first event of the season!

We catered a lovely wedding last weekend. Two hundred guests gathered at a park on Lake Charlevoix for a brief ceremony, dinner, and dancing. Our bartenders, Ann and Carolyn, were busy the entire evening as the lively group partied more than most. The DJ even said it was “the best group I’ve ever seen,” as he asked the bride and groom if he could play just one more last song.

I enjoy serving for events because it’s a chance to share life-altering moments with complete strangers. Arriving to weddings, birthdays, family gatherings, music festivals, and company picnics, I am always confident our crew brings good energy and incredible food. We don’t skim on the absolute most crucial ingredient. Cooking with love really does taste better.

However, as I maintained heaping platters on the buffet, I wondered how many of the guests had any idea of the care that went into their meal. Just ten days prior the Northern Michigan weather finally warmed up enough to produce salad mix, radishes, and violets for the salads.

Would there have been a way to tell of the compost that went into making the soil to grow these incredible greens, or how they were harvested that day just thirty miles away? I doubt it’s polite for a caterer to grab the DJ mic to announce the slow food stories of the entire meal, but this question lingers with me as I contemplate the remainder of this season’s events.

One obvious way to start: bring business cards- with our website- to the rest of our jobs!

on the menu:
(passed hors d’oeuvres and platters)
tortilla española and green olives
sizzling garlic shrimp
chili and lime mango
whitefish pâté on crackers
bruschetta
veggie platter and herb dip
Michigan strawberries

(buffet)
Blackbird Gardens salad with baby radishes
rice pilaf with walnuts (vegan version with corn and peas)
roasted balsamic beets, dill carrots, and tarragon shallots
grilled asparagus and pine nuts
pulled pork sandwiches with garlic aioli

(dessert)
white cake with almond frosting (from a local baker)
cheese platters
fruit platters

(open bar)