05/18/2026
Important Update Regarding 2027 Wedding Catering Services - (If you just want the update without the reason why, you can skip to the last two paragraphs).
I realize this is a lengthy post… but most people who know me know that I’ve always been a woman of many words and many emotions...all of which I tend to wear directly on my chef's sleeve… and honestly, all over my face too. Lol.
The last six months, especially with the loss of my father, have reminded me that life is incredibly short. It has caused me to reflect deeply on what truly matters. My other parents are aging, my family misses me on the weekends, and I’ve realized there has to be more to life than simply being a workaholic.
I’ve never been very good at pretending everything is fine when it’s not, and I’ve always tried to lead both my business and my life with honesty, transparency, heart, and authenticity. This decision carries a lot of emotion, reflection, grief, relief, and hope all at once, so it felt important for me to fully share the “why” behind it rather than simply making a short announcement without context.
Over the past 10 years, I have been incredibly honored to serve couples at venues all across our region. Being part of so many beautiful wedding days has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I am deeply grateful for every venue, vendor, and couple who trusted Gypsy Soul Catering with such an important moment in their lives.
However, after many long seasons of 60-70 work weeks, extensive travel, transporting equipment, and the physical demands that come with offsite weddings, I have realized it is time to simplify and slow down a bit. Not only has this lifestyle become physically exhausting for both my staff and me, but mentally draining as well. Weddings carry a level of pressure and stress unlike any other type of event, and after years of carrying that responsibility week after week, I have had to honestly evaluate what is sustainable for my life and health moving forward.
Last year, I was also diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Graves’ disease, which has further forced me to take a hard look at my health, stress levels, and the pace at which I’ve been living and working. The disease has caused heart palpitations, irregular heartbeats, anxiety, irritability, loss of sleep, tremors, weakness in my muscles and bones, multiple menstrual cycles in one month and other symptoms that have made it increasingly difficult to continue operating at the pace I have for so many years. Also, for several years now, I have been dealing with a painful bone spur on my Achilles tendon that ultimately needs to be surgically removed. The recovery would require me to be off my feet for an extended period of time, and truthfully, there never seemed to be a “good time” to step away from the business long enough to properly heal. Instead, I continued pushing through the pain and chose to manage it holistically just to keep moving forward and continue serving clients. Unfortunately, the condition has progressively worsened over time, and it has become another reminder that my body is asking me to slow down and take better care of myself.
In addition, my incredibly talented sous chef, Thomas, will also be leaving in 2027 to pursue expanding his culinary arts education in Europe... something I fully support and am genuinely excited for him to experience. While I know this opportunity is part of his journey and growth, it has also naturally contributed to this season of reevaluating what the future of Gypsy Soul Catering should realistically look like moving forward.
Over the past several years, I’ve found myself in a cycle of continually hiring staff in an effort to lighten the workload and create a more sustainable balance. But anyone who owns a service-based business knows that hiring and properly training people is a major investment of both time and energy. Slowing down long enough to mentor, teach, and build a dependable team requires tremendous intentionality, patience, and trust.
At the same time, I often found myself continuing to book more and more events in order to maintain payroll and provide steady income for others so that they wouldn't go elsewhere after I train them. While I have truly been grateful and honored to help create jobs and opportunities for people, I’ve also realized that much of that growth came with very little personal benefit or long-term sustainability for myself or the business as a whole.
The reality is that managing a large team has become emotionally exhausting. After experiencing situations where employees I trusted deeply ultimately broke that trust through dishonesty, theft, or failing to uphold the standards and integrity I worked so hard to build, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I’m no longer able to carry the emotional weight of managing people in the way I once hoped I could.
This realization has been painful, humbling, and deeply personal, but it has also helped me recognize that simplifying my business and protecting my peace is not failure...it’s wisdom. This decision is not coming from bitterness, but from honesty, wisdom, and recognizing my own limitations. I’ve learned that bigger is not always better, and sometimes scaling back is the healthiest and wisest choice a person can make.
“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:6. That verse perfectly reflects the heart behind this decision. I'm choosing peace, health, family, and sustainability over constantly striving, overworking, and sacrificing myself to please others.
After much prayer and consideration, I have made the decision that beginning in 2027, I will be limiting Full Service Wedding Catering to weddings hosted exclusively at The Chapel at Rippon Village. For clarification, “Full Service Catering” includes onsite staffing for the duration of your event, complete setup and breakdown, elevated buffet and table presentation, linens, florals, décor styling, service equipment, and the overall hands-on hospitality experience Gypsy Soul Catering has become known for over the years. I will absolutely continue catering as usual for Full Service corporate events, charity events, holiday parties, private celebrations, and other special events both onsite and offsite. This change only affects Full Service wedding catering. Gypsy Soul Catering will also continue offering pickup and drop-off catering services for all types of events, including weddings. My catering kitchen will also remain at its current location at 2336 Charles Town Road, Martinsburg, WV, where meals will continue to be prepared and catering operations will continue. This decision has honestly been a long time coming. By focusing wedding catering services at The Chapel at Rippon Village, I will still be able to serve couples with excellence while creating a healthier and more sustainable pace for both myself and my team. It also allows much of the catering equipment and service inventory to remain stored onsite at the chapel rather than constantly transporting it back and forth between venues. This change will significantly reduce labor demands, minimize wear and tear on equipment and help operations run in a more efficient and sustainable way moving forward. I will absolutely honor all existing wedding catering contracts already booked at outside venues, and I remain committed to providing those couples with the same exceptional experience they hired Gypsy Soul Catering for. While Gypsy Soul Catering will no longer be accepting new offsite full-service wedding catering bookings after 2026, I will continue referring couples to several trusted catering friends throughout the region including The Catering Company in Wi******er, VA, D.A.H. Cuisine in Wi******er, VA, Hay-Mar in Shepherdstown, WV, and Leiter’s Fine Catering in Hagerstown, MD, Food by Fire Hedgesville WV.
I am deeply thankful for the love, support, and encouragement this community has shown Gypsy Soul Catering over the years. This business has been one of the greatest blessings of my life, and I am excited for this next chapter.
With gratitude,
Maria Souders
Chef & Owner
Gypsy Soul Catering
