You’ve heard it said that there is no sincerer love than the love of food (George Bernard Shaw) and that is truer than ever for retreat guests. Something about a filling, delicious meal brings comfort and relaxation to a retreat experience.
We’re so pleased at the St. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center to welcome Keltie and Joe Domina with Keltie & Co. Catering as the exclusive caterer for our facility.
Some may be familiar with the Domina’s, and their food. While paris hioners at St. Maria Goretti, they operated Keltie’s in downtown Westfield. Their children, Joe and Emily, are graduates of Westfield High School and Guerin Catholic High School respectively.
For the last 20 years Keltie and Joe have been driving back and forth along Michigan Road/421 between Westfield and Delphi to visit and care for Keltie’s mother. On the drive, they often commented and dreamt about a restaurant there, The Angry Donkey ( angrydonkeymtown.com). When it came up for sale in 2018, Joe and Keltie decided to relocate to Delphi in hopes of being with her mom and caring for her needs. They bought the restaurant and embarked on a culinary awakening in rural Indiana with this new bistro. They are now members at St. Joseph parish in Delphi and frequent the Cathedral and SMG as much as possible.
While Keltie grew up on her family farm in Delphi, she attended design and culinary school, and Oregon State University embarking on a career in hospitality in Oregon. She has been in the hospitality industry for nearly 35 years now—in restaurants, country clubs and catering. Serving others is her truest passion. Whether at the restaurant, in the community, or at home. She has a servant’s heart and loves taking care of others.
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Joe worked as a prep cook at Freddie’s Pizzeria in Bethel Park, PA where he developed a passion for food at an early age. His family moved to Las Vegas, NV when he was a senior in high school giving him the opportunity to be immersed in the best that the hospitality industry had to offer back in the mid 1970’s. His career was set in motion as a high school student when he started working in Hotels on the Las Vegas strip and getting hands on experience from some of the finest Chefs at the time. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, his career was set. Joe served as Executive Chef at the Portland Hilton in Portland, OR--the youngest Executive Chef in Hilton’s history at the age of 24. He was there for 18 years.
In 2000, Keltie, Joe and their children, Joe and Emily, returned to Indiana after living in Oregon for 17 years. Arriving in Indianapolis, Joe was hired as the Executive Chef of the Indianapolis Marriott downtown. From there he has held positions at the RCA dome and spent the last 10 years in Senior Living concluding with several roles as Vice President of Culinary Operations where he created food and developed systems to help our elderly population enjoy their lives through food and service. In 2002, Keltie created Keltie’s Restaurant and Catering in downtown Westfield where she absolutely loved being for almost ten years.
For Keltie, after her love for the Lord her most admirable, sincere and heartfelt desires are for that of her two children, Joe and Emily. They have been the most caring, loving and supportive part of her growth as a mother and person and have helped to keep her grounded in her faith. Both have grown up to be amazing young adults. Joe graduated from Westfield High School in 2012, attended Indiana University for two years and graduated from Seminary at the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He is currently a mission leader with Saint Paul’s Outreach at Seton Hall University. Emily graduated from Guerin Catholic High School in 2014 and Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN, in 2017. She will receive a master’s degree this May from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. She leaves in June 2020 to spend a year in Vietnam teaching English and traveling.
Serving others is Keltie and Joe’s truest passion. They are excited to bring food to hungry retreat guests to ensure their experience in prayer and renewal is comfortable and sustaining.