Tea Party Catering Has Arrived With Spring, Thanks Downton Abbey!

It's Officially Spring!                                               

Even though in Columbus, OH, it's not feeling much like spring yet, the signs are here.  Little flower buds pushing through the dirt, an extra hour of daylight, and hopefully warmer temperatures.....(we can only hope).  For Taste Of The Best Catering, spring also ushers in a new year of food trends.  The first 3 months of the year are packed with various food shows that highlight what we'll see trending for the upcoming year, in food and cooking.  And 2013 will be an exciting year for food!

One of the front runners in the 2013 Food Trend Pack, is Tea!

Tea has officially got its SEXY back, and is growing up with a whole market niche of specialized equipment, brewers, and gourmet artisan tea lines.  Tea is stepping out of the shadows of it's big brother, Coffee, and taking center stage, with the help of pop culture phenomenons like the hit series "Downton Abbey".  This popular British TV show has inspired a new-found interest in Tea Parties!

Tea Parties are the NEW Brunch!    
Well.....maybe not the new brunch, but it's definitely becoming a popular requested theme here at Taste Of The Best Catering, and we LOVE it!

If you think about it, a traditional "High Tea" service has all the components of an awesome catered party.  Lots of variety, with filling tasty little bites of sweet and savory tidbits, fresh fruits and canapes, with a soothing assortment of teas to choose from.  Also, the nature of a tea party inspires "grazing", meaning your guests can serve themselves, when they wish, from an assortment of choices, making the party atmosphere more casual in tone.  Also, because of the small portion size of menu options, the meal overall is kept light. This type of menu theme is perfect for:                                     

• Bridal Showers
  
• Bride-To-Be Tea - The perfect introduction for all the ladies of the bride.
  
• Rehearsal Tea - Instead of a rehearsal dinner, why not have an afternoon rehearsal tea!
  
• Birthday Parties
  
• Garden Parties - For some reason, this theme is a perfect fit with Garden Parties.  I don't know why, but when we think of tea, gardens come to mind........
  
• Mother's Day - Gather all the mothers in your life, and celebrate the day with "High Tea" instead of brunch!
  
• Baby Showers - The mother-to-be and her guests can enjoy tasty bites and soothing decaffeinated tea, as she opens her gifts, and celebrated her coming bundle of joy!
  
• Women's Club Luncheons - What's better than sitting around with your ladies, chatting, munching, sipping, and networking!
  
• "Downton Abbey" Viewing Party - You know who you are!  If this is one of your favorite shows on TV right now, like so many other people, then this party is a MUST for you!  Gather your fellow D.A.'ers, and recreate a part of one of your favorite shows.  How can you resist?

Taste Of The Best Catering Has Created a 

"Downton Abbey Themed" Tea Party Menu.

Now, Columbus, OH residents can join in the "Tea" food trend revolution AND throw a elegant memorable party all at the same time!  From an assortment of traditional British tea time hors' doeuvres, as well as some Taste Of The Best Catering twists on the familiar!  Our Catered Tea Party Menu has a variety of options for you to choose.

Pick any 3 Sweet or Savory Scones:          ($4.00-$5.50pp)                                      

• Real Blueberry-Lemon Scones
• Apple-Cinnamon Spiced Scones
• Orange-Cranberry Cream Cheese Scones
• Gruyere Cheese, Sweet Apple & Sage Scone
• Crispy Bacon, Swiss & Scallion Scones
• Rosemary-Cheddar Scones
• Sun Dried Tomato, Basil & Feta Cheese Scones

Pick any 3 Petite Tea Sandwiches:  

($3.00-$4.50pp)                                        

• Cucumber & Dill Infused Butter 
• Coronation Chicken ( Cumin Spiced Chicken w/Mango Chutney Spread on sweet bread)
• Avocado & Egg Salad
• Peach Chicken Salad
• Pumpernickel & Smoked Salmon Pate Pinwheels
• Pesto Chicken on Petite Rounds w/grape tomato 

