In the true theme of parties... this catering wench recently turned 24 and was treated to a fabulous, no hold barred croquet tournament event held at her parents estate.
The party was absolutely amazing and I would like to thank my parents so much for such an awesome event! There was no real winner as most players were v. inexperienced and the game was declared over on account of darkness but everyone left feeling just a little bit more like a yuppie than when they arrived.
Thanks again Mom and Dad!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Ouch...
So my last post was at the end of February. Yikes. Time flies when you are the life of the party I suppose:)
Well faithful readers we now find ourselves right in the midst of busy wedding season with what I am sure is destined to be a hot and humid summer looming ahead. May is the month of birthdays at the Catering Company and I would like to wish a v. happy birthday to Vega, Lauren and myself who all celebrated another year of life this month :)
Other updates it might be important to mention....
*The Spitfire Rotisserie is now carrying BBQ which is both exciting and yummy news
* The Catering Company has recently submitted an entry in the first annual ISES Hampton Roads Chapter Charger Awards for our "Dinner in the Medici Courtyard" event... so keep your fingers crossed for us that we take home this prestigious award.
* Congratulations to Cody Reeves and Andrew Hutton for taking home the first annual College Terrace Iron Chef competition knife for their entry of smoked pork on a plank (much yummier than it sounds)
The list could go on and on (well clearly I would have several months worth of information to include) but long story short it has been a busy season! I will attempt to do much better as the busy wedding madness continues... these tales really need to be shared with the world :)
Well faithful readers we now find ourselves right in the midst of busy wedding season with what I am sure is destined to be a hot and humid summer looming ahead. May is the month of birthdays at the Catering Company and I would like to wish a v. happy birthday to Vega, Lauren and myself who all celebrated another year of life this month :)
Other updates it might be important to mention....
*The Spitfire Rotisserie is now carrying BBQ which is both exciting and yummy news
* The Catering Company has recently submitted an entry in the first annual ISES Hampton Roads Chapter Charger Awards for our "Dinner in the Medici Courtyard" event... so keep your fingers crossed for us that we take home this prestigious award.
* Congratulations to Cody Reeves and Andrew Hutton for taking home the first annual College Terrace Iron Chef competition knife for their entry of smoked pork on a plank (much yummier than it sounds)
The list could go on and on (well clearly I would have several months worth of information to include) but long story short it has been a busy season! I will attempt to do much better as the busy wedding madness continues... these tales really need to be shared with the world :)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
for a great cause...
I am going to go ahead and say that most of us will never see 40 gallons of Brunswick stew in one place in our lifetimes, another first that I was able to witness today.
The Catering Company is gearing up for tomorrows Project Homeless Connect at the Norfolk Scope. We are donating 40 pounds of stew and volunteering throughout the day. The City of Norfolk along with the United Way of South Hampton Roads hosts the event twice a year as a way to reach out to assist single homeless adults and provides services that are available throughout the community. Participants are able to receive medical screenings, find employment, look for housing and of course enjoy some delicious hot food. This year they are expecting 1400 participants and all involved are looking forward to making a positive impact.
Plus don't the buckets look great?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The questions that one asks oneself....
Often times over the course of day to day events Lauren and I are occasionally asked to run errands out and about town. It is often on these random excursions that we begin to question things that we often take for granted about our surroundings. For example the office we work in is just like an explosion of random. There is actual important, professional office equipment that sits sides by side next to a v. realistic looking vulture and portraits of brides from the nineties.
One of whom I am pretty certain is wearing white heeled boots and I judge her a little bit everytime that I have to fax something.
Anyways, we have become comfortably numb to our surroundings and the chaos no longer phases us the way that it does new visitors. Similarly we have become numb to the concept of living in a 'Colonial' area that people actually want to come visit, people actually travel from all over the world to come here. That concept still amazes me. So driving about town today we started to reflect on the significance of the 'pineapple' to colonists and why iT signified hospitality. We began questioning it because pineapples are literally all over town. Like everywhere.
To me personally if someone brought a large, awkward pointy fruit to my house as a gift I would be slightly offended. They are hard to cut, and you can't drink them. Rude.
