This weekend we had the great pleasure of aiding in the celebration of a retirement party for one of our dearest clients. There is for sure no better way to praise a lifetime of work than ample guests, good food and plentiful spirits. All of the aforementioned were on hand for this most joyous occasion.

The evening was draped in lovely shades of orange and red. Under heated tents guests mingled about congratulating the retiree in candlelight.

At the start guests enjoyed an hour of hors d’oeuvre and drinks. Warm brie and pear in phyllo as well as a delightful prosciutto and lobster taco in a petite taco shell were served. Guests also tasted grilled lamb lollipops, seared kobe beef rolls on wild mushroom bread pudding, blackened chicken skewers with grapes rolled in blue cheese and pistachios and lastly herb roasted shrimp.

Dinner stations were the affair of the evening. A short rib station with a wide variety of accompaniments including cheesy polenta, caramelized onions, flavored chips, smoked bacon, grilled baguette rounds, golden scallops, mini flour tortillas and garlic puree, indulged many savory palettes in attendance.

The slider station boasted three different styles of sandwich; vegetarian, beef and seafood. The vegetarian slider was served complete with grilled Portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, provolone cheese and pesto mayonnaise. The beef slider was served simply with cheese, lettuce and tomato; however, it was accompanied by ketchup, blue cheese and Russian dressing for the guests to use as they pleased. Last by certainly not least the crab cake slider was served with tomato, lettuce and old bay remoulade, a sure fire crowd pleaser as always.

And to finish off the dinner portion of the evening was the sushi station manned by our favorite sushi chef Akio. He rolled a variety of classics including tuna, California and cucumber rolls. He also served tuna, shrimp and salmon nigiri as well as futomaki. Served alongside of course was soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, for what would sushi be without its accoutrement.

Dessert left nothing to be desired as it offered many selections served in our new blossom cups. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream, apple pie a la mode, chocolate mousse with whipped cream and chocolate chips and finally key lime mousse with graham cracker crumbs satiated each guests sweet tooth. For those not quite so keen on full fledged sweets, a fruit platter was laid out with cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and grapes.

What a wonderful opportunity it was to celebrate such a momentous occasion in someone’s life. To bid adieu to their years of service to a company and welcome the new chapter of their life with open arms. We are so grateful to have been invited to cater and thank our client for entrusting the task to J. Scott Catering.

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On Wednesday night the J. Scott Catering team was catering an event for doctors from across the country. The event started with a cocktail hour, followed by a panel discussion. The evening concluded with a station style dinner service. This type of service style enables people the opportunity to get up and mingle during the dinner, which works perfectly for conference style meetings hoping to encourage discussion among its attendees.

The cocktail portion of the evening offered guests a wide selection of delectable passed hors d’oeuvre including our signature miniature Caesar salad in parmesan tuile cup, petite beef wellington, Thai smoked chicken on wonton crisp and goat cheese on crostini drizzled with honey. Guests remarked on the snow crab shooter with sauce Louis, a mayonnaise based cold seafood sauce with Worcestershire, lemon and chili sauce, calling for it on every staff members walk back to the kitchen. Grilled espresso rubbed scallop served with wasabi cream and chervil was also a crowd favorite.

After the panel discussion guests returned to find their cocktail space transformed into a dining room. The different stations available lined the perimeter of the room with ample space for guests to walk around and sample each offering.

The first station was the sushi station. Our sushi chef Akio was on hand rolling tuna, shrimp and salmon nigiri as well as tuna, California and cucumber rolls and futomaki to boot!

The risotto station offered guests the chance to create their own risotto concoction. Add in choices included sautéed wild mushrooms, asparagus tips, lump crabmeat, parmesano reggiano, flaked salmon and grilled shrimp. Folks watched as uniformed chefs prepared their creation right before their eyes. The most popular combination appeared to be the mushrooms, asparagus and crabmeat; it happens to be my favorite too. These doctors had good taste!

Our gourmet salad station was also set up for guests to enjoy. This station is a favorite of the D.I.Y. guests as they have the ability to compose their own salad from a selection of greens and toppings as well as dressings. This evenings station featured romaine and mixed greens as the salad base and had Maytag blue cheese, candied pecans, grape tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts for mix in selections; and that was only a few. Pomegranate vinaigrette and pink peppercorn dressing were the finishing touches to the guest’s salad choices.

The prime rib station finished off the entrée section of stations. Hand carved roasted prime rib of beef was offered with au jus and horseradish cream sauce. Our friendly chefs were there slicing away throughout the evening offering guests a taste of this savory delight.

