Food for Thought; Daveed's NEXT Restaurant & 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. With this week's featured catering company being on the preferred catering list for several venues, not only in Cincinnati, but in Dayton and Kentucky as well; we decided to let them do the talking. We asked our friends at Daveed's NEXT Restaurant and Catering to provide us with a little snippet introducing us to their biz. What we found is that this is a highly professional restaurant that is now booming in the catering market. Take it away, Daveed's NEXT!

"After a successful career with the Maisonette Group, Chef David and his wife, Liz, opened Daveed’s at 934. It was located in Mt. Adams, where Chef David chose to blend New American food utilizing French techniques and an occasional Asian undertone.

'It’s good, fun food at a good price with very good service,' says David. The result? Dining at Daveed’s provided the atmosphere of a New York or Chicago restaurant, with cutting-edge food and excellent flavor profiles."

The fun doesn't stop there, however, keep reading to find out where Daveed's Restaurant and Catering is now!

"Nearly 2 years ago, they moved from Mt. Adams to the Loveland/Landen area, north of Cincinnati, and opened Daveed’s Next Restaurant & Catering, an American Tapas style restaurant, with the same fun atmosphere and excellent flavor profiles as Daveed's at 934 but on a smaller scale - and with a focus on Catering."

But what, exactly, does this mean for brides? Let's find out!

"Chef David's Wife, Liz, is an experienced Event Planner and Catering Specialist. For the Bride and Groom, she can assist them with selecting the right menu for their style of wedding reception. Daveed's Next offers a wide variety of food creations from which to choose and typically caters to a smaller, more intimate reception group of guests of 100 or less.

 

'My advice to the Bride when deciding on food creations for the reception is that it be memorable yet simple. We achieve that by creating unique flavor profiles that carry through the entire meal. The food shouldn't 'steal the show' but it should enhance the overall experience', Liz shares.

Daveed's Restaurant and Catering offers tastings of their offerings for the Groom and Bride-to-be at their location in Loveland."

What a great catering company to have on hand for a more inviting, personal reception! Thanks for the description, Daveed's NEXT!  Want to learn more about this intimate catering company? Contact the Daveed's NEXT crew at 513-683-2665, email them at info@daveedscatering.com or visit their catering website at www.daveedscatering.com. You can also stop in to say hello at their restaurant located in the Loveland/Landen area at 8944 Columbia Rd.

 

Pictures provided by Daveed's NEXT Restaurant and Catering.

The Date to Say "I Do"

Do you envision walking down the aisle next to a garden bed filled with freshly bloomed flowers? Or taking pictures in front of a large Christmas tree? Or how about having pumpkins placed as centerpieces at your reception? Whatever your dream wedding consists of, we’re going to bet the time of year you have this extravagant affair is going to affect most of the wedding decisions. In planning a wedding, timing is everything, which is why we wanted to offer some tips to brides deciding on the perfect day to say "I do."   

Dora Manual, Owner of Viva Bella Events, was kind enough to give us advice on how brides should go about picking their wedding date. Viva Bella Events, meaning “beautiful life”, is a boutique event planning company. “We specialize in weddings and corporate events, and believe in bringing our client’s vision to life while making each guest feel celebrated and valued,” Dora told us. "We strive to make each detail of a wedding meaningful!"
 

As the founder of this highly-established company, whose staff specializes in providing each client with best-in-class, personal service, we have no doubt that the helping hand Dora extends out to brides is a useful one.

She started our interview off by saying what makes a wedding so unique is each bride having different personal tastes and hopes for her dream day. However, these hopes and dreams may lead to some restrictions when it comes to picking her date.  

“If a bride really has her heart set on an outdoor wedding where she walks down an aisle among the trees to meet the man of her dreams, there are obvious weather considerations for picking a date (not January!),” Dora explained. Along with the weather, a bride may base her wedding around a particular season and wants her big event to reflect the feelings and colors of that time of year, Dora mentioned. "If a bride is picturing a wedding overflowing with flowers, she could be a Spring bride!"