So why does the pineapple signify hospitality to the rest of the world you might ask? Well the answer is really long and involves alot of history but basically it is because they were rare and valuable and houses that had pineapples had money to entertain and were stylish and welcoming. I mean for a much more historically acurate answer you could google it but if you had thought of this before now you would have done that already so I am guessing you don't really care about the signigicance of the pineapple.
Its fine neither do I, its just one of those questions that I never thought to ask until today. I will say though I do feel better for knowing the answer. Oddly enough despite all of the random stuff in our office, there is no colonial pineapple. I think that we should adopt one. Everyone probably thinks we are not stylish or hospitable which is a total lie. None of us own Vera Bradleys and we are always willing to share our cheese cubes. Actually maybe not willing but I will I suppose.....
if you really wanted one.
Thats it we are getting a pineapple. But not a real one because in this office odds are it would become either an object of mockery or a centerpeice.
So thus begins the quest for the perfect fake pineapple.
Wish me luck :)
One of whom I am pretty certain is wearing white heeled boots and I judge her a little bit everytime that I have to fax something.
Anyways, we have become comfortably numb to our surroundings and the chaos no longer phases us the way that it does new visitors. Similarly we have become numb to the concept of living in a 'Colonial' area that people actually want to come visit, people actually travel from all over the world to come here. That concept still amazes me. So driving about town today we started to reflect on the significance of the 'pineapple' to colonists and why iT signified hospitality. We began questioning it because pineapples are literally all over town. Like everywhere.
To me personally if someone brought a large, awkward pointy fruit to my house as a gift I would be slightly offended. They are hard to cut, and you can't drink them. Rude.
So why does the pineapple signify hospitality to the rest of the world you might ask? Well the answer is really long and involves alot of history but basically it is because they were rare and valuable and houses that had pineapples had money to entertain and were stylish and welcoming. I mean for a much more historically acurate answer you could google it but if you had thought of this before now you would have done that already so I am guessing you don't really care about the signigicance of the pineapple.
Its fine neither do I, its just one of those questions that I never thought to ask until today. I will say though I do feel better for knowing the answer. Oddly enough despite all of the random stuff in our office, there is no colonial pineapple. I think that we should adopt one. Everyone probably thinks we are not stylish or hospitable which is a total lie. None of us own Vera Bradleys and we are always willing to share our cheese cubes. Actually maybe not willing but I will I suppose.....
if you really wanted one.
Thats it we are getting a pineapple. But not a real one because in this office odds are it would become either an object of mockery or a centerpeice.
So thus begins the quest for the perfect fake pineapple.
Wish me luck :)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
and after all that....
So one of the most amazing things about working for The Catering Company is that I am constantly surrounded by amazing food. However, there is a flaw in the system - sometimes I am not actually physically surrounded by amazing food but rather the concept of amazing food.
After a day of looking through event pictures and reading through menus sudden and urgent cravings are prone to attack without warning and often refuse to be appeased with pretzel sticks and yogurt.
Damn those cravings. I am only writing about this because today the craving was appeased in a most white trash but delicious way...
While planning an upcoming menu for an event in Hampton food ideas were being tossed around for a 'traditional bar food' menu. Which would include potato skins, chicken wings etc. I was doing fine, happily anticipating my daily luncheon salad when the idea of a 'nacho fondue' station was brought up. From that point on it was all over. Can you even imagine being at an event with a free standing fountain of nacho cheese and all of the tri-colored tortilla chips that you could eat?!?
It was just way too much to handle. I tried to shrug it off and ignore my nacho craving, but it was to no avail. By lunch time it had gotten to the breaking point and calls were made to the local mexican restaurant to see if they did take-out. After speaking to several confused waitors Lauren and I decided that it would be easier and more efficient for all if we just did Taco Bell.
Yes. Taco Bell.
That my friends is the dangerous path taken by two young and impressionable girls who work in an office surrounded by delicious treats and all they want is fake cheese and questionable meat.... it really is a tragic story. Whatever those nachos were amazing, and there is nothing quite like waiting in line for lunch between contractors and stoned William and Mary students... really Taco Bell brings us all together. Someday when the heads of the world all join together to acheive world peace my guess will be that there will be some chalupas involved.
