It Takes a Village

Mixed in the month of April (the unofficial kick-off to wedding season) I had the pleasure of a corporate event!  Don’t misunderstand me – I love catering weddings – but corporate events are like a wisp of that spring breeze we’re still looking for.  In other words…the opportunity for ‘creative license’!  Often, the corporate client does not have the time to invest in developing a vision for the event design.  Linen colors are often dictated by colors in the company logo, and the rest is up to us.  While we do not offer to provide centerpieces, we are sometimes asked.  That was the case this past weekend - and we had so much fun integrating the centerpieces with other design elements of the event, such as hors d’oeuvre passing trays. 

Red and black is such a classic formal color combination that it was easy to create a sophisticated look with a simple design.  We were also able to incorporate the table numbers without compromising the overall look of the tablescape. 

A big thank you to Dee and Alex for their input on all these creative ideas.  This is a great example of how three people brainstorming results in a much better end result.  I, too, am compelled to use this often quoted phrase…’it takes a village’…!

Written by Dawn

Creatively Speaking...

Many people have asked, “How do you come up with your culinary presentation ideas?”.  Well, that is not as easy to answer as you may think it would be.  I am constantly gathering ideas on a daily basis from multiple resources.  Ideas come from an article in a magazine, an item I see at the grocery store or ideas I think of while I’m making my 30 minute commute daily to work.  I gathered so many fresh ideas from the Catersource Conference this past March in Las Vegas. The more visual content I can input each day the more I have to choose from when I begin the design process.

Documenting ideas are the most important part of the process because you never know what will stick or not.  The best ideas are only ideas if you never make them reality.  My phone/camera=right hand is the best tool I have to document my notes and ideas.  I’ll go straight to the photos and notes when I start the design.

I was recently asked to design the passing trays for our annual tasting.  This process actually started last year when I began to research the trends for 2013.  I annually set time aside around October to start trend watching for the next year.  To keep up with the new ideas, colors and trends takes time and a lot of effort.

Culinary design is my favorite hobby that also happens to be my full time job.  I could not have designed it so well if I had tried.

Las Vegas

What does the Thomas Caterers of Distinction team + 6 days away from the office+ Las Vegas + very little sleep equal?If you said a week of debauchery, then shame on you!!  Perhaps I forgot to mention the two most important words in this equation - Catersource Conference! www.catersource.com/conference The TCOD team packed their bags, entrusted our amazing staff with weekend events while we were away and got to experience an amazing week of learning, networking, teaching, researching and surrounding ourselves with the best of the best in the catering industry!  

TCOD wins a CATIE award for Best Dessert!

Meet & Greet with Preston Bailey

The drink wall at Hard Rock Cafe Harmony Event

Our Monte Cristo waffle on the Catersource Conference sign!

This was my first time going to this conference and what an experience for this lover of all food and event industry related!  A brief recap of just a handful of the amazing event people I got to meet, attend their classes, sit at a small round table discussion with and sit in awe of their creative genius...Preston Bailey, THE Michael Roman - Catering guru (holy cow...I only follow him like everyday in any form I can find) www.cateringguru.com, Meryl Snow, Peter Callahan, Ronnie Davis, Scott Conant, Alan Berg, David Tutera, Colin Cowie...the list goes on and on!  I could very likely writ ea blog post about every single one of them and what I learned but I have to recap this entire experience in ONE post!  Needless to say...I learned a ton and stay tuned to all things TCOD related to see how our entire team takes what we learned and uses those ideas at YOUR next event!  

Moving on...did I mention that our very own Vince and Kelly Early taught their own session?  More on that in just a few.  Our very own Vince and Rach (with a Dee cameo) knocked it out of the park on one of the experience stages talking about all of our food stations!  And the Trade Show floor - it's a good thing I had a brief idea what a Trade Show floor was after attending The Special Event but the Catersource Trade Show floor is that times 50!  Booth after booth with inspiration everywhere on new ideas we can use to create food, display food, design food, you name it and it was there!  Such a cool experience to walk the Trade Show floor with my team! And back to that session that Vince and Kelly taught - with the oh so appropriate title of "What Happens in Vegas Shouldn't Always Stay in Vegas" - the reason we attend the conference - to get new ideas and make us better!  Between the education sessions, Trade 

  Show Floor, Catersource events and the amazing meals we had while in Vegas - we had a ton of new ideas and inspiration!  Well we have taken all of those ideas and inspiration and poured them in to our annual tasting!  Vegas and the Catersource Conference was everything I thought it would be - inspiring, thought provoking, educational, exciting and definitely exhausting!  But what I am most excited about...is taking everything that inspired us while in Vegas and bringing it home, giving it the "Thomas Caterers" spin and presenting our ideas to all of our clients on Thursday night! Stay tuned...

Keith, we are going to need more room in the warehouse...

Every once in a while they let me come out from behind the computer and be creative with more than menus. This time I get to play with my power tools. Woodworking has been a love of mine for some time and it's especially rewarding when my tinkering is focused on new, fun and innovative contraptions for events. Stay tuned later this week to see the new creations in use. And, yes, I still have all of my fingers!

2013 CATIE Award for Best Dessert

Our Chocolate Mousse Decoded won an international award!! 

The spirit of the Catered Arts Through Innovated Excellence Awards (CATIES) is to recognize achievement of exemplary food production at an event and is given by the International Caterers Asc.  Thomas Caterers of Distinction had the honor of receiving a CATIE in Los Vegas last week at the Catersource conference for one of our newest creations, Chocolate Mousse Decoded.  This dessert was created last year to show the creative ability of putting a QR code on a cookie and use it as a garnish.  Guest were served this fantastic dessert at the end of an event and they were excited when they realized audience participation was required.  Pulling out there smart phones guest scanned the cookie taking them to the hosts website.  Since the creation of this dessert Thomas Caterers has used the concept of the QR cookie several times.  The most popular was as a garnish for a slice of wedding cake, where the code will take quest to a special website set up by the bride and groom thanking everyone for sharing their special night with them.