Our History

What originally started as a personal chef business for newlyweds Michelle and Dodd Aldred, quickly shifted into an even bigger dream. Following the demand of the Raleigh/Durham area, the Aldred’s fused their love of Southern cuisine and their passion for local business, and created Triangle Catering, an off premise catering and events company.

In 2010 they opened Durham’s first fully inclusive event venue named The Cotton Room, but it was so much more than a venue. To Michelle, a Durham native, it was an opportunity to keep the history of her childhood city alive. The Cotton Room, located in the heart of the Golden Belt campus, was originally built by the Golden Belt Manufacturing Company in 1900 as a textile factory with the sole job of producing the cotton pouches for the Bull Durham Tobacco. Now it is the first gold-certified LEED historic site in the Southeast as well as a part of the newly renovated Golden Belt campus.

A few years later, the Aldred’s followed in the Cotton Room’s footsteps and opened their second venue, Belt Line Station. Located within the Golden Belt Campus as well, Belt Line served for years as a train depot adjacent to the textile mill and tobacco packaging facility. Now it is a fully inclusive event venue which will reopen fall 2019, after 2 years of construction. Belt Line Station is undoubtedly Durham’s most unique outdoor and indoor venue.

Over the past 25+ years, The Aldred’s have been recognized regionally and nationally for their ongoing support and contributions to the local economy, attributing their success to maintaining a family dynamic in their business in spite of the exciting growth and expansion!