What would a terrific dinner be without dessert to finish. We offered our signature dessert cups including chocolate peanut butter mousse with banana, key lime mousse with graham cracker and carrot cake with toffee bits. The cups were attractively displayed on our “wall” conveniently keeping the cups at eye level to reel in the sweet teeth in the room.

The J. Scott team had a lot of fun working with these medical professionals. Thanks to all who made it possible! This event happens only once every three years so we hope to see you all back in 2014.

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This weekend’s wedding caused me to stop a moment and consider what it is we do as caterers and what impact our role plays in this momentous occasion. The journey of planning a wedding is a long and arduous one, made slightly easier with the help of an event planner, but the pay off on the day is indescribable. At J. Scott Catering we build lasting relationships with couples over the months before the vows, cake cutting and dancing. As event planners we see them throughout the process often after hair and makeup trials or to pick up linen samples for color matching at the bridal salon. We guide them on tips about seating arrangements and help plan the timeline for day’s events. J. Scott planners can be found mending dresses in the middle of the reception, organizing bridal parties for introductions and making sure that each and every detail down to the pen for the guest book, is exactly as the bride requested.
When the big day finally arrives, while we watch as they enjoy the splendors of their love, there is a sigh of sadness that can be heard from every J. Scott Catering planner. As the night comes to a close, we realize there won’t be any more once a week chats about china, and the sleepless nights and anticipation of pulling off their dream quickly dissipates. Alas, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The end of the wedding doesn’t mean the relationship is over. Often times we work with couples through the years, catering baby showers and christenings, communions and close friends weddings too. In reality we aren’t just planning or catering a wedding, we are building a lasting relationship with a couple, one that is only just beginning with I do.

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Big congratulations go out to Leigh Ann and Chris who were married this past weekend at the Phoenixville Foundry. We had a great time getting to know this beautiful couple during the planning process. It was a really fun wedding with lots of dancing and celebration, the kind we are so thankful to be a part of.

The couple broke from the ordinary right off the bat with their reception layout. It is always nice to see when couples do their research to find out different ways of seating guests outside of the traditional round tables. By using different shapes you give the room character and add appeal to your tables without having to spend a fortune on elaborate centerpieces. As you can see, the centerpieces were in fact very simple but the combination of the white linen, navy napkin and orange flowers, by Sommerfield Design Flowers, worked seamlessly.

The cocktail hour was held on the mezzanine where guests were able to mingle, enjoy a drink and sample some of the couples chosen hors d’oeuvre both passed and stationary. For their passed hors d’oeuvre the couple chose a roasted butternut squash soup in a pistachio rimmed shooter, heirloom tomato and shaved locatelli on toasted focaccia with basil aioli. A crowd favorite was the J. Scott Catering signature gourmet mini whimpy served with Swiss cheese and bacon on a homemade sesame seed bun accompanied by blue cheese dipping sauce and ketchup. Other selections included pan seared spiced tequila shrimp with avocado cream and Thai smoked chicken on a wonton crisp. Sesame California rolls were also passed, accompanied by pickled ginger, wasabi and soy dipping sauce. This style of service for sushi also allows guests to enjoy this fan favorite without the added cost of an action station during cocktail hour. Although if sushi is your go to finger food, our action station with sushi chef is great for a stationary hors d’oeuvre option. This couple chose the classic crudite and cheese tray for their stationary item which you simply can’t go wrong with as it has a little something for all palates.

For the first course we served our grilled Caesar salad with creamy Caesar dressing, anchovy, roasted red pepper and parmesan tuile. The halved head of romaine is grilled then chilled, served whole on the plate with a drizzle of our house made Caesar dressing. While this might sound like an odd application for grilling, the light char gives the romaine a distinct characteristic unlike you have ever had before.

Guests were offered a predetermined choice of tri-color peppercorn tenderloin of beef with au poivre demi, Maryland jumbo lump crab cake with house made remoulade or portobello mushroom stuffed with spinach, sundried tomato and goat cheese. All were accompanied by gruyere potato gratin and green bean bundles with carrot ribbon.

Dessert and coffee were served after the small cutting cake was cut by the bride and groom. The dessert selection included chocolate chip cookies, brownies, lemon tarts, fruit tarts, cupcakes, truffles and more.

As always we would like to thank the couple for allowing us to participate in such a momentous occasion and we wish them all the best for the future. A special thanks to the Phoenixville Foundry and Sommerfield Design Flowers for helping to make such a beautiful wedding come together so smoothly. J. Scott Catering is very fortunate to have so many great vendors who are equally dedicated to their clients and willing to go the extra mile to make their dream a reality.

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