Pick any 2 Sweets or Tarts:   ($2.50-$3.50 pp)

• Twice Dipped Strawberries (dipped in Milk Chocolate, then creamy hazelnut)
• Watermelon Kiwi Twills w/white chocolate drizzle
• Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
• Strawberry Cheesecake Volcanoes
• Cranberry & Lemon creme mini tarts w/brown sugar sprinkle

Pick any 2 Egg Bites:  ($1.75-2.50 pp)

• Ham, Asparagus & Cheddar Mini Quiche
• Red Onion, Tomato & Red Pepper Provolone Mini Quiche
• Bacon, Swiss & Scallion Mini Quiche
• Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs
• Avocado Chipotle & Bacon Deviled Eggs
• Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
• Tarragon Deviled eggs with Capers & Crispy Ham

The package can include assorted gourmet teas, with cream, lump sugar and honey.  We also offer all the designer disposables necessary for your tea and food service.  For a more formal feel, you can rent our real china and carafe service.  Or we can provide the food and YOU provide the tea!

If you'd like more information about our Tea Party Catering Package, please call us at 614-358-4559, or visit our website, and fill out our "request for quote" form.  Someone will contact you within 24 hours to discuss the details of your tea party menu.

Let Taste of the Best Catering help you usher in Spring, with a "High Tea" Catered Party!  A unique and memorable experience, bringing a 19th century British tradition together with 21st century catering!

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell

Catering For A Fall Themed Wedding!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons!  Too bad it feels like it's almost over.  I just wanted to share some beautiful pictures from one of our Fall Themed wedding reception, that we catered on October 10, 2010.  Yep, 10/10/10.  The bride said that they came up with that date, so the groom could remember!  It was our pleasure to work with this young couple. 

This couple had a country wedding, and the groom took the time out to lay out brand new landscaping, for the ceremony area of the wedding.  It was so beautiful, and original!  And it made the ceremony that much more special.

They used bales of hay, and blankets, along with some white folding chairs, to create this beautiful fall space.  They also used lots of fall flowers and vegetables, for table centerpieces, and decor of the ceremony space.

We tried to blend the colors and decoration pieces on the food tables to resemble the tone and color scheme that the bride chose.  She had various shades of rust, copper, orange, gold, and tan.  We jazzed up our food tables with some of the same colors to make the overall look cohesive.

They had a cocktail hour, before dinner, where we served Curried Butternut Squash & Pear Soup Shooters.  We also had a duo of Honey BBQ & Spicy Marinara Meatballs.  And to top if all off, we had Turkey & Provolone Deli Pinwheels. 

We continued the fall themed colors and decor over to the dinner buffet tables.  We offered Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast, wrapped in bacon, with an apple cider gravy on the side.

The other entree was Prime Rib with Au Jus, cooked to desired temp.  The side dishes were Artichoke Potato Au Gratin and Carrot & Asparagus Bundles. 

We also made sure that once the dinner started, and the sun went down, that everyone would be able to see what they were eating.

   So we made sure that there was lighting on the tables, and up-lighting behind the food tables.  It created a beautiful ambiance for a luckily warm "Indian Summer" night.  

The bride created her own wedding cake, which was still fall themed, and 3 different flavors.  She creates beauties like this one, everyday, at "Short North Piece of Cake".  

It was a wonderful night.  I couldn't have been any more perfect.  We were all worried that it would be windy and cold, since that had been the trend in weather.  But they got really lucky, to pick the one Sunday of the month, where it was beautiful sun, warm temperatures, and no wind!  That should be a sign of great things to come for their marriage!  Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Flowers!  It was our pleasure to be the Columbus catering company, that they chose to share their special day!

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell 

First Steps To Choosing the Best Caterer

The food is one of the most important parts of your event planning.  Food transcends, and is a part of the lasting memories in our lives.  We tend to include food, in the special moments of our lives, so when you start to look for a caterer for your event, keep the importance of the food, in your mind.  Before you start contacting caterers for your events, there are a few things, that you should think about and decide on, so that the caterer can give you as much accurate, relevant information as possible.  It's somewhat redundant to ask for pricing information, before you've thought about what you want first.  So to make the most out of your time, take a moment to decide on some key components of your event menu.