So now salads for the rest of the week, at least until somebody starts talking about curly fries...
dang it there I go again:)
After a day of looking through event pictures and reading through menus sudden and urgent cravings are prone to attack without warning and often refuse to be appeased with pretzel sticks and yogurt.
Damn those cravings. I am only writing about this because today the craving was appeased in a most white trash but delicious way...
While planning an upcoming menu for an event in Hampton food ideas were being tossed around for a 'traditional bar food' menu. Which would include potato skins, chicken wings etc. I was doing fine, happily anticipating my daily luncheon salad when the idea of a 'nacho fondue' station was brought up. From that point on it was all over. Can you even imagine being at an event with a free standing fountain of nacho cheese and all of the tri-colored tortilla chips that you could eat?!?
It was just way too much to handle. I tried to shrug it off and ignore my nacho craving, but it was to no avail. By lunch time it had gotten to the breaking point and calls were made to the local mexican restaurant to see if they did take-out. After speaking to several confused waitors Lauren and I decided that it would be easier and more efficient for all if we just did Taco Bell.
Yes. Taco Bell.
That my friends is the dangerous path taken by two young and impressionable girls who work in an office surrounded by delicious treats and all they want is fake cheese and questionable meat.... it really is a tragic story. Whatever those nachos were amazing, and there is nothing quite like waiting in line for lunch between contractors and stoned William and Mary students... really Taco Bell brings us all together. Someday when the heads of the world all join together to acheive world peace my guess will be that there will be some chalupas involved.
So now salads for the rest of the week, at least until somebody starts talking about curly fries...
dang it there I go again:)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
marshmallow wars!
Now this story totally happened last week but it is a true one and I have yet to tell it so its new to you....
Casey Reeves the eldest daughter of the Catering Company has recently begun participating in the gloriously nerdy rite of passage that is a science fair. Now her family are not ones for doing things 'half way' or 'simply' so in true Reeves fashion her science fair project was a real life working marshmallow cannon. This cannon ( which was painted pink and white and totally cute) was stationary and when blown upon a marshmallow would shoot out often v.v. far. She was testing whether or not the various ages and sizes of the people who blew in the cannon would affect the distance the marshmallow travelled. Either way it turns out the marshmallow travels very far.
Anyways, since they were making one the logic stood to reason that they could just make an arsenol while they were at it so all last week there were random moments of sporadic marshmallow gun fire throughout the office. We are still finding marshmallows in the most random spots and probably will be indefinitely. The glorious part is that the entire office was covered in camoflague fabric in netting to prepare for the 'kisses for the troops' theme so it was actually at times like being in a war zone. While it does not hurt to get hit by a random projectile marshmallow with enought spit involved they are prone to getting a little sticky and that is just really gross. I speak from experience.
So in the case of a suprise sneak attack from the medical supply company or the roofers down the way our office is totally and completely fortified. By guns that shoot bullets made of sugar.
We are so screwed, oh well at least they make a great snack. Just not the ones that we found behind the printer. I have a feeling those would not be tasty.
Call it a hunch :)
Casey Reeves the eldest daughter of the Catering Company has recently begun participating in the gloriously nerdy rite of passage that is a science fair. Now her family are not ones for doing things 'half way' or 'simply' so in true Reeves fashion her science fair project was a real life working marshmallow cannon. This cannon ( which was painted pink and white and totally cute) was stationary and when blown upon a marshmallow would shoot out often v.v. far. She was testing whether or not the various ages and sizes of the people who blew in the cannon would affect the distance the marshmallow travelled. Either way it turns out the marshmallow travels very far.
Anyways, since they were making one the logic stood to reason that they could just make an arsenol while they were at it so all last week there were random moments of sporadic marshmallow gun fire throughout the office. We are still finding marshmallows in the most random spots and probably will be indefinitely. The glorious part is that the entire office was covered in camoflague fabric in netting to prepare for the 'kisses for the troops' theme so it was actually at times like being in a war zone. While it does not hurt to get hit by a random projectile marshmallow with enought spit involved they are prone to getting a little sticky and that is just really gross. I speak from experience.
