Each Event Brings New Ideas

So, a friend of mine tapped me into a local community celebrity who didn't want a whole lot, but was in need of good food for a group of young women, all who own non-profits. So, the end result became what I would call our "Easy Entertaining" Package. It feeds 35-40 people, and includes your choice of "Whatever Your Way Wings", 1 cold finger food selection, seasonal fruit arrangement, organic crudite, and a local cheese selection. The only difference with this package is that it for drop off service...I arrive with the food and focus on presentation and arrangement. I tried something new for this one as it relates to the finger food....Cajun fried turkey sammies! How invigorating it is to bring something new to the table, but more importantly...something different! Everyone knows about cajun fried turkey during the holidays, so I already had the spirit to use turkey just one more time..enjoy! And order your Easy Entertaining Experience Today!!

A "Chip" Off the Old Block

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Originally uploaded by heroshifoxx

And the winner is...the Salmon Tortilla Chip! Man, what a time we had with Reggie Hammond and the Create Your Dreams Organization. Reggie hosted a FABULOUS party, and invited myself, along with two other chefs to challenge each other in the kitchen. I showed the crowd how to make homemade tortilla chips and I think that's what really stole the show!

The lucky donor, Rudy Fears, (between me and Reggie above) got to select the winner for the night and also received a FREE Personal Chef service from etch&market, thanks to Reggie's generosity. Not to mention, I made a new dish..the Phyllo Buffalo (center photo). A creative spin on the oh so famous hot wing. Let's just say that it was gone before it left the kitchen. Know your audience!

etch & market Participating in Gourmet Gents

What a busy day!!! Had to get there at 12:30 to setup on my 3x3 table LOL! Stayed till 6:30. And the lesson learned for us...'know your audience'! I thought that delivering some culinary excitement to the affair would play off well, but it seems like we were competing with many a hot wing and baby back ribs! Those who did love the Salmon Chips came back for more, but there were more visitors interested in the meatballs. Heck, we make meatballs, but didn't think that folks would run to them! Next year, we'll do something special, but it was fun!

The Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter launched “Gourmet Gents” in 1989 as the organization’s first annual fundraiser. More than 100 Atlanta gentlemen responded to the Chapter’s call to volunteer their time, culinary skills and food to raise money for the Chapter’s service project. Today, the event has been hailed by many as Atlanta’s premier gents' cook-off. More than 500 people attended the inaugural event, and the following year 150 chefs served more than 700 guests who were there enjoying the festivities, food and entertainment. Since then, Gourmet Gents has grown more popular in its appeal to the community, attracting over 3,500 attendees eager to sample the food offerings of more than 300 chefs and several of Atlanta’s premier restaurants.

Italian Pasta Bar for Southern Company

Southern Company decided to host a luncheon for the administrative staff and etch&market was called to provide something unique and memorable. Renee and Jesse didn't want the typical sandwich and chip ordeal. So, we agreed on an Italian Pasta Bar....choose your pasta, your veggies, and your protein. Here's what the pasta bar consisted of:

Modern Caesar - Romaine Lettuce Leaf, shaved Red Onion & Grape Tomatoes with House Caesar Dressing & Our Own Baked Croutons

Select vegetables and choice of favorite sauce and pasta.

Savory Meats - Sweet & Hot Italian Sausage (Turkey Variation) & Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast

Dessert - Ice Cream Sunday Station

Premium Brand Vanilla Bean & Chocolate Ice Cream with a choice of toppings!!

Needless to say, there wasn't a stir from the guest as they tried to maintain their attention span after lunch. Thanks to Renee and Jesse for allowing us to provide our services!

Fiesta, Fiesta!

Repeat client, Chitan Chandler, is by far one of our favorites. Her motto..'as long as it's good, I don't care'! That's all we need to hear, when catering for a crowd of 125 for Labor Day! The typical fare would appeal to the picnic traditionalist...hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans. But we appealed to the 'atypical', and decided to mix things up and do something 'Nuevo'! A Mexican Style Taco Bar was in full effect! Ground Turkey, black beans, Mexican rice (pictured), all the fixins', and homemade pico de gallo! That's right! Many a jalapeno were cut and cilantro chopped the night before to make sure it was right! Boy, they were doing everything from making taco salads, to sneaking plates for folks who weren't event invited to the party. Oh, it was a good time!

menu:

Savory Black Beans - simmered onions, bay leaf, cumin, sea salt, seasoned stock

Mexican Rice - fresh tomato puree, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro

Ground Turkey - vidalia onion, cumin, sea salt, minced garlic, ancho chili powder, fresh ground pepper

Fresh pico de gallo - beefsteak tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, fresh lime juice, cilantro

**Condiments included

Ultimate Kitchen Challenge!!!

Dejuan Luke and Pastor Harris from New Life Church decided that it was time to get the staff into competition mode...the Ultimate Kitchen Challenge was the way to go! There were 4 teams, consisting of 4-5 members. Each team was challenged to create a tapas style dish with the ingredients available to them. Each team had a mystery vegetable. Even though one team didn't realize their vegetable was indeed a vegetable, it was HILARIOUS to see how each team could collaborate to design a dish in less than 30 minutes! The winner, needless to say, had a creative team name, a creative dish, and a creative way of telling the judges that 'trust me, it's gonna be good' :)

We served the enthusiastic bunch with a hearty lunch that they surely enjoyed:

Spinach au Gratin

Mashed Sweet Potato Bliss

Panko Crusted Chicken Tenderloins

Dessert - Organic Berry Tarts with Vanilla Creme and Graham Cracker Crust

Summer Showers

When you have cooks in the house, we wouldn't dare have someone else come in and cater! So, with our new bundle of joy entering the world, Little Drake, of course a Baby Shower was a MUST. But, of course, we're always busy....so catering our own shower on Saturday wasn't the only shower we catered that weekend. Repeat client Darlene & guest of honor Candace needed us for Candace's shower the next day! Both showers were extremely different: ours being light lunch and Candace's shower was a Candy-themed brunch. We introduced a fabulous hummus with grilled pita chips for the lunch shower, along with:

Whatever Your Way Wings - Jerk & Southern BBQ
The Queso-Dilla
Seasonal Aged Cheeses
Fresh Raspberry-Lemonade!! (Last count 30 lemons were squeezed by hand!!)

Candace's "Candy" Brunch had a different flair, and assorted candies were used in the decor. Skittles were sprinkled across white linens and jelly beans filled vases were some of the ideas used.

Shower Menu:

Georgia Peach Belini (non-alcoholic)

Fried Chicken Satay with House Honey Mustard

Asian Salmon Croquettes - fresh flaked salmon fillet, scallions, soy sauce, fresh ginger

Petite Quiche wrapped in Phyllo Dough - fingerling potato, baby spinach, range-free eggs

Cool Watermelon Salad - Spring mix, vegan feta cheese (because pregnant women should stay clear of soft cheeses), house vinaigrette, shaved watermelon

Bridal Shower & Photo Shoot!

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Close etch&market friend, Tyler B helped with an impromptu photo shoot for some dishes while catering a bridal shower. She's also responsible for the lovely catfish shot above the blog! Client Darlene S. was hosting a bridal shower for the couple-to-be at a trendy new place, named SPACE. Sous chef Tiana was on hand helping with the event and made some wisecrack joke that got us all giggling! Thanks Ty for lending your eye..and capturing food and laughter at the same time!

Menu

Salmon Tortilla Chips

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Dip

BBQ Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Catfish Fingers