The owners of many companies have gone to great lengths over the past month to provide their employees with an enjoyable afternoon, evening or even a simple bonus to show their appreciation for the past years hard work.  It is a tough decision for those in charge, it has been a rough couple of years financially, and the choice between a holiday party and watching the bottom line is cause for many a headache.  To those companies who chose J. Scott Catering to take part in their holiday party plans, we would like to extend a big thank you.

At the end of December we worked with a client who decided to choose a new venue and caterer for this year’s holiday party. There is a lot of planning that goes into changing what you do every year and putting your trust in someone new to make it happen is always a source of anxiety.  But this client put their faith in us to pull off a successful event for their staff, and so we went to work to do just that.  And as many other clients would agree, change is often good.

The event was held at the Phoenixville Foundry in Phoenixville, PA.  With over 300 guests the layout and timeline were key to making this event a success. As people arrived they were escorted to the Mezzanine for cocktails and hors d’oeuvre.  Stationary hors d’oeuvre included a classic crudite with a variety of florets and julienned vegetables accompanied by red pepper and spinach dips.  A cheese display was also offered with a sampling of mustards to try with gruyere, smoked gouda and gorgonzola cheeses just to name a few.  Passed hors d’oeuvre selections included traditional Bruschetta, bacon wrapped scallops with horseradish dipping sauce, shrimp cocktail served with spicy cocktail sauce and lemon wedges and finally pecan crusted chicken with orange tarragon dipping sauce.

After cocktail hour guests took their seats, first come first served, and were greeted by the owner of the company.  He remarked on how nice it was to have everyone all together and thanked all in attendance for their hard work over the past year. And that despite the still struggling economy that he was immensely proud of his employees for pulling through with great accomplishments throughout the year.  Anyone in the room could feel the pride he feels for his company and the sense of family that everyone at the company enjoys.  It reminded me why I am so proud to be the owner of J. Scott and the hopes I have that all my employees feel a sense of pride for their work and that they are included in the J. Scott family.

The dinner was served, beginning with a Caesar salad.  The dual entrée featured beef tenderloin au poivre and Maryland lump crab cake accompanied by green beans almondine and roasted red bliss potatoes. After dinner the dessert station was opened.  This holiday season our cheesecake station has been a very popular dessert option and was served at this event as well.  Coffee and tea were also served.

Along with all the culinary festivities guests also enjoyed the musical talents of Chico’s Vibe, the popular tri-state area band covering pop music from every era.  Big thanks must go out to all our friends at the Foundry and our staff who made this event possible.  Thank you to Christina Livingston for the photos.  I wish everyone all the best in the New Year and here’s to keeping at least one resolution past January!

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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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Fall is in the air and with it all of the fantastic fall wedding themes and colors.  We had a great time working with the couple who got married at the Foundry this weekend, designing a very original look.  The bride decided to mix and match several colors and prints to create a rich look with lots of trendy flares.  Some tables had mulberry kiwi linens, a fun green zebra style sateen linen, while others had chocolate brown and forest green stripe linens.  These two styles of tables were accented with kiwi, chartreuse or eggplant napkins.

Flower on the tables were simple but vibrant with multi-colored Gerber daisies.  The Foundry was also given a makeover with assorted greener throughout; some of which had up-lighting to highlight the stairs on either side of the dance floor.

The couples menu was as complex and intriguing as their décor.  Hors d’oeuvre included vegetable potstickers, panko crusted scallops with bacon and chicken satay.  The highlight of the cocktail hour was the quesadilla station on the mezzanine featuring brie and papaya quesadillas, smoked chicken, wild mushroom and fontina quesadillas and chorizo and grilled corn quesadillas with cojita cheese.

The first course was a composed salad of Bull Blood micro greens and baby arugula with oranges, pomegranate seeds, shredded red onion, black garlic and Hawaiian black lava salt, drizzled with pomegranate vinaigrette.

The entrees included a seared tenderloin served with or without lump crab, topped with hollandaise, accompanied by potatoes au gratin and baby vegetable bundles.  The other entrée was a black sea bass with lemon zest, drizzled with lemon walnut oil, accompanied by wild rice pilaf with sundried cranberries and baby vegetable bundles.

The couples wedding cake was ornate with the colors of the décor and added silver edible beads. The cake was lemon with rich vanilla buttercream.  As always we thank the couple for choosing J. Scott to take part in their big day.  We wish them all the best in the future.

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Choosing the style or theme of your event can be a daunting task.  There are endless combinations of colors, motifs, shapes, layouts and themes to choose from.  Linens, tables, glassware, flatware, china, flowers, you name it the decisions are endless.  So how do you nail down the perfect look.  There are different schools of thought on this dilemma.  Some think you should pick one object that you really love and build around it to achieve your desired décor.  Others suggest choosing colors and finding things that will suit them.  However you choose to proceed there are few guidelines and tips to keep in mind to make the process a little easier.

• Talk with a professional-  This could be an number of people including your caterer, florist or even your interior decorator.  These folks are in business because they have an eye for what goes together and what’s got to go.  Bring them your ideas and work toether to create the look you’ve always dreamed of.
• Research styles and décor everywhere- You never know when you will find that right vase or perfect place card holder so always be on the lookout for ideas.  We often page though magazines looking at clothes, home décor or food pictures to get ideas for our new favorite décor trend.  This includes wedding magazines for those of you getting married because someone may have already done the hard work for you and will be able to tell you the best places to find exactly what you are looking for.
• Keep an open mind- We very often get stuck in the same style set because it is what we are comfortable with.  Don’t be afraid to try something new.  Test run it at a dinner party and see what people think; you just might surprise yourself with how impressed people are with you design.

In the end your guests will enjoy any look you choose.  Have fun with the planning and don’t stress over the little details.  It all comes together in the end no matter the path you took to get it together.

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