So in the case of a suprise sneak attack from the medical supply company or the roofers down the way our office is totally and completely fortified. By guns that shoot bullets made of sugar.
We are so screwed, oh well at least they make a great snack. Just not the ones that we found behind the printer. I have a feeling those would not be tasty.
Call it a hunch :)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Eww rude *sigh*
So despite all previous pledges I have once again been neglecting my blogging community. I really do apologize for a complete and total lack of updates but I have been v.v. busy trying to make 2008 an amazing year and so far it is working :)
We have been actually really busy around ye olde Catering Company this winter, we recently held a very successful tasting at the William and Mary Alumni House and then this last weekend both the Spitfire Rotisserie and The Catering Company were out in full force at the third annual Chocolate Affair. This was my first Chocolate Affair and it was absolutly incredible. The theme was 'kisses for the troops' and the whole tent was done in camoflague and pink, guests were able to kiss cards and write notes and messages and they will be mailed to soldiers in Iraq, its always fun to get Valentines even if it is a little late.
Valentines day was fun in the office my amazing partner in catering crime / office Valentine gave me my own 'perfect man'. He is a very small and stocky fella who when submerged in hot water grows up to four times his regular size. He has been very slow to grow though and he truly did not blossom until over the weekend. Apparently he can only thrive when I am out of the office which is totally the story of my life :)
Between slimy sponge men and nights of endless chocolate things have been pretty exciting! I wont promise to stay in better touch because everytime I say that then I just fail and feel all guilty and gross so instead of lies and deceit I will just do better. Seriously.
We have been actually really busy around ye olde Catering Company this winter, we recently held a very successful tasting at the William and Mary Alumni House and then this last weekend both the Spitfire Rotisserie and The Catering Company were out in full force at the third annual Chocolate Affair. This was my first Chocolate Affair and it was absolutly incredible. The theme was 'kisses for the troops' and the whole tent was done in camoflague and pink, guests were able to kiss cards and write notes and messages and they will be mailed to soldiers in Iraq, its always fun to get Valentines even if it is a little late.
Valentines day was fun in the office my amazing partner in catering crime / office Valentine gave me my own 'perfect man'. He is a very small and stocky fella who when submerged in hot water grows up to four times his regular size. He has been very slow to grow though and he truly did not blossom until over the weekend. Apparently he can only thrive when I am out of the office which is totally the story of my life :)
Between slimy sponge men and nights of endless chocolate things have been pretty exciting! I wont promise to stay in better touch because everytime I say that then I just fail and feel all guilty and gross so instead of lies and deceit I will just do better. Seriously.
Friday, January 11, 2008
T.G.I.F
Hurray for Friday!
The highlight today was the produce delivery guy who for the whole time he was in the office spoke in a Scottish accent. Absolutely classic, I wish that there were more people like that in the world. Although I am very pleased with the amount that come in and out of the shop:) I hope that you guys all have an amazing weekend. If you are out and about in Williamsburg this evening it feels like a karaoke night and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed
<3
Thursday, January 10, 2008
chicken whore evangelists
Sometimes I truly believe in my heart that my job could not be anymore random, the upside is that you are never, ever bored in this office.
Today I went abroad in the land of New Town where I cavorted around to various office complexes delivering joy and various assorted chicken coupons. We are trying to spread the world about the awesomeness that is the Spitfire Rotisserie. People seemed really excited about trying it, apparently meat that gets rotated around and roasted for hours is a big hit with the masses:) It was fun wandering around, meeting the locals and spreading the good word to all.
I knew nothing about what was brewing back at the office, where a crazy plan was busy being hatched. So I arrived back to the shop on a giddy chicken high only to discover that wait for it.... my boss Craig Reeves wanted to become an ordained minister. Now not like a minister who gets a calling and attends seminary and begins living the word of God... no no a minister who gets ordained on line and gets to carry a laminated card saying that he is a member of the church and should get preferential parking if it is offered to clergy.
