October is almost over, just a few more weeks to our inaugural catering tasting showcase on Nov 24th!

Our wedding season is over for 2009 and I thought I would take advantage of the break to write on a few topics that I thought about throughout the year but did not want to post on in lieu of weddings. This one has started to come up a lot this past year - vegans. What is a vegan? Vegans are people who eat no animal products (including no eggs, dairy, and usually even honey) as opposed to vegetarians who simply do not eat animals/meat (including beef, poultry, fish, etc). Why do you care you might be thinking?

A few times this past summer we had a guest tell one of our butlers that he or she was a vegan. They insisted that they had noted that on their response cards. Our team would spring into action but coming up with a vegan entree in the middle of serving a few hundred guests is no easy feet! We aren’t talking pasta and a red sauce gang - we are talking about veggies and fruits and natural products that we want to taste and look good.

We want to take care of your guests needs and the more information we have ahead of time the better we can serve them. We want you to tell us about every allergy you know - even if you think that item is not on the menu. Same with vegan vs vegetarian and even when your great grandfather wants a well-done steak. Taking care of these things for your guests allows them to enjoy your wedding without worrying about being hungry or getting sick.

I can tell you that I was at a wedding a few months back and had noted vegetarian on my response card. After a cocktail (okay, maybe 2) and no vegetarian items at cocktail hour I was ready to eat dinner. 1st course came out - wedding soup - meatballs. They had no vegetarian alternative. Second course, salad with bacon. Again, no vegetarian course. Now I am starving and everyone at my table is uncomfortable knowing they are eating more and more and I have nothing in front of me. And yes, they did have a vegetarian entree for me but they should have known to take care of each course for me - we do!!!

Moral of my long winded story - let us know what your guests need and we can determine for them what they can eat - from the bar snacks to the desserts. Any questions - don’t be afraid to ask us - we work with this all year round!