A soon-to-be-Mrs. also has to decide how high the venue is on her “need” list. If you have a particular venue in mind and only want to celebrate your wedding in this specific facility, then you may have to be a bit more flexible when it comes to what day your wedding can fall on. “It really comes down to personal preference, the availability of venues and of course, what is in a bride’s dream,” Dora exclaimed!

Ceremony held in The Center

 

The timing of holidays also plays a major role in deciding on the date. If you choose to have your wedding on a national holiday, then you may have to be prepared for some bumps and bruises during your wedding planning process.  Not only could travel plans for guests be difficult around the holidays, but your wedding will forever be connected to the implication behind that holiday. This could either be a good or bad thing for brides. “Holidays are for celebrating, so it’s up to the couple if they want to always associate the wedding with the meaning behind a specific holiday,” the Viva Bella owner explained.

While it is not too common for a wedding date to have a deeper meaning behind it, Dora mentioned that “from time to time, a sentimental date works out and brides are able to plan the celebration around a meaningful anniversary. I have had a bride who did get married on her grandparent’s and parent’s anniversary.” All together now, “Aweeee!” “If there is a particular date that you have your heart set on, the bride should start planning ASAP!”

Another thing to consider when picking the date is if your local sports team is playing that day. “We’ve seen receptions where everyone was so distracted by getting score updates that they didn’t fully engage in celebrating the newlyweds,” Dora mentioned. Although, we do have to admit, it is pretty cool to have your reception in The Center on a night the Reds are playing, since you can watch the game from our window on the big screen located in Fountain Square.

While there are some restrictions when deciding on a date, most of the time this step in the planning process can be the least stressful one to take! There are so many dates to choose from (365 days to be exact!). This even includes weekdays, as Friday night weddings are becoming increasingly more popular and have one major perk. “Having your wedding on a weekday could be significantly less expensive for the Bride and Groom and their guests,” Dora pointed out.

Another way to save some money is to have your wedding in the winter, as dates in January and February tend to be less expensive since they are not in the height of wedding season (May through October).

Whatever date you choose to make, Dora mentioned that it’s important to collaborate with your family members to make sure the most important people to you can be by your side. No matter if your wedding is in the summer, fall, winter, or spring, if you hire event coordinators, such as the Viva Bella team, you can bet your big day will happen just the way you envisioned it, “or even better,” Dora chimed in!

Learn more about how Dora and Viva Bella Events strives to make your event an "inspiring and engaging experience that no one will soon forget" by contacting Viva Bella Events at 513-871-0077 or email them info@vivabellaevents.com.

Pictures provided by Viva Bella Events.

Congratulations, Alana!

Another staff member of The Center is engaged!! Congratulations, Alana! I (Laura) could not be more excited to get to watch, not only one, but two of my coworkers plan their weddings! We wish Alana and her now fiancé, Kyle, the very best! Take a look at these pictures (and video!) from their big proposal.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle sang "I Wanna Grow Old With You" by Adam Sandler to pop the question, how cute!
 

 

Food for Thought; Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts

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. Today we’re focusing on Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts, an off-sit catering business which encourages you to “live, love, and eat well.”

Chef Renee Schuler, Founder of Eat Well, gave us the inside scoop on what makes this catering company so well off. Instead of just providing the food and helping each bride create her own customized menu, Eat Well also assigns one of their servers to be the “Bridal Party Concierge” for the night of the reception. “This server spends the entire evening making sure the bridal party, and the bridal couple’s parents have everything they could need or want at their fingertips. In this way, we ensure that the experience of the bridal party is the very best that it can be,” Renee explained. Talk about a catering service!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Renee dedicated her time and hard work to make sure this business was well on its way to success!  Renee started off as a trained chef in NYC, working in both the restaurant and catering business. While working in both industries, Renee soon discovered her heart belonged to catering.

