Small Pleasures’ Stir It 28 Event Menu
I just wanted to take a minute to share with you the menu small pleasures is planning to serve at the Stir It 28 event in Los Angeles. We'll be presenting up an "interactive" bruschetta bar (interactive is definitely a trend for 2010 in catered parties- no stodgy buffets or sit downs)) with assorted crostini and toppings so that guests can assemble their own bruschetta, and a luscious spread of desserts. I think it's a great menu- perfect for a cocktail "mix and mingle" type gathering. I'm also very grateful and excited that Tom Coffey, one of our very best servers will be doing his magic to create a beautiful display, and the lovely Aida Cadres will be on hand to help out, as well. L.A.'s own, The Liquid Muse is partnering with Grey Goose Vodka and Fre Alcohol-Removed Wines for the cocktail program for the the event. She's created a signature cocktail -“Hearts for Haiti”-just for the day. I've done a walk through of Greg@sippitysup's home (Greg's hosting us for the event) and believe me, it's a lovely home. All in all, it is promising to be a great way to spend an afternoon, and on top of that, to contribute to a very worthy cause. Now I'd say that's a win/win. Menu Bruschetta Bar Kalamata Olive Tapenade SunDried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Cannellini Bean Purée with Prosciutto and Herbs Caramelized Onion and Fig Spread Herbed Goat Cheese Spread Gorgonzola Dolce Latte Spread and for Dessert… Puff Pasty Wrapped Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples Rosemary Spiced Nuts White Chocolate Lemon Curd Swirl Cheesecake Profiteroles with Chocolate Fondue Triple Fudge Brownies Grapes and Strawberries Oh, and there'll be a professional photographer on hand, so check back next week for great pics of the...
read moreA Personal Touch-the Wedding Cookie Table
Orange Almond Biscotti- a favorite recipe for your wedding cookie table.
read moreAn Autumn Wedding Feast to Celebrate Your Marriage
Incorporate the rich colors, scents, spices and flavors of autumn to your wedding feast as metaphors to remind you of your vows and love for each other as you encounter those objects throughout your lives together.
read moreBlogHer Food 2009’s “Small Plates” Cocktail Reception
I was privileged this past weekend to attend the first annual BlogHer Food conference at the truly special and elegant St.Regis Hotel in the SOMA (south of Market Street for the uninitiated) district of San Francisco. It was a wonderful gathering of women (and a few men) who blog about food and related topics. In addition to the fabulous people I met, I also got to sample great food, drink some good wine (provided courtesy of St. Supery Winery, and take home fun "swag". I even won a new Netbook computer at the end of the day. Can't beat that! The conference had some great sponsors, The Mushroom Council, Pur, Cuisinart, Scharffenberger (yep- free chocolate in the "swag bag"!), Bertolli and Nature's Source. The biggest name sponsor was Campbell's who highlighted their products in a wonderful cocktail party which closed out the conference. It was a magical evening in San Francisco, uncharacteristically warm on the rooftop deck which looked out at a corner of the diagonally striped roofed of its neighbor, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A glorious half autumn moon rose in the warm September air as we sipped classic martinis, and Brut Rosé champagne. The tasty treats at the reception were all presented "small plate" style, a trend which has become very popular in this economic downturn we find ourselves in. A "small plate" reception allows smart hosts to serve dishes at a stand up reception, which in more free spending times, would have been part of a buffet or sit down menu. Our menu at the BlogHer reception included Braised Beef with Shallots and Mushrooms in a rich meaty sauce, Skewers of Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Herb Grilled Vegetables, classy little shooters of Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with Sage, French Onion Sliders (bite sized burgers braised in Campbell's French Onion Soup, which btw, no one could get enough of), and even Tomato Soup Spiced Mini Cupcakes- okay- I'm not too sure about that one… The St. Regis has classy little china plates to serve the bites on, but you, too, can have this kind of "small plates" party. In fact, we here at small pleasures, used small plastic plates earlier this year at our Tropical Themed Party to serve small bites of Grilled Corn Salad, and Black Beans with Curried Rice Pilaf. We found them at a great on line source- Smarty Had a Party (isn't that a great name?) where there was a wide selection of them. Enjoy the pics below. ...
read moreDoes Planning a Wedding Really Take a Year?
Here's another one of those "everyone says" things I hear about planning weddings. I once had a bride- to-be call me in January to plan her wedding which was going to be held in January of the following year. She was only having about 15 guests at her wedding. I asked her why she was calling so far ahead. She responded, "well, everyone says you have to plan a wedding a year ahead of time." Oy! Unless you want the hottest new venue in town for hundreds of people, there is no reason a wonderful wedding cannot be put together in a few months. I catered a wedding a few years back for 100 guests. Betty, the bride, called me in January, for her wedding that June- and we all know June is prime wedding season. She had one of the most wonderful weddings I've ever seen, in a lovely venue, with great catering (of course!). She told me 5 years later that people were still talking about how great everything was. And here's another tip- a bride recently told me that when she moved her wedding from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, she was able to have a wedding with the best of everything, in the New York City area, with only a couple of months planning. And here's the flip side. On more than one occasion I have had brides call me a few weeks before their wedding with tales of some mishap with their caterer whom they had booked months and months in advance, and at the last minute they were looking for a new one. There are just too many things that can happen over the course of a year. Tastes change, budgets change (look what's happened in this last year), people change. So relax. Yes, putting together a wedding does take a certain amount of pre-planning, but it doesn't have to take over a year of your life. Here are some pictures of Betty's wonderful wedding. Bon Appetit!, Gisele P.S. If you are plannign a wedding-or any other special event- pick up a copy of my E-book :Help I Need a Caterer– available at www.helpineedacaterer.com. It's full of great tips on the process of hiring and workign with the perfect caterer to create the wedding you've dreamed...
