meal event we ever did was for about 650 guests for Taylorsville Youth Baseball. Another time we provided 3,000 cold box lunches, over two days, to teachers returning to work at all the Granite District schools.”

Blake’s Gourmet has also provided hot meals for the Utah Jazz, University of Utah teams and the new Utah Mammoth NHL team members.

And it’s not always larger groups the Taylorsville-based company serves. Allen says, for some four or five years – several days a week – Blake’s Gourmet was catering to just one: a 7’1” Frenchman.

Tiffany Allen (2nd from left) and her dad Blake Jensen (R) have fed plenty of Utah celebrities over the past decade, including television news anchors. (Photo courtesy Tiffany Allen)

“Through our catering at the University of Utah, I got to know the school nutritionist, who also worked parttime for the Utah Jazz,” Allen said. “One day she asked me if we wanted to do any private work. The next thing I knew, we were cooking meals for (former Jazz center and 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year) Rudy Gobert. Three or four times a week, either I or my brother-in-law Chris would go to Rudy’s home and cook for him. The first few years it was at his Salt Lake condo. Then, after he signed a big contract with the Jazz, it was at his home.”

It seems Allen, her dad and the rest of the family had even more to lament than the rest of us Jazz fans when Gobert packed his bags for Minnesota.

Truth be told, Blake’s Gourmet catering company is owned and operated by a Taylorsville family – but the food is prepared each day much further west.

“As the business has grown, we have had to relocate into larger spaces three times,” Allen said. “We now lease a former restaurant in Magna and prepare all our meals there. I would say our business has grown at least 10 times (in annual revenues) since we started in 2013. Our most popular menu items are lasagna, barbeque, the taco bar – and our sliders are still a big hit when we send out the food truck.” 

Blake’s Gourmet catering company serves thousands of meals a week. This one had Blake’s sister Jan (L) and family friend Lynda Wilson feeding a hungry gathering at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)

Another truth: Allen is the only immediate family member still living in Taylorsville. Her parents have made their way to South Jordan, while siblings now call Bountiful, Bluffdale and Herriman home. But Allen and husband Ryan are singlehandedly keeping Taylorsville schools busy, with six children ages 21 to 5. Their oldest, Keaton (a Blake’s Gourmet part timer), just got married. Their second oldest, Kobe Allen, was a standout Taylorville High three-sport athlete. He’s now playing basketball on scholarship at Everett Community College in Washington State.

But whatever path his kids and grandkids choose to take in life, Jensen will be forever grateful he gave up on school teaching a decade ago to help his daughter pursue her business dream.

“Listen, I’m just the official go-fer in the business; I make runs to get supplies,” Jensen concluded. “I help cook a little – but we have chefs for that (more relatives and close friends). I see this as a family business that can run for years. I have grandkids getting involved, along with their boy and girlfriends. I’m grateful to all of them – and very proud of what we’ve built as a family.”