Puesto partnered with Katalyst in December 2011, working closely with the restaurant as it approached its opening date in February 2012. Our intent with this new client was to bring increased awareness of its presence in La Jolla, as well as brand it as an upscale fast-casual taco shop, setting it apart from San Diego’s many other Mexican eateries.

Prior to opening, Katalyst piqued the media’s interested via coordinating media tours of the space that would become Puesto. Immediately after its opening, an organized list of influential food media, bloggers and concierges were invited to dine and review Puesto.

Since December 2011, Katalyst has secured more than 500 editorial placements for Puesto, with numerous positive reviews in both food-centered and lifestyle-centered media outlets, including Saveur, USA Today, Food & Wine, Westways, Sunset Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Modern Luxury and Ranch & Coast. In partnering with Katalyst, Puesto has also increased word of mouth marketing, experienced growing customer traffic and sales and is has expanded to additional locations. In addition to the La Jolla location, Katalyst managed the PR efforts for grand opening of Puesto’s second location, and first full-service restaurant at The Headquarters. Puesto has been an ongoing Katalyst PR client for almost six years.

Harvest Peace is an organic extra virgin olive oil brand committed to cultivating peace with every bottle. Launched in February 2017, founder Jenny Farhat selected Katalyst PR to raise brand awareness in the local and national media, drive traffic to the website and position the brand as a leader in organic and fair trade olive oil production, as well as an advocate for Palestinian farmers.

Within the first 4 months of working together, Katalyst PR secured press mentions on behalf of Harvest Peace in media outlets such as Rue Magazine, myDomaine, Clementine Daily, The Daily Meal, MSN, Cherry Bombe Magazine, Sweet Paul Magazine and Cool Mom Picks. Feature articles on the brand founder appeared in San Diego Magazine and San Diego Union Tribune. 

During this time, samples were also requested by and sent to Cooking Light, Food Network, Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living, goop, Food & Wine, Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, Saveur and Organic Life.

During this time, the brand reached an audience of 9.9+ million (based on editorial readership).

The world’s first viral event, Dîner en Blanc, a très chic picnic imported from Paris where it launched 24 years ago, debuted in San Diego in 2012. Katalyst was brought on to help plan, promote, sell-out and manage the first official int’l event in San Diego. 

Starting two months before the event, Katalyst created a series of press releases announcing the date, details and partners/sponsors involved and pitched to local and regional media outlets. Katalyst also provided pre-event and onsite support and helped manage the flow and timeline of the night. Responsibilities included setting up the VIP lounge, the load in of 2,000 guests, coordinating with news trucks, setting up interviews, working with the photographers and videographers for key shots, executing the “Best Table” and “Best Dressed” competition.

Katalyst secured media coverage in over 75 outlets including Riviera, San Diego Magazine, UT-San Diego, Fox 5, NBC, KTLA, Travelers Today and more. Katalyst strategically brought on Westfield UTC as a sponsor and created partnerships with Bon Affair wine spritzer and The US Grant Hotel as an after-party destination. Upon arriving guests were chartered to a location where they set up the city’s largest surprise pop-up dinner. After a successful campaign in 2012, Katalyst was rehired for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 event.