Happy Cinco de Mayo!

With two events under our belt from this past weekend, we are in the partying mood! And what better way to express our party mood than by providing you with some great Cinco de Mayo event ideas? Once again, we thank one of our favorite wedding sources, Pinterest!

Literally, our mouths are watering right now

Can you say cutest sweetheart table ever??

This hanging decor would look ay-ay-ay-incredible in The Center.

If you haven't had enough of Cinco de Mayo wedding ideas, take a look at this blog, where the majority of these festive photos came from!

Food for Thought; Elegant Fare

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 taking readers on an Elegant escape as they read about one of the classiest catering companies in town, Elegant Fare.

We call this catering company “classy” because they have catered to a number of higher-end, upper-class celebrities and heads of states, including Elton John, the Dahli Lama, and US Presidents and Vice Presidents. We feel honored to have even interviewed this catering team! Let us introduce you to Nigel Chalkley, Chief Operating Officer of Elegant Fare.

Nigel explained that Elegant Fare started off as a company offering frozen dinners to businesses over 30 years ago. Today, Elegant Fare has grown into a business which caters one of the largest sporting events in the state of Ohio, the Western & Southern US Open Tennis Tournament. In 2013, this event had 185,000 attendees.

Working large sporting events isn’t the only service Elegant Fare has to offer. This company also caters towards brides’ food and planning needs. “Elegant Fare offers so much more than just the catering & services, we walk the bride through the whole process from initial contact, menu development, a tasting at our commissary with tour of kitchen and culinary departments if requested,” Nigel explained. “We have strong relationships with many of the finest events specialists and vendors in the industry from florists to limo services. We are always available to spend time with our brides to discuss their options all the way through to their event. Our knowledgeable sales associate from conception to execution of the event will be there to make sure every detail goes as planned so we can always exceed the client’s expectations.”

That’s not all! What also makes this company so unique is the fact that all staff members are hired and trained by in-house management to ensure quality. That’s right; they don’t use a temp agency for their staff!

After winning multiple awards over the years, including Best Caterer and Best Service, it’s no surprise that Elegant Fare treats its brides like queens.

 

However, every queen needs some advice every now and then and Nigel is here to offer it! “Go with what makes YOU happy,” he suggested while discussing reception food. “Select the food around your ethnicity, your theme or your personal tastes. Don’t worry too much about every other individual guest, they are there because they love you and will always have a great time and [will] enjoy what you selected for them.”

Want your guests to rave about your reception food for years to come? Contact Elegant Fare at 513-552-1340 or stop by and visit them at 2575 Commerce Blvd. in Cincinnati.

Pictures provided by Elegant Fare's Facebook.

Food for Thought; Jeff Thomas 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. Our last "FFT" post we let Daveed's NEXT Restaurant & Catering have the mic as they provided us with a brief description of their company. This week we decided to take the same approach and gave Jeff Thomas Catering a chance to provide  us with a little snippet of why Jeff Thomas is the Man! Take a look to see what Jeff Thomas Catering had to say about their extraordinary catering company!

"Enjoying 29 years of service to the Greater Cincinnati Area, we pride ourselves with the knowledge of world cuisine and the ability to customize menus to fit our client’s needs.  Whether it is 'farm to table' with fresh local ingredients to international flair, we rise to the occasion with innovative presentation and execution.
 We acquire this knowledge by 'forcing' Jeff to travel the world experiencing world cuisine from Indian, to Vietnamese, to Thai, to the Rjjstafel of Amsterdam.  Food is our passion. Creating memorable occasions for our clients is our mission.

Under the guidance of Chef Steve Waddell, Steve is assisted by two Sous Chefs, Scotty’s forte being world cuisine including world street food and Ali, a practicing Vegan, brings vegetarian and Vegan to a whole new level.  Our Pastry Chef, Megan joins us from the The Hamptons in New York and knows world pastries from her east coast experiences.

