The culinary journey of David Simms, the chef and owner of Eatible Delights Catering, has taken him everywhere from backstage with music legends including Aretha Franklin and Elton John, to serving food for five different Philadelphia mayoral administrations, and catering an event at the 1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Yet when asked about his proudest achievement, Simms said he hasn't done his best work yet.

"Given the opportunity, I can do better work than what I've done," Simms says. "Not to say that the work that I've done is bad, but I don't feel like I have yet reached my full creative ability."

This hunger for excellence has driven Simms to the top of Philadelphia's catering scene. Nonetheless, his appetite for success remains far from satisfied.

From computers to the kitchen

Born and raised in New York City, Simms first moved to Philadelphia at 23 to attend Temple University. Like many young people in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, he was drawn to the booming field of computer science. But the glow of computer screens couldn't compete with the warmth of a kitchen.

"Looking back, I've always had a knack for bringing people together," Simms reflected, recalling how he catered his first family reunion at age 20, before even arriving in Philadelphia. That natural talent wouldn't fully emerge until a friend suggested they start a catering business after seeing Simms' success selling dinners at a community festival.

Though that initial partnership dissolved, Simms found his calling. He honed his craft at Olive Garden and received formal training under Chef David Greer at La Terrasse on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. His path led him to Robin Hood Dell East (now the Dell Music Center), where he provided backstage catering for performing artists, and to Citizens Bank Park, where he managed a concession stand serving hungry baseball fans.

Building the brand

In 1996, Simms founded Eatible Delights Catering, operating from a humble beginning in his Logan apartment with a bedroom freezer serving as his first commissary. Four years later, in 2000, he attended OIC Philadelphia (Opportunities Industrialization Center), mastering not just culinary arts but also crucial business skills.

Today, the business serves nearly 300 events annually throughout Philadelphia and the entire Delaware Valley area, including New Jersey; Delaware; Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and New York City. An average week sees eight orders, while busier weeks can spike to 15. The operation employs nine full-time staff and 15 subcontractors.

The company's growth mirrors Simms' own journey: from that Logan apartment to a warehouse in Logan, then to spaces on Lehigh Avenue and 24th Street and Ridge Avenue. Each move brought new challenges, including a memorable battle with a leaking roof, a flooding basement, and even legal proceedings in court. In 2019, Simms finally purchased the company's current home at 1540 Wadsworth Ave. — though true to his nature, he's already thinking bigger.

"We've already outgrown this building," Simms admitted, reflecting on his decision not to purchase the adjacent property in November 2019. That choice would prove particularly poignant months later when the pandemic forced a pivot from catering to providing individual dinners. But for Simms, standing still wasn't an option.

"[Eatible Delights Catering] didn't sit around; we didn't wait," he said with characteristic determination. "I didn't think that closing was an option. For me, not surviving wasn't an option."

As a member of the International Caterers Association and an active participant in professional catering groups on Facebook, Simms stays connected with industry trends. While some caterers focus on creating Instagram-worthy spectacles, Simms takes pride in consistency and reliability.

"I see these big, elaborate things on Facebook," he said. "They've got the beautiful palm trees and heat lamps and stuff flowing down and so on. ...That's beautiful, but they're not doing that every day."

Breaking barriers, building community

Success hasn't come without its challenges. Simms often finds himself fighting stereotypes as a Black caterer. 

"At the end of the day, I'm just a caterer. I'm not necessarily just an African American caterer. We do all types of food, but we get put in a box of being a soul food caterer,” he says. “You'd be amazed at the calls we get in February. I have to tell people we're a 12-month caterer, not a one-month caterer."

The physical and emotional demands of running a successful catering business also take their toll. A health scare resulting in hospitalization forced Simms to confront an uncomfortable truth: "The reality of the matter is, I realized that I've never taken care of David," he reflects. "[Eatible Delights Catering] is the child that I gave birth to, that I sent to kindergarten, that I sent to public school, that I sent to junior high school, that I sent to high school, and now my child is in college. David has always been second to business and even now, I'm just really learning how to take care of myself."

Still, Simms' generosity remains undiminished. Outside his Wadsworth Avenue location, locals often find a table set with bottled water, coffee, pastries, or potato chips — free for anyone in need. Every year, he travels to Washington, D.C. to feed the unhoused population there, extending his mission of bringing people together through food far beyond the bounds of his business.

For Simms, catering is not just a profession. It is a way to unite people and to care for the less fortunate. Despite all the success, the hardships, and even the brushes with fame, sharing a good meal is ultimately what it’s all about. And David Simms is always hungry for more.