| Welcome to
E-Dish, Fleurimond Catering, Inc.'s monthly newsletter. With these
newsletters we hope to provide you with entertaining and educational
bites (no pun intended) on what's going on in the catering industry,
in order to make you a better host at your next party. With each
issue we aim to cover something different. Topics will range from
food, wine, décor, and music. This newsletter, as it grows and
evolves will serve to ensure
that when you sit at your next catered event or host your next
party, the experience is heightened due to the knowledge, fun
tips, and great recipes you will receive from us every month.
We look forward to your continued support.
In this issue
we bring you a wonderful
“Pre-Party Game Plan” to ensure that
you are prepared to meet with the caterer/event planner for your
next event. We will also be talking to
Jill Nelson, New York Times Bestselling Author,
about her latest book, Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans
at Home on an Island, and finally, we share a
Warm Squash Soup Recipe to
keep you warm this winter. |
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If you've ever attended a gallery opening,
bridal shower, book signing, rehearsal dinner or even a bar mitzvah,
you've probably had a catering experience. When you attend an
elegantly appointed wedding reception or a plated fundraiser with
food as tasty, if not tastier than the local dining hot-spots,
you most likely have a catering team to thank.
In
this article, we'll discuss some tips to help you understand what
kind of preparations go into planning a successfully catered event.
We hope the information gleamed from this article, will help ensure
that both you and your caterer are on the same page when you work
together to plan your next event.
Beginning
with your initial meeting with a caterer, to the event itself,
getting your event catered successfully involves a lot of planning,
preparation, teamwork, and creativity.
Prior
to meeting with your caterer you should give some thought to the
following questions:
- What is the proposed date and time of the event?
- What is the estimated budget for the event?
- How many guests will attend?
- Will the event be Casual or formal?
- What type of "flatware/silverware" will be involved: Disposable
ware or china?
- Has a venue or a setting been selected?
Once you've done the work of outlining
these and other pertinent questions for yourself, you are ready
to meet with your caterer. Keep in mind that the more prepared
you are to answer these questions, the better a caterer will be
able to customize a proposal to meet your exact needs. During
this planning stage of the process, it is important to be forthcoming
with your caterer about ideas that you have for the event; no
matter how unlikely you think they are to happen. Your caterer
will most likely delight in your wildest wishes, but be grounded
enough to gently stir you towards the reality of your event.
Additional
tips for your meeting with your caterer include:
- Communicate clearly both what your budget is for the event AND
what you hope to get for that budget.
- Be flexible and listen to all the ideas offered to you by your
caterer before you make a decision.
- Understand the direct relationship between your desired catering
style and your budget. For instance, a formal sit-down-style will
typically cost a lot more than a buffet-style event; which itself
will cost more than a cocktail-style event.
Finally,
as you get further down the process with your caterer, you will
inevitably come to discuss the venue for your event. Your caterer
will most likely care about the following issues when it comes to
a venue:
- What type of venue is it?
- How big is the space?
- Is there a kitchen available for use?
- Will there be a separate area for the caterer to set-up?
Understanding the issues that may be
of concerns to your caterer will go a long way to making your
planning process a smooth one. In addition, some of this information
will affect the types of equipment and supplies that will be used,
and for which you may be charged.
We hope that
the above tips will serve you well as you plan your next catered
event. As important as your initial meeting -and in some cases
it could be several initial meetings- with your caterer, is the
time you spend planning and answering some key questions for yourself
prior to the meeting. In addition, having an understanding of
some of the main issues of concern for your caterer will help
you work that much harder to understand those issues yourselves
and be able to present them as well as potential solutions to
overcoming any pitfalls they may bring. May your next catered
event produce great food, good cheers, and above all, very pleased
and satisfied guests!
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Fleurimond Catering, owner,
Nadege Fleurimond sits down
with Jill Nelson to discuss her latest book and her passion
for food. Come with us as we enjoy an intimate chat with
one of our favorite clients.
Nadege Fleurimond:
We know you’ve written a number of books, Finding Martha's
Vineyard:African Americans at Home on an Island, is your
latest project. Tell us where we can get a copy. |
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Jill Nelson:
Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans at Home
on an Island, (Doubleday, 2005) can be purchased at
BarnesandNoble.com,
Amazon.com, or you
can visit my website at,
JillNelson.com. |
NF: What was
your inspiration to write the book and please tell us a
bit about the book?