While a Jeff Thomas Catering experience is not inexpensive, we strive to bring as much creativity to our client’s experience as the budget will allow.  Sometimes this may be achieved by our very competitive floral and rental pricing.  As you know, it’s all about the bottom line in getting the experience you want and deserve. Being able to assist in these areas many times helps our clients upgrade the culinary experience to their desirable taste level. "

Now we're starting to talk wedding! Keep reading to find out what types of services Jeff Thomas Catering provides to brides when planning their perfect day.

 

"When planning the perfect wedding, we look at many aspects and consider your day a theatrical production.  We assist and advise with the floor plan, the timeline, other vendor recommendations and more.  But most importantly, we strive to set your wedding apart from all the others you are experiencing with creative menu items and presentation."

What types of "creative menu items" is the Jeff Thomas team talking about, however?

"If we were to site a few of our favorite’s ideas and signatures, one would be our salad wrapped in grilled zucchini and layered.  This architectural visual maintains the chill of the salad and holds the dressing in the condiments so the lettuce does not wilt.  It is also a much better visual to come to the table with a pre-plated salad than a typical banquet salad.  For fall and winter weddings we often suggest a cornbread crusted soup like roasted corn chowder served with a side salad. We bake the bowls and seal the top with cornbread keeping them piping hot at the table for a good 45 minutes. And once again, your guests come to the table with a surprise.  It’s just something different from all the rest!

Probably our favorite main course is a dinner prepared in parchment paper.  Cooking with parchment seals the juices and locks in the flavor.  Everyone gets a hot meal and fast!  We once served a party of 900 this main course in 19 minutes! The show of this execution is all on the front of house and a thrill to watch.

Very few of our weddings use buffet style any more.  It’s primarily seated or stations. If stations, is your preference, we have recreated the execution of this concept.  Early years of stations saw salads station, pasta or mashed potato bars and carving. Yawn! Yawn!  Now, our staff works from back stations and pre-plate mini meals on cocktail plates or martini glasses.  Often there is also a wine, beer or cocktail pairing at the station.  It’s much more sophisticated and you spend more time at your table than at the station as we can plate the meals on behalf of your guests.

Whether seated, buffet or stations, we suggest a pre-set salad and/or soup.  This allows time for all of the necessary ceremonial components to unfold.  During this course, we suggest everything happen from the bridal intro, to the blessing, father of the bride welcome and depending on the size, the toast.  All of this should happen before the main course or station’s open.

Also, when possible, we like to serve the cake as a course by painting a full size plates with crème Anglaise and raspberry hearts and with seasonal fruit garnish. Again, this is just something different than every other reception you attend.  It feels more like a special dessert instead of 'here’s your cake.'

Another thing to keep in mind is once the cake is cut and the first dance sequence unfolds, we are servicing your guests with cake and coffee service. At this point, many of your guests have started to celebrate…. by dancing of course!  We offer a complementary coffee station with whipped cream, shaved chocolate and caramel sauce.  In the spring and summer we also offer iced Caramel latte.  In the autumn, we switch to an offering of hot cider."

These types of services allows the bride to turn her wedding day into an out-of-the-ordinary, unique, classic wedding experience. Jeff Thomas Catering provides services you didn't even know a catering company could offer! Not only do we, at The Center, appreciate all the hard work they put in with brides, they also are accustomed to flipping our space from a ceremony to a reception area in minutes!

 "The Center is one of our more favorite venues.  We are quite used to 'flipping' the reception room from ceremony to dinner.  The open cocktail reception area makes it easy for both guests and staff as we recreate the room for a whole new experience.  They also spoil us with a very equipped kitchen facility that ensures hot meals for all guests.  Just remember that at The Center, you don’t have to settle for typical wedding food. A memorable experience is part of the package."

Thanks for all the info, Jeff Thomas Catering! We always enjoy working with this wonderful company and staff!

To learn more about Jeff Thomas Catering and the services they offer, contact them at events@jeffthomascatering.com or call them at 859-291-0286.



 

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.

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.