LOTS happening at The Cantering Caterer this time of year!  Tomorrow we are meeting with editors at The Knot.com, PartySpot.com, Elegant Bride, and The Bridal Guide.  These interviews will be about new things happening in weddings, green conscious weddings, summer parties, and new trends in catering and event design.  We are really excited!

The Cantering Caterer was just hired to cater and design a fantastic wedding in Easton, CT.  Working out of an acre sized clearing in the woods we will deliver a memorable night to 100 guests under a tent and canopy of trees.  The very next day we will transform a private home into a magical setting based on “Where the Wild Things Are,” for a childrens birthday party.

We were hired today to cater an opening for a French artist at the home gallery of a prominent collector in Greenwich.  We will do a classic French menu, paired with amazing wines, (all white!), and our service staff that day will all be native to France.  This will be an unbelievable event!

Roger Williams University just contracted us to cater their tailgate before and after an away lacrosse game on Saturday.  We will have an exciting barbeque in the cold as we cheer The Hawks to victory!

 Every caterer says “now is the time to start planning your summer party.”  Now, its true!  Now IS the time to schedule your date.  Despite the gloom and doom in the financial papers lately people are booking parties and events more that ever before.  We noticed that over the Christmas school break many people that normally would have been away stayed home and had parties.  Small dinner parties, large cocktail parties…  Now really is the time…

Lastly, we were just contracted to cater a Kentucky Derby Party.  This is the day of the year in the sport of kings!  We are service a traditional Derby menu and we start testing Mint Juleps this week!

Bookmark to:

Wedding season is fast approaching and we are seeing lots of new and exciting things things this year.

-Locations - we are seeing lots of non-traditional venues…  Museums, galleries, beaches, private homes.  We have been named exclusive caterer at the Downtowm Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport and this is one of the most amazing places we have ever worked.  2 floors, cabaret style seating, a fantastic stage and light system.  The theatre has some sound capability, and the staff is very friendly and easy to work with.  The price is right and we have recently done 2 weddings and a Bar Mitzvah there - it is definitely worth looking into.

Speaking of lighting, we are seeing more attention being paid to lighting this year.  Candles can create an intimate atmosphere and in some situations can reduce the need for more expensive equipment.  With creative lighting you can make a large space smaller and a smaller space appear larger.  Using ambers and pinks will really make your skin look great in photos too.

 Another fun thing we are noticing is brides with 2 dresses.  The traditional formal wedding gown that gets ditched after the ceremony!  I have seen cocktail dresses, slim gowns, and a really hot red dress recently.

 Rental jewels…  You can rent a pair of Vera Wang designer diamond earings valued at 2600.00 for about $100.00! 

Documentary style wedding videography catches the whole day from begining to end…  It is on the expensive side but will give you a great look at the buildup to that fantastic moment! 

Bookmark to:

The movement toward green and environmentally friendly foods is really gaining steam!  People want to know that their foods were raised, harvested, and prepared in an ethical way.  At The Cantering Caterer, we are leading the charge in trying to buy as much local organic produce meats, and other ingredients as possible.  This has many advantages…

-By not trucking foods all over the world we are reducing emissions.

-Buying locally supports your economy - in fact, we are going to hire a driver this spring to pick up our produce and meats from local farms daily.  We can now tell you that the lettuce you are eating at 6:00pm was cut at 4:30am!

-Flavor, freshness, quality!  We can see the products that we serve as they grow!  We visit the farms, talk with the farmers, taste things as they develop…  One local farm is going to grow organic herbs just for us this year.

-Organic and Fresh is healthy!  No preservatives, no growth hormones, no pesticides.

Sustainable food sources are another hot item.  We are buying our fish from sustainable populations only.  As the world gets smaller and access to once exotic ingredients is easier we are able to be less dependant on stocks that have been overfished.  For example, once rare Baramundi from Australia and New Zealand is in our local grocery stores right now…

Next week we will post some ”green decor” tips. 

Some helpful green links:

Bookmark to:

Corporate Catering and Corporate Service

The Cantering Caterer has started a new division! The Cantering Caterer Express uses the same fantastic ingredients, the same very talented staff, and the same smiling people on the phone, but we deliver the most amazing lunches to Fairfield County! Starting this week, we are sending a daily menu to companies that have requested to be on our mailing list. From Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk, Stamford, to Greenwich!

Corporate lunches are competitive business. Every deli, restaurant, and caterer does them… We do them differently! Our main business is high-end weddings, cocktail parties, and events. We have the best food products in the world come through our doors every day! We turn these ingredients into creative salads, fun soups, outrageous drinks (Jalapeno Lemonade), the list goes on… There is no delivery charge… Please call us anytime to get on the list. One of our Weddings last Saturday – a fantastic estate on the water in Southport! 200 guests, amazing grounds… At one point you could not tell where the sky and ocean met – it was the most beautiful shades of pink…

Bookmark to:

We are very excited to announce that Elizabeth Ethridge has joined our boutique firm as an event planner! Elizabeth is a fourth generation resident of Greenwich and a graduate of Connecticut College. Her background is in the arts working in some of New York City’s most exclusive and prestigious art galleries. Working with high-end collectors and dealers, her creativity in niche marketing, and her tremendous customer service skills make Elizabeth a fantastic addition to our team!

The Cantering Caterer is the established company for event planning and high-end catering to the hedge-fund community in the tri-state area. We specialize in creating top-of-the-line events, geared to the most discerning tastes. Elizabeth will target this market and focus her energy in our Greenwich office. She is a pleasure and we are glad she is on board!

Bookmark to:

We have some very exciting news! The Cantering Caterer has a new executive chef! Scott Penney has taken the reigns of our kitchens. Scott, an ex-marine, comes to us with worldwide experience. He has cooked at, managed, and owned several operations across North America.

