CARTHAGEKITCHEN
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Vendor program · LA & Orange County

Become a vendor. We bring the work.

Kitchens and food suppliers, staffing agencies, bars, delivery, rentals, décor, security and every other trade an event needs: become a vendor to Carthage Kitchen and the orders come to you. We sell, sign and answer the client; you get a written work order with a fixed price, and are paid on agreed terms.

Apply — about 15 minutesRead the details
A kitchen brigade plating a course at the pass
At the passLos Angeles

  • Steady B2B orders

    Weddings, corporate, institutional and production work — sold by us, sent to you.

  • Clear work orders

    Scope, times, location, handling and a fixed price, in writing, before you start.

  • Paid on agreed terms

    You invoice us, not the client, and are paid once the job is verified.

  • No client-chasing

    We sell, coordinate, answer the client and collect. You do the work.

Apply

Apply as a vendor

The questions follow your trade, so a kitchen and a crew never fill in the same form. About fifteen minutes, saved on this device as you go — a person reviews every application.

Pick your trade

Do more than one? Pick the closest — you list the rest in the form.

How it goes

  1. Apply About fifteen minutes; saved on this device as you go.
  2. Review A person checks your documents and calls you. Food producers cook a tasting.
  3. Agreement Accept the partner agreement for your trade in the partner portal.
  4. Work orders Written scope, time, place and a fixed price you accept before you start.
  5. Paid Invoice us, not the client, and get paid on the agreed terms once the job is verified.

A person replies within one business day.

You will need

  • Food only from a permitted commercial facility — no home kitchens
  • Liability insurance, with us named as additional insured
  • Business licence, W-9 and three commercial references

The full standard and FAQ are below the form.

Step 1 of 7

Company

Who you are and who we should talk to. Only the starred fields are required.

Next: Services & area

The business
As it appears on your business licence.
People

Who we talk to now, who signs, and who answers if they can't.

We reply here.
Where you are
Type to search. Helps us plan pickups, travel and coverage.
Required
A chef in the Carthage commercial kitchen

Our own kitchenPermitted · commercial

How the network works

Our kitchen, your specialty, one contract.

We cook many jobs ourselves. When an event calls for a cuisine a specialist does best, more capacity than one kitchen, or the crews, vehicles and rentals around the food, we bring in a partner from the network — and the client still deals with one company.

Carthage handles

  • The client, the sale and the contract
  • The menu, the specification and the schedule
  • Dispatch and coordination on the day
  • Invoicing the client and collecting

You handle

  • Your craft, produced to our specification
  • Your own people, vehicles and equipment
  • Your permits, insurance and licences
  • An on-time handover, with proof

Who we work with

Every trade an event needs

From the kitchen that cooks the menu to the crew that clears the room. Each card shows how the trade is usually priced and the documents we ask for — pick the closest fit when you apply.

  • Boxed meals packed and labelled for delivery

    Food producer

    Restaurants, caterers and commissaries producing dishes or trays to Carthage specs from a permitted facility

    Priced per portion / tray / head

    Documents we ask for: Health permitFood safety managerGeneral liabilityW-9

  • Ingredient / wholesale supplier

    Ingredients, packaging and dry goods

    Priced per unit / case

    Documents we ask for: Business licenceSeller's permitGeneral liabilityW-9

  • Staffing agency

    Captains, servers, bartenders and culinary staff as the agency's own employees

    Priced per staff hour

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityWorkers' compEDD employer accountW-9

  • Licensed bar

    Alcohol sold and served under the partner's own ABC licence

    Priced per event / package

    Documents we ask for: ABC licenceGeneral liabilityLiquor liabilityW-9

  • Logistics & delivery

    Refrigerated delivery and pickups

    Priced per trip / hour

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityCommercial autoW-9

  • Rentals & equipment

    Equipment, furniture, tents, linens

    Priced per item / day

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityW-9

  • Event services

    Event captains, coordinators and setup crews

    Priced per hour / job

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityW-9

  • Décor, photo & entertainment

    Florals, décor, photography, video, music

    Priced per job

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityW-9

  • Security

    Licensed guards

    Priced per guard hour

    Documents we ask for: BSIS licenceGeneral liabilityWorkers' compW-9

  • Waste, compost & donation

    Organics hauling and surplus-food donation

    Priced per pickup

    Documents we ask for: Hauler permitGeneral liabilityW-9

  • Serviceware & packaging

    Compostable serviceware and packaging

    Priced per unit / case

    Documents we ask for: Business licenceGeneral liabilityW-9

  • Planner or venue

    Referral relationships (referral fees in writing, never added to the client's bill)

    Priced referral fee

    Documents we ask for: W-9

  • Other services

    Anything not listed

    Priced per job

    Documents we ask for: General liabilityW-9

The standard

What we require

Clients judge Carthage by your work, so the bar is the same for every partner. The exact document set depends on your trade and comes with the agreement.

A cook finishing a plate at the pass

  1. A permitted facility for food

    Food is produced only in a permitted commercial facility, under its own health permit, with a certified food safety manager. Home kitchens cannot supply catering.

  2. Insurance that fits the work

    Current general liability plus the cover your trade needs — workers' compensation, commercial auto or liquor liability — with us named as additional insured.

  3. Documents on file, kept current

    Business licence, W-9 and the documents your type requires. An expired document pauses work orders until it is renewed.

  4. Your own people

    Event staff are employees of the partner who supplies them. Licensed services — bars, security — work under their own licences.

  5. Food-safety discipline

    HACCP-aligned preparation, allergen labelling, temperature control and logs, and a batch label on every container that leaves your kitchen.

  6. References and a clean record

    Commercial references we can call, and a record that passes the checks public contracts ask of every supplier.

Questions

What partners ask first

Something else? Email eat@carthagekitchen.com — a person answers.

Does Carthage cook, or only coordinate?
Both. Carthage cooks in its own permitted commercial kitchen and runs many jobs end to end. Partners extend what we can take on — a cuisine a specialist does best, more capacity for a large event, or the crews, vehicles, rentals and services around the food.
Who is the client — me or you?
Carthage. The client signs with us and deals with one coordinator and one invoice. Partners sell to Carthage, never to our clients, and clients met through Carthage remain our clients.
How do work orders and payment work?
Every job arrives as a written work order — scope, times, location, handling and a fixed price — that you accept in the partner portal. You invoice Carthage, not the client, and are paid on the terms in your partner agreement once the job is verified at handover.
How long does review take?
A person reads every application and replies within one business day. If it is a fit, we call you, check your documents and arrange a tasting and facility visit for food producers, or a verification for other trades.
We do more than one thing. Which type do we pick?
Choose the closest fit — the type decides which questions the form asks — and list everything else you offer under services. Many partners cover more than one category.
Can a home kitchen or cottage food business become a food vendor?
Not as a food producer. Catering food must come from a permitted commercial facility under its own health permit. LA County Public Health states that a home kitchen operation (MEHKO) may not operate as a catering business, and a cottage food operation may only sell foods that are not potentially hazardous — no hot dishes or perishables. Home-based businesses are welcome in the trades that do not handle food.
Do I need an LLC to become a vendor?
No. Sole proprietors, partnerships, LLCs, corporations and nonprofits can all apply. What we need is a business licence and a W-9, plus the permit and insurance your trade requires.

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Carthage Kitchen

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