JN:
The book is a love story about the island of Martha's Vineyard,
where I've spent summers since I was three years old, and also
a love story about my mother, who loved the Vineyard madly and
for many years defined my time there. She passed away in
2001. It has profiles of 40 Vineyard residents, 75 photos,
and a number of delicious, Vineyard inspired recipes.
NF: Speaking
of Vineyard recipes, How would you define the cuisine of the vineyard?
JN:
Fresh defines the vegetables and fish on the Vineyard. There's
a weekly farmers market with wonderful island grown vegetables
and fruits, along with breads, pies, jellies and jams. The
fish in the surrounding waters is abundant, and you can
either catch your own, make friends with a local fisherman at
one of the town docks, or go to one of the island's great
fish stores.
NF: Since your
focus is African-Americans on the Vineyard, How would you say
African-Americans have influenced the food trends of the vineyard?
JN:
We add a little heat here, lots of onion and garlic there,
and whatever else we enjoy. And of course, whatever we're cooking,
there's lots of it!
NF: Do you feel
like the food culture has evolved over the last few decades?
JN:
As elsewhere, the trend is toward highly fresh fruits, vegetables,
fish and meats, and cooking with a light, low fat touch.
NF: In general,
how often do you entertain? and why?
JN:
I entertain every few months, anything from a sit down dinner for
10 to cocktails for 30 or 40. I enjoy the increased level of relaxation
home entertaining - as opposed to restaurant dining - allows.
A party at home can spread from the dining room to the living
room to the TV room and, of course, the kitchen. And the
party can go onfor as long as everyone's in the spirit!
NF: Tell
us, what do you consider to be the key ingredients to a
good party?
JN:
Good people and good food. I think food and drink is often
a conversation piece, so I love to have unique appetizers and
perhaps a signature drink available at parties. Spicy or
surprising finger foods, and tropical drinks, like Fleurimond's
passion fruit cocktail, get people talking and relaxing
together.
NF: Speaking
of the passionate fruit cocktail, what are some of your
favorite Fleurimond Catering Items?
JN:
The lobster salad and conch fritters!
NF: How would
you define a Fleurimond Catering experience?
JN:
Fabulous and easy. Fleurimond does all the work, and they
do it as well or better than I can! The catering company is easy
to communicate with, flexible, and creative, and the wait
staff is superb. Their work gives me time to enjoy my guests,
the food and drink, and the party!
NF: Please share
with us a favorite recipe…food or drink.
JN:
I don't drink but when I did, I enjoyed a Vodka Gimlet.
Here’s my non-alcoholic version:
1 highball
glass, filled with ice
1 lime wedge
1/2 cup Rose's Lime Juice
Tonic water
Pour Rose's Lime Juice over ice, fill glass with tonic
water, stir, add lime wedge,enjoy!
NF: Thanks for
the recipe Jill. Is there anything else you'd like to share with
us.
JN:
It has been a pleasure. Party season is on the horizon,
so I am looking forward to working with your company once again.
Jill Nelson
is a writer and resides in New York City. She can be contacted
via her website at www.JillNelson.com
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Winter Squash
Soup (Haitian Pumpkin Soup)
This hearty
soup can be served as a meal or an appetizer. Enjoy!
1 lb cubed
beef stew meat
1-12oz cooked winter squash
½ lb. cabbage
1 small onion (diced)
3 medium potatoes
1 medium sized turnips
2 carrots
1 lime (halved)
1 cup vermicelli, macaroni or other pasta
1 scallion
Sprig of thyme
Sprig of parsley
1 stalk celery
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
½ teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon Pepper
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
Clean the meat
with hot water and lemon and set aside in a bowl. Add
salt, pepper, onion powder, cut scallion, crushed garlic, parsley,
thyme, and onion and let marinated for at least 2 hrs.
Boil meat in stockpot with 3 quarts of water or until tender
(about 1 ½ hours). When meat is tender, add winter squash
then, carrots, potatoes, turnips celery. Add cabbage last.
Continue boiling until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked
(1/2 hour). Add pasta. Taste and add seasoning at will.
Turn off the heat and let cool. If too thick, add a bit more
water. Serve in a medium size bowl sitting in a plate
with pieces of bread on the side.
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