Scott has a degree from The French Culinary Institute in New York and was named “Best in Class” by Gourmet Magazine, 1999. Oh, and he is the nicest guy catering and planning events in the tri-state area! All day long, Scott is peppered with questions… Can we grill a potato? What is the perfect hors d’oeuvre to accompany this menu? I need yellow food???!!! He is always calm and he always has an answer! Working with us for two weeks now, I am a HUGE fan. Every day, our staff is fed a fantastic meal of leftovers that would rate among the finest I have eaten.

We are honored and pleased to work with Scott as our already fantastic food just got better!

Also, we had an amazing weekend! We catered and designed an elegant 5 course wedding in Westport, an unbelievable wedding for a star of a VERY popular television show, a fantastic reception on a magnificent farm, a clambake on the beach, a gala fundraiser for the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus, a small intimate dinner at an estate in Southport, and a graduation party for the entire class of the Fairfield Country Day School - at the home of one of our favorite clients. Wow! What a week! This week is just as good….. Lots more to come!

Bookmark to:

The Cantering Caterer is quoted heavily in our industry’s leading publication! We are thrilled and honored to have been quoted in Catersource Magazine with some of the country’s largest and most successful catering and events planning operations!

The article focuses on trends in wedding catering and we are certainly at the forefront. We spend our days (and nights!) thinking about colors, flavors, patterns, textures, events… The list goes on.

Please enjoy the article and call us anytime to talk!

Catersource%20Magazine%20Article

Bookmark to:

Time to plan your catered Corporate Event.

Most companies traditionally throw a holiday event in December where they fight for space at a banquet hall and ultimately are served a mediocre uncreative meal that no one remembers.

The catered corporate event should have a positive impact on the company hosting the party. It should be strategically planned to not only treat the employees for a “job well done” but to also include key customers and clients for a “thank you” they’ll remember.

As we move towards the half way point of the year, most company executives and business owners look to see what can be done in their operation to end the year in a more positive way. They look to improve sales from the previous year. At the halfway point, the third and fourth quarters become a “rally” time. There is a push to generate more business following the holiday trend of the retail business world.

A great idea for the corporate event is to plan now for early summer event. In planning and creating the corporate event, a company should set a goal to have fun while achieving a ROI, a return on investment. The goal is to motivate employees and stimulate new business by bonding with their existing valued prospects, customers and clients.

What kind of corporate event will keep the interest of all your guests? We’ve found that wine & beverage bars paired with a variety of accompanied foods at different stations creates an innovative affair. This type of party keeps the room flowing. Creating a corporate event that promotes interaction is quite important to obtain the ultimate goal. You can introduce a variety of foods that will appeal to everyone with themed tables that are paired with chilled wines, mohitos, daiquiris and of course, flavored iced teas & lemonades plus other interesting non-alcoholic drinks. Guests should find something that appeals to their own unique taste.

The corporate event wine and food station ideas from the
Chefs at The Cantering Caterer:

• Italian Pinot Grigio and California Sauvignon Blanc served with Orzo & Ricotta Cheese Salad, Endive Spears with Crab Mousse, Crostini with Olive Tapenade Cranberry sparkling water with lime.
• Assorted Zinfandels (semi-chilled) presented with Olive and Goat Cheese Tart, Orange and Watercress Salad with Champagne Vinegar served next to a perfectly Roasted Sliced Turkey with a Cranberry Orange Relish. Pomegranate Spritzers.
• Assorted Fine Sakes and Japanese “dry” beers served with Soy Glazed Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Crème Fraiche, Seaweed Salads and Japanese Noodle Bar comprised of Udon & Buckwheat noodles with an assortment of toppings including chilled crab, shrimp and maybe picked lobster. Chilled Sweet Green Teas.
• Assorted Beers to accompany assorted Grilled Brats and Wurts, the BEST Sirloin Burgers, Lemon Zest Bliss Potato Salad and Caraway White Slaw. Non-alcoholic Beers of course.
• Late Harvest Wines on a dessert table. A variety of Fresh Fruits & Sweet Treats coupled with different flavored iced coffees.

This represents just a fraction of the ideas that can be presented for an impacting corporate event. Hundreds of items can be selected from to create a customized menu that “fits” your company’s needs. Now is the time to plan and schedule your corporate event to make sure that every penny you invest in it will be returned in new business. Invite your employees, your clients and the team from The Cantering Caterer to your home (or other venue) for your summer corporate event. The “net net” will be a very positive bottom line for the end of the calendar year.

Posted by Chef Scott…

Bookmark to:

The Cantering Caterer has just been named the exclusive caterer at the Westport Inn! We are very excited and honored to serve their guests. We are providing corporate clients and travelers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and conference services. We have given them package menus for quick and easy ordering but we offer the same one on one menu selection and planning that all of our guests receive.

Also, we are pleased to announce that Jamie Lairson has been named our office manager! Jamie is new to the are from Philadelphia and has a fantastic background and personality. More often than not, it is Jamie’s voice that answers your phone calls.

June is a crazy month! One of the busiest of the year! In the midst of LOTS of parties and events we are donating to The Red Cross, The Connecticut Autism Spectrum Resource Center, Staples High School and we have just committed ourselves to underwriting the entire cost of the 2007 SPINODYSSEY to be held at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in November. This event funds research into breast cancer research, family, and support services. We are honored to help.

As the summer party planning season kicks into high gear, please call us anytime to discuss your event! We are always here and love to talk about this stuff….

Bookmark to:

Congratulations to Becky and Jason! They are just back from their honeymoon in the Greek Islands. They had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception in the mountains of Central New York. We were honored to be guests at their wedding - it was a nice change of pace!
We wish them a lifetime of happiness and success!

Bookmark to: