Corporate
Medellin Elite Catering helps parent associations and school leaders say thank you to teachers with food that arrives on time and fits around the school bell. Since 2019 we have catered staff breakfasts, lunches and dessert afternoons for bilingual, international and Colombian schools in Medellín, Envigado and the eastern highlands.
Our clients are parent committees, PTA-style associations at international schools and principals planning the Día del Maestro. Many of them juggle two traditions at once: the American Teacher Appreciation Week in early May and Colombia's own teachers' day on 15 May.
Years of school orders have taught us the logistics: a gatehouse that checks every delivery, a staff room with one outlet, and a 35 minute lunch period that cannot run over. Our bilingual coordinators handle all of it, so the parents only have to decide what the teachers would enjoy.
Plan your event
Our teacher appreciation catering turns an ordinary school day into a thank you that every staff member can enjoy, including the guards, the cleaning team and the cafeteria staff. We serve breakfasts in the staff room, catered lunches during the teachers' break and dessert bars after dismissal, for schools with 20 to 120 staff.
The service is built for parent groups, who often plan with little time and many opinions. We suggest menus that suit the staff and the school day, handle the school's access rules and send one itemized quote the committee can share with all the families.
Each tray is labeled with its allergens, and we can prepare the whole order without nuts if the school asks for a nut-aware menu. For school-wide gatherings such as graduation days, family festivals and sports days, see our school event catering service.
Teacher Appreciation Week is the American tradition held in the first full week of May, while Colombia's Día del Maestro falls on 15 May. Many international schools in Medellín celebrate both, often with a breakfast early in the month and a lunch on or near the 15th.
| Teacher Appreciation Week | Día del Maestro | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | First full week of May | 15 May (or the nearest school day) |
| Origin | United States | Colombia |
| Who organizes | Parent association, class parents | School leadership, parents, students |
| Typical format | Daily treats across the week, one big lunch | Breakfast or lunch, a short ceremony |
| Schools that mark it | International and bilingual schools | Nearly every school in Colombia |
Most bilingual and international schools here follow calendar B, with the school year ending in June, so May arrives during the busiest stretch of the year. That timing makes a catered meal more welcome, because teachers are grading, rehearsing graduations and writing reports at the same time.
Each format fits a different part of the school day, and we time it to the bell schedule your school sends us. Most parent groups choose one, and some combine breakfast with a dessert bar across the same week.
Colombian schools usually start between 6:45 and 7:30 a.m., so breakfast is set up by 6:30 a.m. and stays out until the first break. A typical spread includes small arepas with cheese, scrambled eggs with hogao, pandebono, fresh fruit, yogurt with granola, orange juice and Antioquian coffee; our brunch catering menu has more ideas for a later start.
Lunch is served as a buffet in the staff room or a reserved classroom, held hot in chafing dishes for 90 minutes so teachers on duty can eat in shifts. Popular menus include a Colombian lunch of chicken, rice, patacones and salad, a pasta bar, or grilled salmon with quinoa salad for a lighter option.
A dessert bar after dismissal, usually around 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., gives teachers time to sit down together without watching the clock. We bring mini cupcakes, obleas with arequipe, tres leches cups, brownies and a fruit platter, with coffee or a fresh lemonade; our dessert catering page lists more options.
A parent association order works best with one contact, one menu decision and one deadline. The contact parent sends us the date, the staff count and the school's access requirements, and we handle everything else directly with the school's administration.
We send a short menu proposal with two or three options, so the committee can vote quickly in its group chat. Once the menu is chosen, we confirm the staff count 7 days before and adjust the order if new staff join or the date moves because of a school event.
Payment can be shared between families through separate card links, and the association receives one itemized summary for its records. If the school itself pays, we issue a DIAN-validated electronic invoice in the school's name.
Drop-off orders need 48 hours' notice, and delivery to schools in Envigado usually takes 30 to 45 minutes from our kitchen. Schools in Llanogrande and Rionegro are served with a staffed format, with our team on site for setup and cleanup.
Questions and answers
Yes, we deliver during school hours once the school has registered our driver and vehicle at the gatehouse, which most schools ask for 48 hours ahead. We arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the meal, set up in the staff room or a reserved space away from students, and clear everything before the next bell or after dismissal.
Yes, we can send separate card payment links so each family or class group pays its share, and the order is confirmed once the deposit is covered. Payments by bank transfer also work, and families living abroad can use the same card links. One parent remains the contact for the menu and the final headcount, which keeps the planning simple.
Reserve your date
Name the school, the day and the staff count in the quote form, and itemized menu options follow within 24 hours. Parent committees can also coordinate by email at info@medellincatering.com.