THE RK GROUP
The RK Group started changing the event-dining landscape in Texas nearly 75 years ago with fresh ingredients, innovative menus, and attention to detail in every appetizer, entree and dessert we serve. That tradition continues to this day, as does catering to our client’s every need and dedication to exciting palates while exceeding expectations. Like many success stories, ours starts with an individual spark. When Rosemary Kowalski began catering private parties in 1946, expanding on the small barbecue diner she and her husband Henry owned, the Kowalski family name quickly gained culinary fame. By 1968, Rosemary’s Catering had grown to become the preferred caterer for most top social and business events around San Antonio. That year, HemisFair ’68 shined a spotlight on the city, and Rosemary’s Catering added even more illumination as the official caterer for 105 of the 112 pavilion celebrations at the world’s fair.
By 1981 it was clear that the business – which had expanded to several buildings around the city and now offered equipment rentals, floral designs and more – needed to be under one roof. So, the entire operation moved into a six-acre site in downtown San Antonio where our headquarters lives today. When the growing demand for rental equipment spawned a new company -- Illusions Tents, Rentals and Event Design, it was housed under the new roof too.
A few short years later, in 1989, Rosemary officially turned the leadership over to her son Greg, and the firm was rebranded under a new name, The RK Group.
With Greg Kowalski at the helm of the expanding leadership team and growing enterprise, The RK Group began to diversify even more with the founding of Circa DM, a specialized destination management company, and Flair Floral, floral design for a range of event styles.
In the 1990s, the company also began its expansion of services outside of San Antonio, operating the Capitol Grill and Story of Texas Café, and providing catering services for the University of Texas Etter-Harbin Alumni Center in Austin. The RK Group’s expansion continued outside Texas when our Phoenix office was established in 2008, which was followed by the opening of an office in Houston in 2011, and the debut of another Illusions operation in Austin that same year.
This film by local PBS channel KLRN documents Rosemary Kowalski’s life along with the coming of age of San Antonio, which helped her build a leading catering company. The program also highlights the strength and success of The RK Group today under the direction and vision of President and CEO Greg Kowalski.
These days, The RK Group continues to expand its integrated specialized service offerings and contracted venue management engagements, its restaurants, and its culinary and hospitality program management operations for partner organizations.
Meanwhile, Greg Kowalski continues to expand the family tradition of quality, service and innovation as he inspires and leads an accomplished team of more than 800 employees on the path his mother, Rosemary, paved.
