Born and raised in Duluth, Krista brings more than a decade of world-class experience in wedding and event planning to the historic Payne-Corley House, a beloved landmark in the community. Prior to her return to Duluth, Krista advanced into senior event planning and corporate catering roles with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company’s various properties in downtown Atlanta, Buckhead, and New Orleans before serving as Director of Catering for an exclusive private club in Michigan. Her event planning experience spans illustrious charity galas, corporate gatherings, and bar and bat mitzvahs, with a particular passion for planning weddings, both large and small. Krista holds a degree in Food Service Management from Berry College. She and her husband Michael jointly run the Payne-Corley House and downtown Duluth’s award-winning Park Café restaurant. They raise their 3 sons in their own nearby historic Duluth home and are active members of the vibrant local community.

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A native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Michael is a classically trained chef with more than 20 years of experience in the luxury hospitality and restaurant industry. An award-winning chef, he is widely known for creating inspired menus that inject a variety of culinary influences into traditional Southern dishes. Upon graduation from Toronto’s elite George Brown Culinary School, Michael undertook a rigorous, European-style apprenticeship with Canada’s four-star Delta Hotels and the landmark Westin Harbour Castle property. After joining The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company’s culinary staff in 1995, Michael steadily advanced and was selected as Executive Sous Chef for the opening of The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans in 2000 and as Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton Dearborn in 2003. He and his wife, Krista, have been involved with the Payne-Corley House and the Park Café since 2004 and Michael now serves as Executive Chef over both properties. Dedicated to several charitable causes and proud supporter of community events, Michael regularly contributes his culinary talents to annual events for the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, Georgia Transplant Foundation and the Duluth Fall Festival. Michael and Krista make their home in historic downtown Duluth where they raise their 3 sons.

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The newest addition to the Payne-Corley House family, Hope makes every guest who steps into the home feel like one of the family! Coming to us from the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Downtown), Hope honed her talent for warm Southern hospitality at this venerable hotel where she served as Director of PR following several years as Conference Services Manager. She launched her hospitality career in catering and conference services with the Hyatt Regency in historic Savannah, Georgia. Today, Hope maintains a passion for community service built in her early career as Director of Marketing & PR for a non-profit residential drug treatment center for children. She is also the dedicated mother to 3 children.

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The Payne-Corley House has benefitted from Lori-Ann’s natural talents for planning and organization for nearly 5 years. She has a particular gift for transforming her clients’ visions into event reality! Her planning experience spans social event management for Cascades Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale and coordination and management of Web-based events for TÜV SÜD America as well as private planning for numerous regional and local events in South Florida. Today, in addition to handling special events for the Payne-Corley House, Lori-Ann and owns and operates a private event management consultancy serving the Atlanta area. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from Northeastern University in Boston.

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A former special education teacher, Jennifer discovered her passion and talent for event planning while planning her own wedding and hasn’t looked back! She loves being involved in creating special moments for her wedding clients. For more than 8 years she has variously served as a Wedding Coordinator for Athens-based Consultants Unlimited and Event Coordinator for the Fabulous Fox Theater, giving her an extensive record of orchestrating some of the South’s grandest weddings, charitable functions, corporate meetings, and special occasion parties. Jennifer received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. She has been a part of the Payne-Corley House family since 2005.

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STEPHANIE GRIFFIN

Event Specialist

Stephanie is the newest member to the Payne-Corley House events team.  Stephanie graduated from Cornell University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program and worked in the hotel industry for many years as a Catering Manager for The Breaker’s in Florida and as a National Sales Manager for the Ritz-Carlton Hotels of Atlanta.  Stephanie transitioned into the Pharmaceutical industry where she was a leader with Merck & Co. for 8 years as a Senior Sales Representative.  After trading in her professional hat to be a Domestic Engineer for 2 young boys, Stephanie has decided to get back into the Hospitality Industry as an Event Specialist with the Payne-Corley House. Stephanie has a natural affinity for helping others and recently was the Chairperson for Tri-Delta’s Atlanta Alumni Chapter of Care Affair, a fundraiser to support CURE Childhood Cancer.

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DANA BELLEVUE

Event Specialist

Dana has been a part of the Payne-Corley House event team since 2009 and has most recently been one of our Event Supervisors.   Dana has worked in the hospitality industry for 13 years with local companies such as Proof of the Pudding as an Event Captain and Kurt’s Restaurant as a Catering Assistant.  She also volunteers with Victory World Church for the past 4 years in the Special Events team helping with large to small functions.  For Dana, events are her passion. She is a very experienced event planner who has learned from this field for the past 13 years.  She understands the ins and outs and the importance to a successful smooth event.

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