It was hard to believe that this was for real. But it was. So the research commenced and we began to Google and attempt to discover how he could become the honored brother Reverend Craig Reeves. If you ever want to do something terrifying try googling 'become ordained minister'. Not only is it almost universally free, it is legal! Which is crazy. So we looked into Virginia state law which requires only that you send your ordination certificate and a list of good recommendations to the county clerks office and then you can begin practicing. So friends and loyal readers at some point you will live in a world where Craig Reeves will be able to legally start his own congregation. He is thinking of making his symbol a tree. We are not quite sure what that symbolizes yet and we are a little scared to ask truth be told.
I am still unsure whether or not this will end well but I am relatively certain that I will be sent straight to hell for having any part in it.
I'll keep you posted. At any rate I am sure he will throw an amazing ordination party:)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
spring has sprung?
So I don't know what it is like where you are but today in the lovely and historic town of Williamsburg it is currently a balmy 75 degrees. This crazy weather phenomenon makes it difficult to focus on the every day task of recalibrating your printer and instead makes you want to run outsides and start singing choice ballads from ' The Sound of Music'. The roofing company behind us might not appreciate that, however in my fantasy they join in and make an outstanding backup chorus. It is way too early to start getting spring fever but I fear it might be inevitable if this nonsense continues:)
Anyways as far as catering goes we are excited to announce the official date for our winter tasting, we look forward to welcoming one and all to the William and Mary Alumni house on February 10, 2008 for amazing food, gorgeous florals and a chance to ask the experts any question imaginable. I for one am a huge fan of the tastings, first of all the food is awesome but it is also a chance for us to finally put a face to a name and be present as brides really begin to get excited about the reality of their wedding day. Plus this one is super close to Valentines day so love will already be in the air and hopefully everyone will be in a super sweet romantic mood. Its so much cuter when the bride and groom agree and are not fighting over how the napkins get folded. Which has happened. True story. If you would like to request an official invitation do not hesitate to email the Catering Company at williamsburg@occassions.hrcoxmail.com and we will get one out to you post haste:)
All right enough of this it is time for me to go back to the Alps and sing with the Von Traps some more. So long. Farewell:)
Monday, January 7, 2008
2k8: go BIG or go HOME
Happy New Year to all! I realize that I am about a week late with that sentiment but hey you know better late than never :) The New Year always seems like such a clean slate. The chance to start over and make everything better. I personally no longer believe in resolutions exactly but instead the idea of adapting a mentality for the year. Mine this year is to 'go big or go home'. If you know that you are not going to be able to put yourself totally into something than you should not bother at all. It is actually alarmingly motivational especially when chanted mantra style over and over. It also seems to be the mantra of the Catering Company this year with many changes and developments in the works. Craig and Laura are getting ready to attend the Special Events conference in Atlanta and I have no doubt that they will return full of amazing ideas and new things to do and try. I am excited about the challenges that changing our office will bring and I cannot wait to watch the chicken shack blossom into a major contender in the Williamsburg food scene. We are currently working on t-shirts:) How cool would it be if someday you were walking down the street and amidst the see of Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts you caught sight of a Spitfire Rotisserie tee on a tourist. I can totally see it happening. Anyways there is much to look forward to and I for one am ready. I hope you all had an amazing New Years and are settling in to what I have no doubt will be the best year yet!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
you don't say....
In the spirit of the 'all things chicken' mentality that I currently live in I thought now would be the time to lay (get it, get it?) some interesting chicken facts on my loyal readers. I think they are cool therefore you are forced to be subjected to them also. I wonder if you enjoy being a victim of such random whims. My guess would be no. Oh well somehow I am able to sleep at night:)
Fact - A chicken will lay bigger and stronger eggs if you change the lighting in such a way as to make them think a day is 28 hours long!
Fact - The chicken can travel up to 9 miles per hour.
Fact - There seven distinctive types of combs on chickens: rose, strawberry, single, cushion, buttercup, pea, and V-shaped.
Fact - The largest chicken egg on record was nearly 12 oz., measuring 12 1/4" around.