“I love the excitement and drama of catered events, and so when I was thinking about the kind of business I wanted to have, I stayed with catering.” That is why when Renee catered for her sister’s art opening about nine years ago, she decided to pass out business cards and thus, Eat Well was born!

Now this growing biz can help a bride plan different parts of her wedding. From handling all rentals, making referrals for the right florists and lighting service, and providing tenting and draping ideas, this catering company can well… do it all.

“We mostly know, though, that brides want us to focus on making the very best food for their reception,” Renee added. “So we work closely with them to create a custom menu, help design menu cards, and help with ideas for favors, desserts and cake that complement the menu and make for a picture perfect reception."

Renee has a unique approach when coming up with these different ideas for a menu. She told us that she likes focusing on developing menus seasonally, allowing her to continuously incorporate new food ideas into their menus. Along with this, she remains open to suggestions and bases her customized menus on the bridal couple’s tastes and what foods they would be excited to eat for their first meal as husband and wife.

This is Eat Well's "lift" salad, consisting of layers of greens, tomatoes, gold beets and oranges. "When guests lift the clear tube, the salad falls onto the plate and into the [balsamic vinaigrette with basil] salad dressing. It's a fun and whimsical way to serve salad," Chef Renee Schuler said.

“That may mean something classic and plated, a beautiful Tuscan buffet or a favorite family recipe, re-interpreted for a wedding reception. We love wowing all of our guests and ensuring everyone loves the flavors and tastes presented, but most importantly I want the bride and groom to sit (even if it’s just for a few minutes) and say ‘wow this reflects us, our taste and style and we’re so excited for this meal,'” Renee exclaimed!

You hear that? Continue to stay true to your own, personal taste, brides; even if that means serving steak and chicken if several of your guests are vegetarians! “While it’s important to be conscious of those special needs, don’t plan your event around those four people,” Renee said. “A good caterer will gladly handle your aunt’s dietary needs and your three vegan friends with ease and grace.” 

 Not only will a good caterer gladly fix meals for those guests who have dietary restrictions, but they will do so with a smile on their face! After all, Renee told us that it’s an honor to be a part of one of the biggest days of a couple’s life. “It is a big, life changing moment for these two people and their families, and the fact that we can be there, behind and in front of the scenes, providing a delicious meal, making sure everything looks beautiful, and that everyone is having a good time, it never ceases to amaze me how important our job is.”

“The best part about it is being involved in something that is all done in love and for the love of two people, and after the last piece of cake has been served and enjoyed and everyone is having a ball on the dance floor, it is really a great sense of accomplishment and happiness. My favorite, even though it is never expected or anticipated, is when the bride and/or groom takes a moment to come and find me in the kitchen to give me a big hug and thank me. I know that they will cherish these memories for the rest of their lives, and there is nothing better than being a part of that,” Renee said.

Now, this is a catering business that loves its job! Being part of the wedding world, we truly understand what Renee means when she says it is an honor to be a part of such an important day. Working with the bride and groom, the families and all the vendors, such as Eat Well, we couldn’t think of a better job out there!

Learn more about Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts and Renee’s amazing work ethic by calling them at 859-291-9355, emailing Renee at events@eatwellonline.com, or visit their website at www.eatwellonline.com.

 

Pictures provided by Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts.

Guest List Galore

Before you sit down and decide if your centerpieces are going to incorporate lilies or tulips, if your bridesmaid’s dresses are going to be short or long, or if pink up lighting will look good with blue table cloths, you have to decide who is going to see all of these bells and whistles. That’s right; you have to decide on your guest list.

Figuring out the “who” of your wedding is one of the first steps of planning, right after budgeting. Now that you know the dough, you gotta figure out the flow... of people. Okay, that didn’t exactly rhyme, but you get our point. Who’s coming to your wedding?!

Brigid Horne-Nestor

We decided to take this question to the big guys and ask Brigid Horne-Nestor of I-do Weddings & Events. Brigid is one of only 69 Master Bridal Consultants around the world, so it’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about weddings. Having won many awards and rated five-stars on Wedding Wire, I-do Weddings & Events is a wedding planning and event coordination firm. Along with providing wedding planning guidance, i-do Wedding & Events also manages i-do Boutique, “a storefront wedding library in O’Bryonville that recommends top vendors and provides complimentary advice,” Brigid explains.

While managing a storefront and running a coordination firm, Brigid also gives excellent advice and her first advice to brides figuring out their guest lists is to determine how many people the bride feels at ease talking to. “If you wouldn’t send them a Christmas card or invite them to your home for dinner, why would you want to invite them to your wedding?” Brigid asks. Make sure you feel comfortable with each guest there!

i-do Boutique

“A lot of brides make the mistake of ‘obligatory invitations.’ This means inviting every person who has ever invited them to a wedding in the past. Or, she may invite someone she was friends with years ago simply out of obligation. My best advice is to invite the people who matter most to you in the present,” Brigid recommends.

If you are tight on money and need an additional way to save, the easiest way to cut back would be to eliminate the option for some guests to bring a plus one. Brigid explains, "Traditionally, you only include a plus one for guests if the couple has been together for at least a year or they are engaged." However, if your budget is large enough why not have a large guest count! "The more the merrier," as Brigid says!

While you can control if you want to invite your second cousin’s half-removed step daughter, when it comes to who your parents and soon to be parents-in-law invite, your guest list may be a bit out of your hands. I-do Weddings & Events likes to use the equal thirds rule. Regardless of who is financing the wedding, Brigid believes you should divide the guest list into three equal parts. She gives the example of a 300 guest count wedding. Parents of the bride would invite 100 people, parents of the groom would invite 100 people and then the bride and groom would invite 100 people.  This way, everyone has a say in who is invited to your big day (OK- that did rhyme!).

With your parents and parents-in-law having an equal say in who to invite, keep in mind that there may be plenty of out of town guests coming your way. In order to make these guests feel welcomed, i-do suggests providing them with a “Welcome Bag” of goodies when they check into their hotel rooms (which you should have reserved for them!). i-do Weddings & Events offers custom welcome bags at their i-do Boutique. “These often include treats from the best local eateries in town.” You might also want to include a booklet of information regarding the wedding weekend and suggestions of things for the guests to do while they’re in town, Brigid adds.

Ceremony in The Center

 

The wedding isn’t the only guest list you have to think about, however. Many events happen along with the wedding; including an engagement party, a wedding shower and a rehearsal dinner. In today’s day and age, it may be difficult to determine who you should invite to each event. Brigid suggests that anyone you invite to a wedding-related activity should also be invited to the wedding itself. The only exception, she explains, is if a group of work acquaintances decided to host a shower. But how do you figure out who’s invited to these wedding-related events?

“For an engagement party, it is most appropriate to invite close family and friends. The same would be true for a wedding shower,” Brigid tells us. “A rehearsal dinner is one of the most treasured memories couples have because it is an intimate celebration with those who are closest to them. Don’t make the mistake of inviting too many people to a rehearsal dinner. The best rehearsal dinners are under 40 guests.”

In order to keep all of these guests lists in line, Brigid stresses the importance of organization. “Consider color-coding each guest on the list to correspond with the person who invited them (bride & groom, parents of the groom, etc.). If a guest does not send back the response card, the person who invited them should be the one to contact them and find out if they plan to attend.”

As soon as the RSVP’s start rolling in, I-do Weddings & Events suggests grouping your guests into tables. Assign each RSVP into a certain category right when you open it. For example, make a list of “Bride’s college friends” “Dad’s work associates”, “Mom’s family”, and so on to keep straight who is who. This way you’re ahead of the game when it comes time to make your final table assignments.

Might we suggest hiring a wedding coordinator to help ease some of those guest list jitters? “When it comes to the final guest list and table assignments, be sure to alphabetize your guests and give the list to your Day of Coordinator or catering captain,” Brigid says. “This will make it easy for us to help a guest find their table if there’s an issue with seating on the wedding day.”

