Paradox Catering & Consulting LLC.

Formally trained at the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales in Charleston, South Carolina, Gentry began his career in Memphis, Tennessee. He defined his skills at area restaurants and accepted the position of Executive Chef for Erling Jensen: The Restaurant.
During his six year tenure, Chef Gentry led the kitchen to six consecutive “Best Restaurant” awards from publications such as Memphis, Memphis Flyer and the Commercial Appeal. These awards propelled the restaurant to present their cuisine at the renowned James Beard House in New York City.
Gentry then moved to the Grand Casino Resort for a position as Chef de Cuisine at LB’s, the fine dining restaurant in the resort. For two years during Gentry’s reign, the restaurant gained notoriety in DiRONA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) winning the Wine Spectator Award.
Gentry was promoted to Chef de Cuisine over a family of nine restaurants at both the Horseshoe and Sheraton Casinos. In late 2007, Gentry decided to focus all his efforts on opening the Magnolia: A Delta Grille, inside Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, where his culinary vision of incorporating modern flare into meals reminiscent of the Mid-South Delta region.
As he worked with the kitchen staff, Gentry began to focus on training and development. This led him to his position a teaching postition in Memphis, Tennessee. As a Chef Instructor, he has implemented his creativity and skill set to the next generation of chefs by teaching such courses application of techniques ranging from classic French to contemporary concepts of modern gastronomy and Restaurant Operations. Chef Gentry assisted in the development and design of the schools restaurant.
His skills have been presented most recently in print as the cover recipe for The Seven Stars Cookbook, Delta Magazine, 4Memphis, Jewish Scene, At Home Tenneesse, Mid South Bride, and television guest appearances on Live at 9”,Good Morning Memphis ABC 24 Local Memphis Live.

When Lambert started college is when she really fell in love with pursuing a career in the culinary field. While attending college for her Associates Degree in Hotel Restaurant Management, Lambert continued working at a fast and casual restaurant in a management position because she wanted to get an all around knowledge for the industry and it operations. Lambert began culinary school in 2010 with an emphasis in pastries and also to refine her skills in the kitchen.

While pursuing her degree in the culinary arts at LeCole Culinaire she started working for well-known chefs such as those at Tsunami, Cortona, and Paradox; under their guidance she honed her skills in the kitchen. After completing her degree in Culinary Arts she had the opportunity to take an internship in France learning the arts of classic French cuisine. After successfully completing her internship in France, Lambert was offered a job at the locally renowned All American Sweets Bakery (Frost), during which time she was promoted to the title of Head Baker.

During the end of her time with Frost, Lambert was presented with the opportunity to become the Assistant Pastry Chef for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. While working for St. Jude, Lambert also worked for Paradox utilizing her skills as a head baker and also in the other culinary aspects of the business. Lambert found that her passion had changed from being a sole baker to wanting to pursue a more management based position in the culinary world, this lead her to accepting the position with Paradox Catering and Consulting as their Operations Manager. Under her most recent title she has found her perfect niche, being able to provide excellent customer and vendor interactions all the while being able to still enjoy utilizing her skills in the kitchen

At Paradox, Alia Hogan brings over thirteen years of experience in the food service/hospitality industry. She displays her passion for hospitality and also a commitment to exceptional service as general manager/owner.

Hogan was first introduced to the restaurant industry at an early age, in a contemporary Asian restaurant. During her time there, Hogan learned that she had a passion for taking care of people, and worked to learn all aspects of the front of the house. From day one, Hogan valued the company’s dedication to their staff and was excited to be hired, but made it her goal to move up to a management position. Hogan eventually transitioned into a fine dining environment and expanded her knowledge of not only food and alcohol, but also exceptional service. The time spent there she took on every front of the house role, from hosting, serving, bartending, cashiering, and managing.

While continuing her hospitality career, she graduated Cum Laude from University of Mississippi with a Bachelors of Accountancy with a minor in Marketing. Hogan was also inducted into such academic honor societies such as: Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Lambda, and Phi Theta Kappa. Her knowledge has been an integral part to Paradox’s success thus far.

In 2010, Hogan and Gentry, seeing a need for creative and an innovative approach to Catering, opened Paradox. Since opening, Paradox has seen tremendous success both with clients looking for a truly unique catering experience and with media accolades. Paradox is known as one of the Mid-South's Hottest Boutique Caterers. From Corporate Receptions, to Weddings, and Kosher Events, we want your occasion to be special, memorable, and capture your personality. Paradox can provide the boutique one of a kind catering experience.