I had the pleasure of attending the CATIE Awards while at the Event Solutions Conference in Las Vegas. One word: yum. I was blown away by all of the award winners, but I wanted to highlight two very cool concepts – a food and a drink.

FOOD

Best New Food Concept by Vicky Crease from Vicky Crease Catering + Events

These glam salad dressings were created for an a-list bridal dress designer’s party. The high fashion & media guests were blown away for several reasons:

Guests had a myriad of choices and could pick any flavor or combination that they preferred…customizing their eating experience. The result was quick, effective and highly interactive. Everybody stood comparing their daring combinations and taking great pride in their custom creations. A great side benefit is that this brand new food concept is low on cost and high on impact. Given the fact that the dressings are mixed by the guests themselves, the perception is that it’s uber fresh – straight from the farm to the table.

To learn more and to get the recipes, visit the CATIE blog site.

DRINK

Innovative Mixology by Michael Ring from Jay’s Catering

Rolls-Royce, a company known for luxury, planned to launch their new luxury vehicle GHOST at a Halloween-themed event at the Newport European Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Showroom.

Jay’s Catering’s liquid answer was the ‘Black Vodka Ghost Martini’, made with Black Vodka, Chambord, Cranberry Cocktail Juice and a Blackberry garnish. The ‘WOW’ factor was the presentation…Stemless martini glasses were passed on silver platters covered with dry ice. The smoke provided a ‘ghostly’ affect throughout the evening. Boo!

Get the recipe here!

It’s that time again! Time to weigh in on our Love It or Hate It game. These gorgeous emu eggs were served up at The Hollywood Roosevelt’s Library Bar by famed bar tender and creator of culinary cocktails, Matthew Biancaniello. To use them as cocktail vessels, Matthew had to file down the rims, coat them and add a mouthpiece for sipping.

When my husband and I celebrated our honeymoon, we opted for a month in Europe. One of the towns we visited along the way was a beautiful place called Orvieto. Known to Italians as the “green heart of Italy”, it is lesser known to tourists and is centrally located between Rome and Florence. It’s location, beauty and rich Etruscan history made it  a must on our list of places to see.

I recently came across some stunning pictures of a wedding that Artfool (now named Matthew Robbins designs) designed and executed in Orvieto. Having been to this beautiful place, I think they did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of this magical Italian town.

I reported on this trend back in April and it’s back again! Despite the fact that we’re heading into Winter and everything around me is withering away, flower pots are popping up everywhere. But where they’re really hot is on the table. Terracotta has been used for centuries for cooking, but these new takes are oh so cute.

Sources:
Image left
Image right via Tastespotting

Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
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A decadent and delightful blog by Fisher & Paykel employees, OUR KITCHEN is a must have in your rss feed.

Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network

Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network

Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network