Food for Thought Friday; McHale's Events and Catering

Every Friday, we have decided to post a "Food for Thought' segment, where we introduce a local caterer or baker asking them to share their story and some wedding insights to our readers. This week we are McLovin' some McHale's! We spoke with Jeff Schachleiter, General Manager of McHale's Events and Catering, to learn how this McAwesome McBusiness McStarted (OK- I'm done J)

 

Jeff explained that the owner of this catering business, Chuck McHale, started in the grocery business in the late 70s, eventually selling his grocery stores to Remke Markets. Soon after, he purchased his Florence store back and turned it into a catering company. After this transition into the catering world, business flourished. Chuck found himself purchasing more and more space to create a Banquet Facility, which now features six banquet rooms and a nearly 4,000 square-foot state-of-the-art kitchen. Today, McHale’s Catering operates the Grand, Pinnacle, Marquise, Gardens of Park Hills, and The Florentine. Along with this, they won Best Catering and Chef Chris Weist won Best Chef in NKY Magazine’s Best of Northern Kentucky for two years in a row!

Along with being an award-winning company, McHale’s Events and Catering also gets The Center’s stamp of wedding approval. Knowing that brides can constantly change their needs, Jeff said McHale’s offers “over 25 different napkin colors, multiple centerpiece vases, 3 different under and overlay linens, [and] even chair covers and bows.” My, oh my, we can already see the blank canvas of The Center come to life!

 

"As for catering, we are also able to move into any space and create a successful event," Jeff said. "We provide an event planner to ensure all details are communicated properly. We will also provide a banquet manager to run your event evening. They are solely dedicated to ensuring the success of your event and making sure your experience is nothing less than perfection."

How else is McHale's Catering going to help make sure your wedding night is a success ? By helping you transform the venue space of course! Jeff said his favorite part of catering weddings is being able to turn any space into an event.“I like taking the brides' ideas and running with it. This year was our first year working at The Center. The Center is a very unique space, with our help we were able to transform this venue into exactly what the bride wanted.”

Transforming an event space is something we like to hear! But let’s not stray away from the “food” portion of this “Food for Thought.” Award winning Chef Chris Weist provided us with a recipe of one of his favorite meals; fire roasted tomato soup.

“I picked this soup because it can be used for lunch, dinner or how we love to serve it; in a small shot with a bite of your favorite grilled cheese,” Chef Chris said.

Here is how you make it!

·         Olive oil for roasting and starting vegetables for soup

·         1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

·         1 medium carrot diced

·         3 ribs celery

·         2 cloves garlic, minced, or 5 to 8 cloves roasted garlic

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         2# hearty Ripe tomatoes (meaty thick skin) (plums, or small round)

·         1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth, or 4 cups of homemade chicken stock

·         1 tsp ground fennel

·         ¼ tsp paprika

·         1 lime cut into wedges

·         Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle

“Light your fire, let it burn down to a nice bed of coals with some flame to char tomatoes. Rub tomatoes lightly with olive oil and place on a grate or basket close enough to flame that skin chars nicely (15-30 minutes). In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and sauté 5-6 minutes. Add salt, ground fennel and smoked paprika, sauté, and [in an] additional 1-2 minutes, add tomatoes, stock and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. Using an immersion blender or food mill puree until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with fresh lime to squeeze on top.”

When he said fire roasted, he meant it!

Not a tomato soup fan? Jeff gave us some advice on what types of foods brides should generally provide at their reception.

“I always suggest to my brides to think simply. Unique foods can be great but always remember you’re feeding a bulk of people. Everyone enjoys foods they are comfortable with. Stick with your major protein items such as beef, pork and/or chicken. Provide some sort of pasta that will appeal to your vegetarians. I always like a potato dish that is simple, again [large] crowds like simple. Then lastly, provide a very common salad, with a dressing that everyone can enjoy.”

Want to hear more advice from Jeff and Chef Chris? Contact McHale’s Catering at (859) 442-7776 or email Jeff at Jschachleiter@mchalescatering.com.
 
Pictures provided by McHale's Catering and Events Facebook.