Graduation Season Is Here Columbus, OH! Party Time!

It's Time For "The March of Caps & Gowns" (Graduations)

With so many Universities and Colleges around the Central Ohio area, the season of the graduate is in full swing here in Columbus.  May started off with many spring ceremonies, and we've catered quite a few of them already (pictures to come soon)!  Now's the time to start getting prepared for your celebrations, because Columbus City Schools High School Graduations are coming up next.

Ceremonies will commence next week from May 28th - June 6th, 2013!  Check out our chart, and mark your calendar!!!

Celebrate Your Graduates' Accomplishments with a Party

All graduates deserve a party!  Whether your child is graduating, or You're the proud graduate.....Let us serve you in celebration.  It takes a drive and commitment to make it to the end.  It's an investment in the future, and we recognize that it deserves something special.

We want you to celebrate you or your child's academic accomplishments!  So Taste Of The Best Catering is

offering a "PROUD PARENT GPA DISCOUNT".

What's the Proud Parent GPA Discount?

Taste Of The Best Catering is offering this special to parents with a child graduating, or adults graduates with a 3.5 GPA or better!!!  With proof of the final quarter GPA, we'll deduct a total of 15% off the food total of your menu quote.  20% off for a 4.0 GPA!!!  How can you pass that up?  We want your celebration to be affordable, and we want everyone who deserves a party to be able to afford it.  I mean, someone DID just graduate.  That already has a price tag!  :-)

What if the GPA is lower than 3.5?  There's a Discount For You Too!

All graduates deserve a party!  Whether you graduated on the honor roll or not, it's still a huge accomplishment!  Any graduate in the Central Ohio/Columbus area that is having a graduation party and needs catering, we'll give you a 10% discount off the food total of your menu quote.  Just like our page on Facebook, and share the graduation post.  We'll apply your discount once it's confirmed!

Reserve your graduation party catering now!  The time is coming up fast!  Call us at 614-358-4559 to reserve your party date!

Or go here to request a menu quote: http://www.tasteofthebestcatering.com/#!__request-a-menu-quote

Stay tuned for some of our graduation catering pictures.

Join me on Google Plus here: Jenine Blackwell 

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