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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I Love Columbus OH! - Love Letter From A Columbus OH Caterers' Blog

Welcome to our Columbus OH Caterer food blog.

Taste Of The Best Catering wants to show our love for the city of Columbus, and the great venues, food, and local farmers, that may not get their due spotlight. The social scene of Columbus events is also maturing. There are lots of new community gardens, food festivals, farmers markets, and special themed tasting events that are growing in popularity, with the sophisticated professionals of Columbus!

As a Columbus Catering Company, I feel it's a part of our duty to know what awesome venues, events, produce & local event vendors to support in Columbus, and to pass this information along to anyone looking for it.

So, the mission of this blog is to expose the hidden little gems of Columbus.......you know....like the quaint little neighborhood diner, that's like Sunday morning breakfast at Grandma's (5 star comfort food)! ....... Or the beautiful mansion on acres of land, that's available for rental, but doesn't have a website, or yellow page ad......... Or the wonderful new businesses popping up, that want to build awareness of food & its sources, home gardening & going back to the Earth (Going Green). All the great local businesses that are unique & signatures to Columbus' Rebirth.

That's the journey we're going to take together on this blog. I'm going to take you with me, to find the REAL Columbus.....food & events-wise. It's a "Taste Of The Best Columbus Caterer"....my view of what I think is GREAT about being a Columbus Catering Company, and resources I LOVE, for planning or enjoying an event in Columbus.  Join us on Facebook!

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell 

Welcome!
Share & Enjoy!

It's Summertime! What's new at Taste of The Best Catering?

"Summer...Summer...Summer-Time, Let's just sit back and unwind...." (Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff)

Summer is almost officially HERE!   Even though Columbus, OH has been feeling pretty "Official" for a few weeks now..LOL.  But when the days get longer, and the nights stay warmer, I can't help but think of The Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff's song "Summertime"!  It's just one of those really feel good songs, that wraps everything we love about summertime, into a nice head-bobbing package!  It makes you want to gather your friends and family together, and have a party!  So, this is the Official "Song for June"!

And even though I don't like being hot, I love the summertime!  With summer, and hot temperatures, comes the most wonderful outdoor festivals, and the Farmer's Markets start bursting at the seams with all kinds of flavorful goodies!  How fitting, that June is also "Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Month"  There are plenty of great markets around Columbus.  Go here to support your local farmer, and see where you can get fresh local-grown produce, weekly, in your area!  At Taste of The Best Catering, we get excited about summertime, because party time gets in full swing!  People can take to the outdoors, instead of renting indoor venues.  The days get longer, which allows more time to have fun.  And, our menus come to LIFE, with all the fresh local produce at it's peak! TOTBC will be releasing our Summer 2011 Catering Menu, in full soon!  It's a tribute to all the fresh local flavors of summertime, and a homage to "Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Month"!  We'll be offering many cold appetizer trays, that are a perfect change from hot ones in Summer.  People like to graze, when it's hot.  Meaning, no one wants to stuff themselves with heavy food, and then sweat...lol.  So our focus, with this menu is to be light, refreshing, and full of colorful variety and flavor! Some of the highlights will be our "Signature Cold Gourmet Pizzas", and our "Cold Soup Shooters".  These will be available as "Ready-To-Serve Party Trays", and in a per person format for larger functions.  These trays are ready to go.  All you need is some napkins or plates, and some ice, to set the trays on, and keep them cool and refreshing.  No heating pans or fuel necessary!  We have a small line of vegetarian option that will be available, as well.  If you want a "Sneak Peak", visit our Facebook Page, and see what's NEW & Available Now! There are some other cool things, coming for the Summer and Fall.  We'd like to make catering more accessible, and offer some items with a quicker turnaround time.  That's why we're adding an online ordering system, for our Party Trays.  Most of them will have a 2-3 day turnaround time, so you don't have to stress about a last minute get-together. We'll also be having a contest, where various Columbus natives will win a "Taste Tester" spot for our summer menu items.  Subscribe to our blog, and watch for details! I think there's a misconception, that catering has to be this huge undertaking.  Or that it's only for really big events, which is just not true.  Wanting to enjoy delicious food, that you didn't have to make yourself...;-), is a good enough reason IN itself...lol.  But why not?  Have some friends over to sit outside, and enjoy some wine and good food.  Have a BBQ, but supplement the grilled food with some catering trays.  How about the office parties, that are ALWAYS pizza, or subs, or a potluck.  If you can order something different and affordable, a few days in advance, from the office....why not?
"Summertime.....and the living is eaaassy" (Gershwin-Porgy & Bess)
Another song that comes to mind, in summertime.  One of my favorites, a Gershwin song, from the play "Porgy & Bess".  I had to highlight Fantasia's version of this, because it gave me goosebumps! But the instrumental one is just as good.  This song makes me envision a night party, in the backyard, with tiki torches lit around the perimeter, and a nice low buzz of conversation and wine glasses clinking, people picking up tasty bites here and there, and this song playing in the background.  Now is that a visual or WHAT! ENJOY SUMMERTIME!

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell

Thursday, October 31, 2013

A $250,000 Small Business Grant From Chase Bank? Yes Please!


We are wild with excitement over here at 
Taste Of The Best Catering!  

When we learned about the opportunity to win a $250,000 Small Business Grant, 
our imaginations just took off.  We couldn't even sleep the first night, 
because our minds were racing with visions of all the awesome plans 
we have had for our catering company, but didn't have the financial reach 
to make them happen! 

Now's our chance! 
Please read further, and learn how you can help us win!
Click the picture to Vote Now!

Here's the deal.  We need to get 250 votes from Facebook, by November 15th, 2013, to be eligible for one of twelve grants that Chase bank is awarding in January 2014.

