Wedding Food Planned Perfectly

By Noelle Salinas owner of Fresh from the Kitchen LLC

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. Thus, when planning your special day, using professionals are a given, but finding the right catering company is a must. For one thing, the right company won’t just make your food; they’ll incorporate your theme, your colors, and your taste preferences into a custom menu that fits your needs and budget.

You may wonder, how does one incorporate a theme or even colors into their wedding food? By working with a professional that can think ‘outside the box,’ it can be done. Take for example a wedding catered by Fresh from the Kitchen LLC last October. The couple’s wedding colors were orange and navy blue. Further, many of the bride’s family had special dietary/religious needs that had to be met with the food. No alcohol, garlic, onions, seafood, or meat could be used in the dishes to accommodate the bride’s side of the family. How was this challenge approached?

“In wanting to make their wedding as elegant as the couple desired and incorporate their unique colors and fun personality, I looked for foods that were blue and orange and found ways to include them in the menu.” (Noelle, executive chef). For example, for the appetizers, we had little shot glasses of fruit salad that had mandarin oranges and blueberries in it. The signature drink was a Clementine orange spritzer and a blueberry one, both non-alcoholic and a great compliment to the meal. For the non-vegetarians there were staples like chicken saltimbocca (prosciutto wrapped chicken stuffed with provolone cheese), and shrimp scampi, and for the vegetarians assorted soups and salads and homemade butternut squash raviolis. These incorporated the colors and the elegance of the wedding, while balancing well with the whole menu.

Overall, your friends and family come to your wedding to share your special day with you, but a large highlight for them is the food and beverages provided. To plan your wedding perfectly, especially where food is concerned, call Fresh from the Kitchen LLC for a dream wedding that will be memorable for years to come!

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Sanctuary Dinner Choices

Since we are a preferred vendor of Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, we work with them closely to create fabulously printed menus, table numbers and place cards for their events. Here is their selection of menus that are sure to tempt your taste buds. Along with Sanctuary 's beautiful views , they have excellent service, so it's a great place to have your wedding or corporate function.

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Current Catering Trends of Fall 2009

We had the pleasure of listening to Event Planner Drew Coleman, of Heidi's Events and Catering, speak about current catering trends this past weekend. Here are a few of the fun ideas that are making it's way to a plate near you:

• Soup Shooters continue to be popular, but now with a new twist. "Sip on a BLT." A shot of this sandwich is made with tomato soup that is sprinkled with lettuce and bacon bits.

• Short Plates, or fork friendly items on small plates, allow your guests to travel with their food and mingle.

• Another casual, conversation encouraging food idea is grazing tables. Roll out a cart of your favorite dish and allow your guests to wander and eat at their leisure. (No more being stuck at a table of people you don't know!)

• Make your guests feel special by giving them a surprise. At one event they did, they rolled out a pancake and crepe station towards the end of the night. What a great way to end an evening of drinking and dancing than with pancakes! (and just when the guests thought there was nothing left to look forward too.)

• Turn up the flavor and make it your own. Let Grandma's recipe be a dish. Use flavored salts and peppers. Give your guests more than one option of sauce. (Such as a chicken skewer station that they can "paint on" their own flavor.) Brand your steaks with your wedding logo.

All of these ideas can turn a plain affair into a memorable one. Happy eating!

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Pairing Wine With Food

When it comes to pairing wine with food there really are no rules. Nobody can accurately predict the success or failure of a wine and a food match. Why? Most wine selections are made by one's personal taste. Another factor is a wine often tastes differently when served with different foods, where perception of tastes can be exaggerated or diminished. These changes can have a positive or negative effect based on preference.

There are five basic "tastes" science acknowledges everyone can recognize:

1. Sweetness - often hidden in many foods, will increase the perception of sourness, bitterness and astringency in wine. An example of this food and wine pairing would be grapes dipped in sugar would make a White Zinfandel less sweet of a wine. It would also increase the sourness of a Sauvignon Blanc.


2. Sourness - from the natural sourness of some foods, will make decrease the perception of acid in wine and make the wine taste richer and more mellow. For instance, if you were to have a lemon with your White Zin, the wine would appear to taste extra sweet. A Sauvignon Blanc paired with a lemon would taste more mellow and buttery.


3. Bitterness - often confused with astringency, increases the bitterness in wine. If you paired a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir with a cherry tomato, they would taste more bitter than usual.


4. Saltiness - can tone down the perception of bitterness and astringency in wine. The same cherry tomato, only now salted, will balance the taste of a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.


5. Umami or Savory - this taste is hard to describe. It is referred to "mother's milk" because it is a taste everyone likes. Think of a blue cheese being paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon. They seem very mellow and smooth when paired together.

Regardless of what your preferences are, it is best to try your wine with the actual food you are serving at your event. It is also helpful to not only have a second opinion for wine taste variety, but to also have a knowledgeable wine enthusiast or Sommelier on hand for suggestions.

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