History – Kelber Catering

1927
New Minneapolis Auditorium

The new Minneapolis Auditorium opens with over 10,000 seats.
1928
Joe Kelber Begins Catering
Joe Kelber, operator of a downtown Minneapolis sundries shop in the West Hotel lobby, began Kelber Catering by servicing the new Auditorium with a couple free standing counters selling candy, soda and renting opera glasses, growing his business to meet the ever increasing catering needs of the Minneapolis Auditorium.
1964
Renovation of Minneapolis Auditorium

Minneapolis Auditorium is renovated, along with 100,000 sq. ft. Exhibition Hall addition renamed Minneapolis Auditorium and Convention Center (MACC). Joe Kelber retires, sells Kelber Catering to long time business friend Max Kurnow, of the local Auto Show, with a small group of local businessmen, and his son Robert, thus the modern day Kelber Catering is formed.
1987
Demo of MACC
Demolition of MACC begins in order to make way for the new Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC). Kelber Catering moves out of MACC and opens Maxi’s Café at 1st Ave. and 14th St. to provide meals for the construction crews building the Minneapolis Convention Center.
1990
Minneapolis Convention Center Opens
Minneapolis Convention Center opens its doors with over 500,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. One of Kelber’s first opportunities to showcase their newly created culinary team of professionals was hosting Cargills 125th Anniversary Celebration for 5,000 guests.
2001
Convention Center Expands
Minneapolis Convention Center expands to 1.5 million square feet and the partnership continues with Kelber Catering as the exclusive caterer.
2018
Kelber Catering evolves into majority women owned & operated
Kelber Catering evolves into a majority woman owned and operated business featuring a widely diverse professional staff that represents the community we live in and the clients served at Minneapolis Convention Center.
Today
Kelber Proudly Continues Its Work
Kelber proudly continues its work as the locally owned, exclusive caterer for the Minneapolis Convention Center. Our alliance with the MCC has helped us become an award winning, high-volume on-premise catering company, delivering an exceptional guest experience with world class food and service.