Food (Drinks) for Thought Friday; Epitome Bartending

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, however, we decided to mix things up and turn this "Food for Thought" post into a "Drinks for Thought" post. After all, it's almost the weekend! So sit back, relax and read what our friends at Epitome Bartending had to say about their wedding drinks and services!

After years of experience in high-end hotel bars, working banquets and special events, George Jenkins, event manager of Epitome Bartending, decided it was time to offer a more niche approach providing "white glove services to hosts and their clients." And just like that, this one-of-a-kind bartending company was born.

Whether you're looking for a bartending service to perform the works - "a full bar mixer package, including signature cocktails, beverages, glassware rental and menu design" - or you just want something a little more modest for an informal wedding, Epitome Bartending has it all!


Epitome's bar at The Center

This multi-service vendor also offers cocktail mixology classes for those bachelor and bachelorette parties and provides a hot brewed coffee and tea service, which, according to George, compliments the perfect ending to any wedding.

Epitome Bartending doesn't just provide services during the event, but rather works with the bride before her wedding to get to know more about her, her family and her friends in order to create customized drinks for her big day.

“We work with brides with an initial consultation by getting to know their ‘likes.’ [There’s] more to a bar than mixing drinks and pouring wine to us. As the bartenders for the evening, we spend a lot of time with wedding guests, so learning about the bride’s friends and family’s tastes, colors and ‘the look’ really matters to us, “ George said.

So what is George’s favorite drink to make for a newly married couple and their guests? “One of my favorite cocktails to feature (among many) is the Martinez. It’s a classic Pre-Prohibition era cocktail that gave birth to the well-known Martini.”

Cucumber Martini made by
 Epitome Bartending

George gave us the scoop on how to make this historic drink. You need:

• 2 parts Sweet Vermouth
• 1 part London Dry Gin
• 1/4 part Maraschino Liqueur
• Dash or two of orange bitters

Stir over fresh ice (don't shake!) and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. After this, George suggested twisting a fresh orange peel to "release the aromatic oils." That sounds very classy, we like it!

"Helping hosts plan and execute a great event is the best part of what we do," George shared. "There's a passion and love [for] what we do and we share that with our clients and guests alike. Cocktails are a very important part of any celebration for most and we strive to provide the 'Epitome' of service."

Want to learn more about Epitome Bartending and its wedding services? Visit their website at www.vertuepitome.com or email them at info@epitomebartending.com.

Pictures provided by Epitome Bartending's Facebook.

#TSE2014 In Review

We’re back and ready to tackle 2014! Alana and I had a blast at The Special Event Conference in Nashville this past week. We spent our days attending classes, visiting the trade show floor and listening to some pretty amazing speakers. Not only was it an exciting conference, but we also got to stay in the always beautiful Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

   



Chad Taylor from the Band "Live"

 

The opening session was a great way to get motivated for the week ahead. Extreme Beam opened the session with an amazing lazer show.  We heard from Will Overstreet (former NFL player and digital entrepreneur), Andy Core (work/life balance expert), Dawnna St. Louis (Disruption Theory – the Guts to Shake Things Up!), and Chad Taylor (from the band “Live”). The opening session was a “Ted-style” format, with each presentation lasting 15-30 minutes and ranging in a variety of topics, each of which really hit home, tackling the everyday life of those in our industry. It was a perfect way to start our Nashville experience.

 

 

 

Opening Act: Extreme Beam

Categories for the class selections ranged from business and professional development to design. We got to dig deep into sales and marketing strategies and learn more about event management. With TSE offering a full range of classes, it was difficult to choose which session we wanted to learn more about! The first class we attended was called "Mastering the 4 P's (People, Proposals, Pricing, Profits)".

The class led by Tammy Forero of Forte Events, focused on ensuring you have a successful business by finding the right clients for your services, creating effective proposals, offering quality pricing, and of course, being profitable! We left Tammy's session feeling encouraged and empowered!

One of the next sessions,"Marketing Your Culture," turned out to be the pick-me-up we needed to make it through the afternoon after a full morning of classes. This class was all about creating a dynamic, modern and fun culture for your company and capitalizing on it in your marketing efforts. Matt Radicelli and Ryan Konikoff from Rock The House, out of Cleveland, OH, were the presenters and they made sure everyone was awake. We knew this class would be far from boring when we walked in to a room full of music (they are a DJ/event production company after all) and a very energetic crew.

RTH makes sure their 14 full-time and over 60 part-time employees feel appreciated and enjoy coming to work everyday. They have fun and creative ways to reach out to their vendor team (including pretty awesome t-shirts), host holiday parties for their current and previous staff and provide neat giveaways for their over-achieving team. This class wasn't all about rubbing in their awesome marketing techniques, but understanding that they created a culture that people want to work for and if someone wants to work for you, they'll really want to work with you!

We ended a day full of classes by sitting in on an open panel of industry experts and attendees, who were from all over the world. Speakers included Dianne Budion-Devitt (President, The DND Group), Janet Elkins (President, EventWorks, Inc.), Kathy Miller (President, Total Event Resources), Sally Webb (CEO at The Special Event Company), and Christopher Gerstenblatt (Event Producer, EventWorks, Inc.). This session was filled with event planners, DJ’s, rental companies, event production companies, venues, and the list goes on. The topics varied from attracting leads, closing the deal and even tackling difficult situations in our industry. It was a great way for us to hear what other vendors in the event industry had to say about how they run their businesses day-to-day, their thoughts on upcoming trends and the difficulties of working with events. 




 

Brett Culp introducing his documentary "Legends of the Knight"

Finally, one of our favorite sessions we sat in on turned out to be an amazing reminder of how grateful we should be to work in such a creative industry! Brett Culp, an event filmmaker who works with some of the top event planners and producers, hosted a session called “Find your Passion, Create your Story, Live your Dreams.” With a title like that you know you are going to walk out of the room feeling inspired!

Brett turned the focus away from the event industry for the hour and a half session and shared with us the story of a project he had spent what felt like an eternity working on. Brett produced a film titled “Legends of The Knight” which weaves together true stories of individuals who have “overcome devastating obstacles, unselfishly given to the community and embraced the inner superhero because of their love of Batman.” Through these stories, the documentary explores the “power of heroic stories and encourages viewers to find their own path to heroism.” The session was filled full of tears and laughter as Brett led us through the heartache he faced that not only started this project but also forced him to complete it. Words don’t even do it justice, check on the video’s trailer for yourself. (Just a warning, if you are anything like us, you’ll want to go ahead and grab a tissue.)

 "Legends of the Knight" Trailer
 

If you can’t tell, we had a very busy, but fun-filled week! The experience and education we received at TSE is invaluable. Thank you to all of our industry leaders and legends for educating fellow members of our trade and further strengthening our industry as event professionals!

Have questions about anything we mentioned? Ask us about it in the comment section! We look forward to 2014 and hope to take the tips and tricks we learned at #TSE2014 and put them to use!

Food for Thought Friday; Village Pantry Catering

Welcome to our "Food for Thought" segment, where we introduce a local caterer or baker asking them to share their story and some wedding insights! This week we are featuring Village Pantry Catering, a caterer located in Loveland, OH, to get the latest appetizer recipe that you don't want to miss out on.

We learned the history and background of Village Pantry in a previous “Get to Know” post. Today, however, we want to turn the focus on what makes this catering service so great; its food.

During a recent December party, The Center’s dome room turned into a winter wonderland where the atmosphere was cool and the food was… well, addicting. Village Pantry Catering provided excellent prepared meals during this event, including a macaroni and cheese bar and bacon crack.

Yes, you heard me; bacon crack (formally known as Bacon Bow Ties). Alana and Alyssa could not stop raving about this wonderful appetizer they were lucky enough to get a taste of.

 

We spoke to Jill Heltman, sales and marketing manager for Village Pantry, to get the secret on what makes this dish so delicious.
 
Jill explained there is no real recipe or specific directions involved in making Bacon Bow Ties. This go-with-the-flow technique allows the cook to play around with the process and make the appetizer his/her own.

 

Want to know how to make this blissful bacon dessert? Jill was kind enough to reveal the simple, yet flexible, steps it takes to make Bacon Bow Ties.

• Cut the slices of bacon in half and form the pieces into little "bow ties"
• Par bake them
• Drizzle them with real maple syrup and top with chopped pecans (or any chopped nuts)
• Bake again until crispy
• Transfer the pieces to another tray covered with parchment paper immediately
• Serve warm

There you have it; the recipe that will make you look at bacon in a whole new light. So bake away and as Jill warned (and we fully back her up on this) “try to eat just one!”

Want to learn more about Village Pantry Catering? Contact them at 513-965-0511 or visit their website http://www.villagepantrycatering.com/index.html.

Pictures provided by Village Pantry Catering.

Ask the Experts: He Just Proposed, Now What?!

You just got engaged. Congratulations! Since the holidays have passed and you're beginning to settle into the new year, you're probably asking yourself "Now what?!" Wedding planning is a long process that can seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be! In our previous post, "Wedding Planning: 11 Starting Steps," we briefly covered the best places to start in your planning process. To benefit our brides even more, we decided to take our questions to Catie Harris, President and Owner of Simply Events, to fine tune the beginning details you should be focusing on.

First, Catie stated the initial step you need to take after Mr. Right pops the question is figuring out the budget.

"What are you willing to spend? Who is paying for what?" Catie explained. "Unfortunately, the budget will come crashing down on your wedding dreams when you realize that your Pinterest board is made up of stylized photo shoots and wedding centerpieces that are $400 each!"

Don't worry just yet, "You can still achieve the wedding of your dreams with a lot of planning and a wedding planner by your side," Catie said.

Once you have the monetary line drawn in the sand, you must then plan the "who," "what," "when," and "where," while making sure you don't cross that line. Catie broke down this four-step plan for us.

• "The Who: This will be one of the biggest factors when planning your wedding. Your guest list will impact your budget. Think about it, more people equals more food, drinks, tables, centerpieces, chairs, linens, etc. All of which increase the amount of money you will spend."
• "The What: Obviously we know it's a wedding. However, what type of wedding will it be? Big or small? Local or destination? Elegant or casual? Sit down dinner or buffet?"
• "The When: What time of the year would you like to say 'I Do?' Once that is decided, you may consider a Friday, Sunday or even a mid-day (luncheon) wedding to help with the budget."
• "The Where: Once you figure out the type of wedding, you will be able to narrow down your options of 'The Where.' However, there are still many things to consider. For instance: Indoor or outdoor? Church or no church? Wedding reception hall or private venue? etc."

Feeling overwhelmed already? The Center suggests bringing in an expert of the trade and hiring a wedding planner to assist you during these stressful, yet exciting planning months!

Simply Events offers three starting packages, which can be customized to fit each couple's needs. Brides can chose between Simply the Royal Treatment, Simply Half Way and Simply Day Of.

Lastly, Catie leaves us with one bit of advice for all brides:

"A wedding is not just an event or a production, it is an experience that will leave lasting impressions and create lifelong memories for the newlyweds as well as their guests."

Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise, Catie!

Want more information on the first things a bride should do before saying "I Do?" Check out this blog by Simply Events or contact Catie at 513-292-7294 or catie@simplyeventsllc.com.

Pictures brought to you by https://www.facebook.com/#!/SimplyEventsLLC

On the Road We Go!

 

Let's all say yippie-yi-yo-kayah to our staff members, Alana and Alyssa, as they are heading to Nashville, Tennessee this week for The Special Event 2014 Conference! This conference is the largest premier trade show and convention for professionals in the event planning industry. Here, top leading decision makers and trendsetters will attend a number of speaking presentations, wedding exhibits and live performances!

As if you aren't jealous of the duo already, take a look at some of the events planned for their week in Music City, USA. First, they will saddle up at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (which is enough of a reason to be envious of The Center team - this place is incredible!) where the convention will take place. Then, the two will be off on their way to learn the latest tips and trends of event planning by attending info sessions including "New Trends Inspired by Hollywood and Pop Culture," "Like a Rainbow- The Influence of Color on Wedding Designs" and "Stylizing Unique Weddings." Sounds like a rooting-tooting good time to me (OK- I'll stop with the country slang).

 

Along with these sessions, TSE offers more than 100 presentations in 9 different subjects to make sure our staff is well-rounded in everything event planning.

We wish Alana and Alyssa safe travels as they learn techniques to continue to make The Center a one-of-a-kind event venue. Make sure you check back in with us next week to see how their trip went! Yehaw (Sorry, couldn't resist)!

Want to learn more about what Alana and Alyssa will be doing in the city known for country music? Visit the TSE 2014 website at www.thespecialeventshow.com.

Pictures brought to you by The Special Event Conference and Tradershow Facebook page.

Food for Thought Friday

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 featuring Maribelle Cakery, a bakery located at 3704 Cheviot Avenue. Check out what they have to say about the groom's cake tradition.

Picking out the cake can be one of the most important (and fun) parts of planning a wedding. A bride may envision fondue flowers, edible pearls or lacey ribbons covering the vanilla and chocolate layered cake with small figures of her groom and herself placed perfectly on top of the triple tiered masterpiece. But what does the groom envision?

We, here at The Center, suggest presenting your husband-to-be with a masterpiece of his very own; a groom's cake! This type of cake can reflect his style, hobbies or interests and shows him that he is worth celebrating as well.

Storefront of Maribelle Cakery

 

We spoke with Angela Grillo, president of Maribelle Cakery, to get her thoughts on the timeless tradition of grooms' cakes. 

Angela Grillo, President of Maribelle Cakery

"The true story about the groom's cake is that is started in the Victorian area," Grillo stated. "It was to never be eaten but to be sliced and given to the single women at the wedding to place under their pillows that night in hopes that they will find their grooms. This has changed much since then, and brides today normally give the grooms cake as a gesture of her love. The groom's cake is normally in a flavor that the groom likes as well as designed to fit his interests." 

While not all weddings include the groom's cake, Maribelle Cakery said it creates grooms' cakes for about 50 percent of its weddings.  "We love what we do and it is always a pleasure to be a part of the wedding," Grillo said. 

So how does one decide on a groom's cake? Grillo explained, "It is [the couple's] choice, everyone has such different tastes when it comes to cake flavors/design. I suggest that they go with a flavor that they love that may not be included in the Wedding cake. The design is up to them; we are a custom shop and can accommodate any special requests. We love the fun, creative ideas that make guests go 'Wow!'"

 

 

 

 

 

And boy, was Grillo right. These custom cakes made by Maribelle Cakery sure do make for eye-catching displays. The piano cake (shown above), created from fondant, gum paste and cake, was thought up by an "adorable couple that were musicians with the symphony," Grillo said when thinking back to her favorite groom cake made by the Cakery. 

While the groom's cake may not be for everyone, if there was one piece of advice (pun intended) Grillo would give to any bride considering a groom's cake, it would be "the cake is the center piece of your event, make it memorable." 

Want to hear more about Maribelle Cakery? Contact them at (513) 631-8333 or visit their website www.maribellecakery.com.

All pictures provided by Maribelle Cakery

 

New Year, New Ideas

Out with the old and in with the new! To bring in the new year, we, at The Center, wanted to take a moment and reflect on 2013, while sharing some of our 2014 plans.

 

Laura 
What is your personal New Year's resolution?
I received the Insanity workout DVDs for Christmas and I'm hoping to complete the two month workout program without dying!

What was your favorite moment of 2013?
My move to Cincinnati was probably one of the most important decisions I've made. Since living here, I have had so many incredible opportunities! One of my favorite moments from Cincinnati is accepting the position at The Center. I feel truly blessed to work at a venue that I love!

Biggest celebrity gossip of 2013?
That Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom got a divorce. My heart literally broke; they were adorable!

Favorite song of 2013?
As a huge fan of the singing competition show, The Voice, I have listened to the song "We Remain" sung by Christina Aguilera and contestant Jacquie Lee every day for the past three weeks.

Any big plans for 2014?
Not yet - but I'm hoping to go to the Country Music Festival in Nashville this summer!

 

Alyssa 
What is your personal New Year's resolution?
It's so easy to get into a daily routine and forget to stop and enjoy the small things in life. I want to just relax and enjoy whatever the New Year has to offer. (And hopefully that includes motivation to stick with a workout routine!)

What was your favorite moment of 2013?
My favorite moment from 2013 was definitely going on my first cruise. I was really nervous about it but it was amazing. I loved living on island time for a week and venturing out to try new things. I went snorkeling and sailing for the first time, which was a blast.

Biggest celebrity gossip of 2013?
I have recently become a little obsessed with Jessica James Decker and her hubby, Eric Decker. I loved watching their new show "Game On" and can't wait to see their new baby girl! I even follow Jessica on Instagram (at least I admit I'm obsessed!).

Favorite song of 2013?
"Timber" by Pitbull and Ke$ha. It's just a fun, feel good song!

Any big plans for 2014?
I'm going to see Luke Bryan later this month, which I am super excited about! Other than that, I don't have any "big" plans. I'm keeping my fingers crossed 2014 allows for another relaxing beach vacation. :)



 

What are some of your New Year's resolutions? Let us know in the comment box. We love to hear from our readers!