Which means, to even be CONSIDERED for the grant, we need everyone's help in getting the votes FIRST!

And it's super easy. No more than 5 seconds of your time.

If you're ready to help us out Right Now, go here, to our "Mission Main St. Grant" Contest Profile Page, and click the big green "Vote Now" button, to the left of the page.

If you aren't already signed into Facebook, the site will ask you to log in to Facebook FIRST, then it will count your vote.

That's it!  If you're already signed in to Facebook, your vote will count instantly.
_________________________________________________________________________________
If you've never worked with us, or heard of us, and you're wondering why you should vote for us, please read a little further, and let us share our dreams with you.

As a Minority-Owned and Operated company, in Columbus, OH, our mission is to create delicious gourmet comfort food memories, with elevated flavors and visual presence. Our success has come from going the extra mile for clients, and it has shined through in the results. Check out our "Client Testimonials" Page, and see what others have to say!  Our highly visual online presence is often the 1st impression our clients get. They can start to dream about what they'll get from us, as caterers. It makes us unique in our client's eye, and begins a great relationship.
Click the picture to Buy The Book

Having a tie to the community has been important to us, from the beginning. We have donated catered food to help raise money for the King Arts Complex, organized concessions for a local pee wee football team, and a summer camp lunch program.We worked with USA Football on their National Tailgating Tour this fall, providing food for their ceremony at a local high school in Columbus. We're a contributing author of CaterSavvy: Secrets of the Trade Revealed, with part of the proceeds being donated toward the Meningitis Research Institute.  We also organized a vendor show, to collaborate with other local businesses within our industry. We look to do even more in the future.
Having a tie to the community is important to us. We have donated catered food to help raise money for the King Arts Complex, organized concessions for a local pee wee football team, and a summer camp lunch program. We worked with USA Football on their National Tailgating Tour this fall, providing food for their ceremony at a local high school in Columbus. We also organized a vendor show, to collaborate with other local businesses within our industry. We look to do even more in the future. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/account/questionnaire#sthash.E1tyKN4a.dpuf

Our dream is to become a unique, accessible gourmet "experience" for personal and corporate events.  This involves ultimately getting our own Event Venue, to create beautiful ambiance around our seasonal menu offerings.  We want the space to inspire, and be the hub for our surrounding communities to come together, and have fun!  We want to be at the center of those events, and become a regular participant in the vibrant charitable projects that abound in Columbus.

We want to be able to offer businesses a specialized program, just for them, centered around food!  You know...the companies that treat their employees like family, they work and party together.  We have sooo many tasty ideas for them!

All the while, we're always learning about our industry.  Food trends, event planning trends, new flavors and our conversion toward more whole foods, buying local, and collaborating with some of the other awesome businesses in Columbus!  We have so many ideas for menus and packages and fun ideas!  And Columbus, OH has such a vibrant and growing food and entertainment scene, that we're confident we have very specific offerings for everyone, and every type of event.

Your vote for us, in this grant competition for $250,000, would be life changing for our little business.  We've got HUGE heart, and have been plugging along, producing beautiful, delicious events.  And giving our lives to each of our clients, making sure they feel they received the best overall experience, has been truly rewarding! But how can we NOT be giddy with excitement!  Excitement for how much more we could be.  How much more we could offer!

We ask for your vote today!  Whether we win or lose, we'll keep going, and plan to make all our wonderful ideas realities for our community.  
But with your vote, and this grant, we can do it so much quicker!
Click the picture to Vote Now!

Please help us get to 250 Facebook votes by November 15th, 2013!  Go here, to Taste Of The Best Catering's "Mission Main St. Grant" Contest Profile Page, and click the big green "Vote Now" button, to the left of the page.  If you aren't already signed into Facebook, the site will ask you to log in to Facebook FIRST, then it will count your vote.  That's it!  If you're already signed in to Facebook, your vote will count instantly.

Thank you for your time.

As Always, It Is Our Pleasure To Serve You!
Join me on Google Plus here:  Jenine Blackwell

Taste Of The Best Catering is a minority-owned & operated catering company. Our mission is to create delicious gourmet comfort food memories, with elevated flavors & visual presence. Success comes from going the extra mile for clients, and it shines through in the results. Our highly visual online presence is often the 1st impression our clients get. They can start to dream about what they'll get from us, as caterers. It makes us unique in the client's eye, and begins a great relationship. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/account/questionnaire#sthash.E1tyKN4a.dpuf
Taste Of The Best Catering is a minority-owned & operated catering company. Our mission is to create delicious gourmet comfort food memories, with elevated flavors & visual presence. Success comes from going the extra mile for clients, and it shines through in the results. Our highly visual online presence is often the 1st impression our clients get. They can start to dream about what they'll get from us, as caterers. It makes us unique in the client's eye, and begins a great relationship. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/account/questionnaire#sthash.E1tyKN4a.dpuf
Taste Of The Best Catering is a minority-owned & operated catering company. Our mission is to create delicious gourmet comfort food memories, with elevated flavors & visual presence. Success comes from going the extra mile for clients, and it shines through in the results. Our highly visual online presence is often the 1st impression our clients get. They can start to dream about what they'll get from us, as caterers. It makes us unique in the client's eye, and begins a great relationship. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/account/questionnaire#sthash.E1tyKN4a.dpuf
Taste Of The Best Catering is a minority-owned & operated catering company. Our mission is to create delicious gourmet comfort food memories, with elevated flavors & visual presence. Success comes from going the extra mile for clients, and it shines through in the results. Our highly visual online presence is often the 1st impression our clients get. They can start to dream about what they'll get from us, as caterers. It makes us unique in the client's eye, and begins a great relationship. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/account/questionnaire#sthash.E1tyKN4a.dpuf