The Center's entrance

 

Although deciding who is going to witness one of the most important days of your life may be a bit nerve-racking, take a deep breathe, set aside your worries and keep in mind that this day is about you and your groom; invite those who matter most to you in the present.

Learn more about i-do Weddings & Events and i-do Boutique by visiting their website or contacting them at (513)762-5550 or info@i-do-weddings.com.

Pictures provided by i-do Weddings & Events and Jonathan Gibson Photography.

Introducing ISES

Being in the event industry, we believe one of the best parts of our job, aside from working with brides-to-be, is meeting and interacting with local vendors and event professionals. The Center prides itself on being active in our community and joining different boards and associations to increase our knowledge of the event world. The Center is full-time supporters of ISES; the International Special Events Society, with Alana serving as the VP of Programs and Education. In order to learn more about this society and its impact on everything events, we talked with Ashley Sostaric, president of the ISES Cincinnati Chapter.

Ashley filled us in on the positive opportunities this association has provided since her first involvement with ISES as a student member over 8 years ago.

“ISES has led me to dozens of professional relationships and friendships in the industry. I know I always have an ISES member at my fingertips when I need someone I can trust for my events or when trouble calls. Sitting on the Board of Directors for 6 years has allowed me to gain incredible leadership skills that have helped me position myself ahead in this industry.”

So what exactly is this enlightening events association? “ISES is a unique networking association that offers special event industry professionals a chance to connect with others [and] stay up-to-date.” And that is exactly why we joined! We love chatting with other individuals who work in the event industry, whether they are associated with the wedding world or not.

In 1995, Cincinnati developed its own ISES chapter as this association continues to grow. Ashley told us that anyone in the special event industry can join, including “caterers, rental companies, photographers, florists, planners and more!” Simply visit the ISES website to start learning more about this association. According to Ashley, once you join you will begin the fast track to placing yourself and your company ahead in this industry.

Being ahead of the game isn’t the only benefit of ISES, however; if you become a member Ashley said you also get “discounted monthly event pricing, affiliate program discounts with companies such as FedEx Kinko’s/Quickbooks and many others and access to a worldwide database of members to connect with for products/services.”

All you have to do to receive these awesome benefits is start the easy, online application process. ISES’s membership fees runs on an annual bases, starting July 1^st and ending June 30^th the following year.

Membership dues are only a small price to pay in order to participate in events which will bring you closer to event professionals from all over the spectrum; including larger corporations, smaller business owners and of course our wedding world friends!

ISES has monthly events, held on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month, rotating between luncheons and evening events. Ashley described each event as focusing on “connecting industry professionals and providing deeper education of the event industry.”

We stand by her when she says you will gain a deeper knowledge of the industry. In fact, at this month’s meeting, which is taking place tomorrow the 18^th, we get the privilege of hearing from Rene Delane, Founder of Women Who Dare. Ashley told us that her presentation will teach us a number of ways to grow leadership skills while building better business relationships. We cannot wait to hear from Rene (and also for the lunch provided by Elegant Fare)! Feel free to join us at this event hosted at the Newport Aquarium. Tickets can be purchased here.

Along with this, Ashley wanted us all to mark our calendars for the “ISES Ohio WOW Awards event on April 11, 2014, at 21C Museum as three Ohio ISES Chapters come together for an exciting evening of fun and celebration!” As special events members who love to talk, we can hardly contain our excitement for these networking opportunities!

“We Are Your Association, Your Partner, And Your Friend. WE ARE ISES!”

Interested in becoming a member and taking your event experience to the next level? Visit www.ises.com to learn more about this national association.

Real Weddings; Valentine's Day Edition

Happy Valentine's Day to all you love birds out there! At The Center, Valentine's Day is one of our favorite holidays, and for a good reason! It's a day that brings couples together to reflect on all the reasons why they love one another; and we think it's pretty obvious that The Center loves love! That is why we decided to have this Real Weddings post feature some of our favorite lovey-dovey moments from past weddings at The Center that we guarantee will make you go "Awee".