The first thing you should establish, is the venue where you will have your event.  This should be picked
out first, because it will determine how much research you need to do, to find a caterer.  Some venues
have in-house catering, that you must use, to rent the venue.  If you know that you want to pick your
caterer, then this will be a key factor in picking your venue.  Once you have your venue picked out, and
are sure that you can bring in an outside caterer, now your caterer search can begin.

The best placed to start, would be to ask family and friends for catering referrals.  If someone you know
has had a great experience with a caterer, why not try them first.  Whether you go with a referral or
start from scratch, you'll need to have a basic idea of what you'd like from the caterer, before you
request a caterer quote.

1.  You need to have an estimated guest count.
Most caterers will price the menu, by a per person rate.  Also, having an approximate guest count will
help you set a budget for your food.  The more guests you have, the more carefully you need to create
your menu, to consider cost.  Small changes will greatly effect your total price, because of the large
guest count.

2.  You need to have a realistic understanding of pricing.
Before you set your price per person, please make sure that you consider everything that you are paying
for, in hiring a caterer.  Realistic pricing, for a caterer, is nothing like the cost of the food you buy
for your home, or even at a restaurant, for that matter.  Take a moment to think about a few things. 

*What you pay, for your home food bill, is for food at it's basic stage - not prepared or served.  So it
  would be obviously lower in total dollars spent.

We can take it a step further, and think about what we pay for a fast food combo meal, these days.  They
run, on average, $5-$8 per meal.  That meal usually consists of a sandwich, fries, and a drink.  There's
some variation, but for the most part, it's quick easy foods.  Mass productions of what we would quickly
make at home, for ourselves.  Now apply that thought, to how much your budget for a caterer will be. 

*I know times are tough, but to put your menu budget at $5-$8 per person is not realistic, if your trying to
  give your guests a full sized dinner entree and 2 side dishes, of a memorable gourmet meal, above the
  comparison to a fast food combo meal!

Now, if your budget is tight, that's okay.  You just have to rethink what your menu offerings will be. 
You may not be able to go for the full dinner, that you originally wanted.  Instead, try to stretch your
per person rate with appetizers/finger foods, and go for a cocktail reception, instead of a full dinner. 
Your guests can still get a variety of foods to eat, but your not breaking your budget with a full meal. 

*Get smaller quantities of different appetizers, to offer variety.  But unveil different appetizers through
  the night to stretch them.

When establishing your per person budget, consider what else you are receiving, from hiring a caterer, VS. not. 
Your time and energy can be focused on enjoying the day.  If you don't have a planner, coordinating your wedding day, hiring a caterer will at least allow for more time for other things.  You are paying, in essence, for your time.  Time that would be spent on buying the necessary food items and supplies, time spent preparing the foods, and the time out of your wedding day to set up, serve and replenish the food.  All this time is reclaimed, when you hire a caterer.  What is that time worth to you?  It should be reflected in your per person budget!

3.  Know what type of menu is your 1st choice.I don't mean that you have to know what you want on the menu.  Just have a general idea of your
preference.  Are you having more of a cocktail hour reception, with appetizers only, being passed around?
Or would you rather have a more traditional dinner, with 2-3 entree choices, and multiple sides?  Whatever your preference is, it is vital information to have, before you start requesting quotes from a caterer.

****Rules of Thumb****
*The more information you can give the caterer, initially, the more accurate the quote will be, toward
  what you want.

*Try to have the venue picked out before looking for a caterer.  The venue choice may dictate who can
  provide the food.  Ask the venue about their catering policy.

*Make sure you know who will provide the place settings, linens, tables, etc.  You or the Caterer?  Get
  it in writing!

Good luck with your planning, and be creative!

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell