Known for her catering business in New Harmony, Indiana, Denise Rapp’s culinary journey began almost 200 miles northeast in Indianapolis. “I’ve worked in food service so long, it helped me cultivate a niche for catering beautiful food,” says the Monrovia, Indiana, native. “I was training for bigger and better things and didn’t even know it.”
In her late teens and early twenties, she says she “bopped around” between Circle City restaurants, from McDonald’s to The Coachman Restaurant. She credits the former New Orleans House, a seafood buffet that prioritized artful presentation of space and food, with her professional growth. “I have worked in a variety of restaurants and honed in on fine dining as my passion,” Rapp says.
In 2004, she and her then-husband moved to New Harmony to raise their children, Thomas and Ella, closer to family. Rapp worked in the front of house at the Red Geranium Restaurant at New Harmony Inn Resort, cooked for Charles Ford Retirement Communities of New Harmony, then managed Sara’s Harmony Way (now Sara’s Wine Bar).
Rapp realized she wanted to leave restaurant management behind and focus on creating food that looks as inviting as it tastes. Rapp began Moveable Feast in 2016, transforming part of her home into a kitchen and event space. A large island accommodates up to eight participants for her cooking classes, while wooden tables seat private dinners of 25 people. Guests are surrounded by antique dishware, knick-knacks, and artwork.
Her recipes are passed down from her mother, Linda Hughett, or ones she developed over time. “No matter what I’m making, true success is a balance between taste and presentation … classic and well-crafted dishes, fresh vegetables, and beautiful salads,” Rapp says. She uses garnishes to make food pop, from tiny butterfly sprinkles on vanilla icing to blackberries or tomatoes atop croissants. Popular dishes include a sausage and cheddar quiche, or, for a gluten-free option, spinach and Swiss. Rapp also offers carryout orders on Tuesdays, when she regularly fills bellies with traditional home-cooked meals — think pork Manhattan smothered with mashed potatoes and gravy and served with buttered peas, alongside a slice of German chocolate cake for dessert. “I truly want to create unique experiences guests will be talking about long after the event,” she says.
She is joined in the kitchen by Carolyn Brown, a former hairdresser of 45 years who catered Hadi Shrine events in Saint Louis, Missouri. After Brown and her husband, Terri, moved to New Harmony in 2021, she met Rapp at a rummage sale, and the two bonded over food. Their relationship blossomed into a working friendship. “We live close, and it’s easy for me to help. Plus, Denise’s kitchen is wonderful and easy to work in,” Brown says. “We love spending time together and working together.”
