The Knockout Kitchen
The Knockout Kitchen is an enterprise driven by the Warriors and Mission of Opportunity Knocks. We offer the finest and freshest dining experience featuring locally-sourced, scratch made menus that are prepared and served with love by the OK Warriors.
A Pause for the Cause
Thank you for your interest in The Knockout Kitchen’s catering wing. While we appreciate your patronage and support, we regret to inform you that the Warrior Chef team is currently on a brief hiatus. Due to the transition of several leadership transitions within the kitchen team and a re-envisioning of the enterprise offering, we are currently unavailable for service.
We ask your patience as we regroup and get our team back in action in the kitchen. We will be back up and running soon and look forward to bringing you high-quality, Warrior-made delights.
Our Story
Our Culinary Quest
The Knockout Kitchen offers a variety of high-quality, hand-crafted culinary delights for small to medium-sized events. The Knockout Kitchen works in concert with the Knockout Farm to round out a full-circle food enterprise that creates at creates and supports meaningful vocational opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental differences.
Under the direction of the Knockout Leadership Team, we have cultivated a menu and carved out some creative partnerships that allow us to pop up and present ourselves in person, as well as serve your various private event needs. We craft our culinary delights with emphasis on safety, quality and meaningful expereince in a supported work environment that welcomes a mixed ability team and foster opportunities for Warrior employees to take autonomous roles in all aspects of the operation, from menu planning, food prep, setup, food service, and breakdown.
Like most things at OK, each of our businesses developed organically out of our Warrior-focused program efforts in OK Programs, where culinary activities have long been a mainstay. Those activities led us to launch a line of Knockout Pickles and eventually a full-service catering business through the Knockout Kitchen.
Since launching in 2016, Knockout Catering has seen significant growth, year after year. That growth has led to great experiences, awesome community connections and most importantly a visible platform to showcase the abilities of the Warriors that work within the ranks of the Knockout Kitchen Crew.
Our Story
our culinary quest
The Knockout Catering Co. offers a variety of high-quality, hand-crafted culinary delights for small to medium-sized events. The KCC is the second installment in the social enterprise programming at Opportunity Knocks, aiming to create and support meaningful vocational opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Under the direction of OK’s Head Chef, Joe Hart, we created a menu, carved out a commercial production space and developed a safe and supported work environment that allows our Warrior employees to team up with our culinary team to work on all aspects of the operation, from menu planning, food prep, setup, food service, and breakdown.
Like most things at OK, each of our businesses developed organically out of our Warrior-focused program efforts in the culinary arts. The more work the Knockout Catering crew gets, the more paid Warrior positions we can support.
Since launching in 2016, Knockout Catering has seen significant growth, year after year. That growth has led to great experiences, awesome community connections and most importantly a visible platform to showcase the abilities of the Warriors that work within the ranks of the Catering Crew.
Full Service
A Fresh Approach to Catering
The team at Knockout Catering Company will make your next event one to remember with delicious cuisine and memorable service. We believe in scratch made cooking from locally sourced ingredients and it shows in the flavor of our cuisine.
From large groups to small affairs, from rustic comfort food to elegant dinner parties, Knockout Catering is sure to make you and your guests have an event to remember.
Full Service
A Fresh Approach to Catering
The team at Knockout Catering Company will make your next event one to remember with delicious cuisine and memorable service. We believe in scratch made cooking from locally sourced ingredients and it shows in the flavor of our cuisine.
From large groups to small affairs, from rustic comfort food to elegant dinner parties, Knockout Catering is sure to make you and your guests have an event to remember.
Brisket
We smoke our own meats. We take great pride in that fact. We can put our brisket out for you as is or we can fashion it in a variety of ways on a sandwich, in a taco or in any way you might like to see the brisket served to you.
Amazing Apps
We offer a full array of options in the sides and apps section of the menu. From things wrapped in bacon to skewers, sliders and potatoes made a variety of ways. We aim to please and can entertain requests.
Taco Bar
We love tacos. We know you do too. We offer tacos in all sorts of ways. All of those ways are delicious. This is one of our flagship offerings and we continue to improve on the offering and the fixings.
Fresh Harvest
We grow our own produce for 5 out of 12 monts of the year. When we are pulling food from the farm, it goes straight to your plate. Salads, sides, apps and vegetarian-based menus come from seed to harvest.
Delicious Desserts
Some of our desserts are wrapped in bacon. Some of them are just regular, non-bacon-wrapped delicious. Our sweet treats are a growing menu, but we have to offer tried, tested and true. Bacon and brownes!
Knockout Pickles
Sandwiches of all kinds. Burgers. Pulled meats. Etc. Meats that are delicious on their own, but made even better by the addition of the line of Knockout Pickles. Dill-icious pickles and delicious meats.
Very Locally Sourced
From Our Farm to Your Table
When we say a portion of our ingredients are locally sourced, we mean it! The Knockout Farm is a fully functional urban farm entrenched in our enterprise efforts, producing fresh, organic, Warrior-grown crops that make their way through our catering kitchen and onto your plate. The farm also serves as a key learning space in our programs and a primary source for the key ingredients in our Knockout Pickles.
Very Locally Sourced
from our farm to your table
When we say a portion of our ingredients are locally sourced, we mean it! The Knockout Farm is a fully functional urban farm entrenched in our enterprise efforts, producing fresh, organic, Warrior-grown crops that make their way through our catering kitchen and onto your plate. The farm also serves as a key learning space in our programs and a primary source for the key ingredients in our Knockout Pickles.
Testimonials
What People are Saying
“It’s Right there in the Name!”
It’s right in the name; Knockout Catering provides knockout service! Not only do they have an expansive menu, all the food is locally sourced. Working with Joe and the Warriors is a great experience; top notch food and service, plus a program that makes an incredible impact on our community.
Michele Zurakowski, Exec. Director of Beyond Hunger, formerly OPRF Food Pantry
“Satisfy the stomach, satisfy the soul”
If there was ever a culinary outfit that rightly deserved the moniker ‘Knockout,’ this is it! Delivering quality that not only satisfies your stomach but also your soul, by empowering young adults who are hardworking, enthusaisic and more dedicated than I could ever be!
Elliott Bambrough, co-host of WGN’s Chicago’s Best
“Top Quality”
We’re big fans of Opportunity Knocks. The combination of a mission we support, great people and top-quality products makes its very easy for us to work with them.
Keith Huizinga, co-Owner of Kinslahger Brewing Co.
“Timely, Professional, Delicious!”
WSSRA has had the pleasure of using Knockout Catering for two events in the last year and their staff were very professional, the food was delicious, timely and the OK servers are the best! I would highly recommend you consider using them for your next event!
Marianne Birko, Executive Director of WSSRA (West Suburban Special Recreation Association)
Knockout Impact
Food with Purpose
We aim to produce high quality food. We also aim to produce a high quality experience. We also aim to build a stage that creates an opportunity for Warriors to perform, create and connect in a meaningful way
Warrior Chefs
People Served
Farm-based Menus
Knockout Impact
Catering with Purpose
We aim to produce high quality food. We also aim to produce a high quality experience. We also aim to build a stage that creates an opportunity for Warriors to perform, create and connect in a meaningful way
Warrior Chefs
People Served
Farm-based Menus
Innovation
Warriors at Work
Our approach to the catering experience features high quality, fresh ingredients and a scratch made menu. In addition to that committment to great food, is a committment to creating quality experiences for Warriors to do quality work.
Innovation
Warriors at Work
Our approach to the catering experience features high quality, fresh ingredients and a scratch made menu. In addition to that committment to great food, is a committment to creating quality experiences for Warriors to do quality work.