 

 

 

Food for Thought Monday; Funky's Catering

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we wanted to save our Friday post for one that will make you feel the love. Therefore, instead of having all of you food fans wait until next Friday, we are getting funky and posting our "Food for Thought" today! So join us in kicking this week off right by learning about one of the grooviest catering services in town; Funky's Catering.

Cecilia Rose, Creative Director at Funky's Catering, explained that while “Funky’s” might seem like an unusual fit for a catering name, it describes this out-of-the-box service quite well.

"We like to be different and are always looking for opportunities and ways to stretch our imagination and business. We’re not afraid to be a little interesting or ‘funky,’ if you will.”  

This name didn’t just come out of nowhere; however, Cecilia explained that it’s a nickname of Funky’s Managing Partner, Michael Forgus. In 2006, Mr. Forgus decided to branch into catering after owning a number of namesake restaurants. He now owns and operates Funky’s Catering alongside Jerin Dunham, Matthew Brown and Executive Chef James Trent.

So what makes this trendy catering company so unique? Funky’s is a custom caterer, personalizing each and every menu it creates to match its clients' needs and wants. In order to do this, Funky’s schedules private tastings to learn more about the client’s personal taste. “It allows us to explore all kinds of ethnic foods. Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian, French and all points in between make the creativity sparks fly in our kitchen,” Cecilia said.

 

Providing personalized menus sure does make for an exclusive experience, but so does Funky's new Event Services division.

“In listening, we found that people, especially brides, really wanted to make the planning and design process easier and more streamlined,” Cecilia explained. “Working with our highly trained designers and partner vendors, you can now design your entire event with Funky’s. From napkins to lighting, centerpieces, linens, entertainment, food and beverage, Funky’s has it covered.”

By helping the clients plan the nitty-gritty details of their events, Funky's values the importance of the customer and trains each staff member to understand that the customer's wants are their top priority. "When all is said and done, our guests and how they are treated is the key to a successful event," Cecilia exclaimed!  

With this type of customer-service centered atmosphere, Funky's offered some great advice to future brides looking for help when it comes to meals provided at the reception. 

“You simply cannot please everyone so don’t try. All of your guests aren’t going to like everything that you serve or how everything looks. This is the one day in your life that you can truly be a bit selfish and pick the things that you really like and want."

While serving great advice for brides-to-be, Funky's is also busy serving their famous baked potato soup. And guess what, readers? They gave us the recipe! “Be warned though, this is some seriously yummy soup,” Cecilia cautioned!

What you need:

•  2 sticks of butter
• 1 onion, small dice
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 gal of hot water
• 1 cup potato pearls
• 1/2 gal chicken stock
• 2 tsps. seasoning salt
• 1 Tbsp. basil
• 1/2 gal milk
• 2-3 dash of Tabasco
• 2 potatoes; peeled, diced and cooked

What you do:

“In steam kettle or stock pot, sauté onions in butter until translucent and tender. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes to make a blond roux. While roux is cooking, add pearl to water and mix well. Add chicken stock, spice and basil to water mixture. Mix well. Add water mixture to roux [and] mix well. Bring mixture to a boil slowly. Add milk and bring to a boil again slowly. Stir often. When soup tightens add Tabasco and chill in ice bath to 40 degrees in metal. STIR OFTEN. Refrigerate.”

Their potato soup isn’t the only thing heating up in the kitchen! This dynamic catering company has also made a hit of their Flaming Donut Station. “Just imagine, a glazed Krispy Kreme donut sautéed in a little butter and brandy, set on fire and topped with ice cream and other yummy deliciousness! It is a little slice of  OMG on a plate." Our mouths are watering already! 

So go ahead and bake away, brides! And don’t forget that your wedding day should be about you and your groom, take Funky's advice and be a little selfish when it comes to what food you want to serve.

To learn more about Funky’s Catering call them at 513-841-9999 or email Cecilia at Cecilia@funkysonline.com.

 

Pictures provided by Funky's Catering.