Fact - The greatest number of yolks in one chicken egg is nine.
Fact - The record for laying the most eggs: seven in one day.
Fact - There are more chickens in the world than any other domesticated bird. More than one chicken for every human on the face of this earth.
Fact - The longest distance flown by any chicken is 301 1/2 feet. (as the crow flies)
Fact - Did you know that some breeds of chickens can lay colored eggs? Sure enough, the Ameraucana and Araucana can lay eggs colored in shades of green or blue, depending on the breed and it's ancestry.
Fact - In 1994, 73,866 million eggs were produced in the U.S.
Fact - China not only has the most people in the world, but also has the most chickens with over 3,000,000,000 of them.
Fact - The term 'Chicken Pox' didn't come from people believing that they came from chickens, it came from the Old English term 'gican pox' - which means the itching pox.
Fact - Alektorophobia - Fear of chickens.
Fact - Laid head to claw, KFC chickens consumed worldwide would stretch some 275,094 miles. They would circle the Earth at the equator 11 times or stretch from the Earth approximately 50,094 miles past the moon.
Fact - There are approximately 450 million chickens in the United States.
Fact - Chickens make sounds with actual meaning. They give different alarm calls when threatened by different predators.
Fact - A cockerel will attack anything that he thinks will harm the hens ( that includes humans ). Their spurs (located at the back of their leg ) can cause a very painful puncture wound.
Fact - If a cockerel is not present in a flock of hens, a hen will often take the role, stop laying, and begin to crow.
Fact - In Gainesville, Georgia - the chicken capital of the world - it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork!
Fact - McDonald's in india doesn't serve beef -- only chicken, mutton and fish.
Fact - The closest living relative of the t-rex is the chicken.
Fact - The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.
Fact - The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.
Fact - There are more chickens than people in the world.
there now don't you feel so much more enlightened?
I thought so
Fact - A chicken will lay bigger and stronger eggs if you change the lighting in such a way as to make them think a day is 28 hours long!
Fact - The chicken can travel up to 9 miles per hour.
Fact - There seven distinctive types of combs on chickens: rose, strawberry, single, cushion, buttercup, pea, and V-shaped.
Fact - The largest chicken egg on record was nearly 12 oz., measuring 12 1/4" around.
Fact - The greatest number of yolks in one chicken egg is nine.
Fact - The record for laying the most eggs: seven in one day.
Fact - There are more chickens in the world than any other domesticated bird. More than one chicken for every human on the face of this earth.
Fact - The longest distance flown by any chicken is 301 1/2 feet. (as the crow flies)
Fact - Did you know that some breeds of chickens can lay colored eggs? Sure enough, the Ameraucana and Araucana can lay eggs colored in shades of green or blue, depending on the breed and it's ancestry.
Fact - In 1994, 73,866 million eggs were produced in the U.S.
Fact - China not only has the most people in the world, but also has the most chickens with over 3,000,000,000 of them.
Fact - The term 'Chicken Pox' didn't come from people believing that they came from chickens, it came from the Old English term 'gican pox' - which means the itching pox.
Fact - Alektorophobia - Fear of chickens.
Fact - Laid head to claw, KFC chickens consumed worldwide would stretch some 275,094 miles. They would circle the Earth at the equator 11 times or stretch from the Earth approximately 50,094 miles past the moon.
Fact - There are approximately 450 million chickens in the United States.
Fact - Chickens make sounds with actual meaning. They give different alarm calls when threatened by different predators.
Fact - A cockerel will attack anything that he thinks will harm the hens ( that includes humans ). Their spurs (located at the back of their leg ) can cause a very painful puncture wound.
Fact - If a cockerel is not present in a flock of hens, a hen will often take the role, stop laying, and begin to crow.
Fact - In Gainesville, Georgia - the chicken capital of the world - it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork!
Fact - McDonald's in india doesn't serve beef -- only chicken, mutton and fish.
Fact - The closest living relative of the t-rex is the chicken.
Fact - The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.
Fact - The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.
Fact - There are more chickens than people in the world.
there now don't you feel so much more enlightened?
I thought so
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