read moreBuffet vs. Sit Down Dinner- Which Way to Go if You’re on a Budget?
Every once in a while I browse the Web on the topic of wedding catering to see what people are saying out there. Today I came across a site which reminded me of how many misconceptions there are being tossed around. Here's an old bromide I ran across this morning on a site offering advice on trimming the cost of a wedding reception: "…consider going with a buffet instead of a traditional sit-down dinner. While every catering price list is different, buffet dinners are traditionally cheaper than plated dinners." The common wisdom is that buffet events require less service staff- which admittedly can be expensive- so therefore are less expensive. I've always been suspicious of this bit of "common wisdom", so while I was writing Help I Need a Caterer, I decided to run the question by a couple other caterers and event planners. My suspicions were confirmed, as they agreed with me. While there is a need for more service staff with a formal sit down dinner, a caterer is able to control food portions in a way that is impossible on a buffet. We've all seen guests whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs, and pile their plates with food that ends up getting tossed. While the quantity of each dish needs to be increased on a buffet, I also feel the number of selections need to be increased. For example, clients usually want two main course selections, i.e.like chicken and fish or beef on a buffet, as well as a two or three vegetable selections. As a caterer, I don't know which item will appeal to guests more, so I have to make sure there is enough of each. The fact of the matter is, most people will want to taste both. But here's the real kicker that a colleague pointed out to me. Since guests will undoubtedly return to the buffet more than once, there's a need to rent additional plates and flatware etc., and rentals really do add up. When I'm a guest, I personally favor buffets- I'm more of a casual gal, I like choices, and I like to move around. But which is more economical? I think it's a toss up. The important thing is deciding what's your style, and most important to you. Tune in over the next few days as I look at more of those "common wisdom" assumptions. Bon Appetit, Gisele P.S. If you're planning a wedding, but have question about how to go about putting together your reception,watch for the relaunch of my E-book Help! I Need a Caterer. It 's full of practical tips on planning and hiring a caterer who'll help you create the perfect wedding reception- or any other special party. BTW, the E-book was recently featured in the L.A. Bride section of Valley Magazine....
read moreA Perfect Menu for an Outdoor Summer Wedding
A room temperature menu of sun-kissed foods is perfect for a wedding in the heat of summer.
read moreNeed to Trim Your Event Budget? Planners Weigh in on What’s Worth Keeping and What’s Not
Yesterday I catered a Mother's Day dinner for a new client who had never hired a caterer before. She walked into the kitchen as we finished up serving dinner and had started in on the clean up. " Wow- you even do the dishes" she said, "this is great". Of course, we left her kitchen completely clean, as we had found it. She commented that she had always handled all the cooking, cleaning, setting up, etc, of her past parties herself, but that she was always so tired she couldn't really enjoy the party. "That's exactly the reason to hire a caterer," I responded. The truth is that no one person can handle all the aspects of a successful event by themselves. A good service team is crucial to the success of a party. Biz Bash Magazine, a publication catering to the event planning industry, recently surveyed event planners across the country on the subject of where to spend and where to save in today's budgets. It's no surprise to me that over and over again, professional party staff landed in the "worth keeping" category. I find it frustrating that service staff is so often one of the first areas where clients look, when trying to cut costs. It's a recurring theme of mine, that catering is more than just great food. Here are some of the comments of top event planners across the country that landed in the "worth spending on" column: "Working with a fine caterer that has exceptional service is always a must, but absolutely in this environment. You can always work to pare down a menu, perhaps serve something simple yet elegant, rather than fussy… Having a great catering staff that allows your guests to have a wonderful and carefree time is always worth the money."- Kara Minogue, President, Kara Minogue and Company, New York "It's a mistake to cut service or staff. People don't remember if the steak was outstanding at an event. They remember if it was cold, or took a half hour to get a drink."- Kristy Pozulp, Events and Communications Manager, Diamond Management and Technology Consultants, Chicago "Your staff is a reflection of your company and provides one on one contact with your clients… When times are tough, well trained service staff is one of the best assets you have."- Hillary Harris, Director of Special Events, Warner Brothers, Los Angeles "Second only to food, drinks are one of the most important elements of a great event… and having capable bartenders is extremely important to the flow of the event. Guests don't like to wait around with an empty glass." -Lauren Farruggio, Events and Meetings Coordinator, The Boston Consulting Group, New York Bon Appetit! Gisele...
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