Debbie Bando
Debbie Bando, owner of the catering company Bando’s received the 2025 Woman of the Year Award Oct. 7 during the annual meeting of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce.
Outside of 40 years of owning her own business, Bando volunteers in the community through fundraising for local Catholic schools and as a member of the Junior League of Beaumont.
Bando said winning the award was an overwhelming feeling, especially because last year’s winner is a regular and close friend of hers.
“I couldn’t believe it and still can’t believe it, but it was truly a remarkable accomplishment, not just for me, but everybody. I stood on the shoulders of a lot of people to get where I am today,” she said.
Bando said she started her business in 1982 after working in Houston as an executive recruiter for six years. Her business was small, but with family and close friends, Bando’s was able to expand beyond its initial start with small dishes and wines.
“In 1982 or 1983, I realized we needed to transition more toward (gourmet) food, because that’s what people were really wanting,” she said. “There were not many places that you could eat here in Beaumont and I knew that, even though I had an undergraduate degree, that was not going to get me to the wanted culinary training, so I started going to culinary school all over the country…it took several years. Finally finished that, started the (Chaine des Rotisseurs), got involved with certification, and it just kept snowballing.”
In addition to the lunch café and gift shop, Bando’s caters for a variety of events, which include weddings, corporate events, and holidays.
The clients also have access to more than 25,000 pieces of linens, china, and chafing dishes when booking for the company.
“We’re not bragging. We just take the money that we make and reinvest it back in the business. I have worked real hard on getting people that have worked for me over the years that we have trained…we have hundreds and hundreds of past people,” she said. “A lot of them started off as single mothers on food stamps, or people that were living with government housing and all we did was give them an opportunity. You don’t train people, you train animals…you educate people and you show them how to do things a certain way, and they fine tune their skills.
“Some of them are still with me. Others have gone on to be the executive chefs at most of these places in Beaumont and for the Chamber of Commerce.”
Bando added she has been very fortunate, especially as her mother still comes over to the place every so often to work years later.
“I’ve been very lucky. I have great friends, childhood friends, that are still good business associates. I’ve been very lucky with people that have helped me. Nobody gave me money, but they’ve taught me what you can do and how you can do it,” she said.
Bando said she an enormous commitment to help people in her community, including local Catholic schools such as All Saints, churches and other various organizations.
“We try to help out everybody, I don’t look at where they’re located. I just did something for somebody on the south end of town, and they wanted to give me a thank you note. I said, ‘Look, here’s how you thank me, right? When you need something, come in and look at the gift shop.’
“I’m not saying we do it perfectly all the time. We’re not perfect. I make mistakes all the time, but I correct them, and I will wait at night, which I did last night, worrying about something to make sure it’s right. You’re only as good as your last event, and my staff feels personally committed, and they feel responsible for the success of anything that we work on, whether it’s a wedding reception or a funeral.”
“You have to give back to your community and to the people that you may not know; it’s the right thing to do. It may not be the easiest thing to do, and we’ve lived our motto that way,” added Bando.
— Maddie Sims | Maddie@TheExaminer.com
