Our week in Lunenburg NS – Part 2

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Hannah & Rob’s Wedding Celebration
August 4, 2011

It was a first time at Shobac – a stunning property on the shores of Upper Kingsburg 25 minutes outside of Lunenburg.  Built by architect Bryan McKay-Lyons in an eerily breathtaking area along the coast – it is a location that is can be described as rustic modern – yet wonderfully secluded and perfect for a small intimate wedding reception.  Hannah and Rob (who came over from Switzerland) rented the entire property for the week and Thursday was the day they chose to exchange their vows.  We don’t often do mid-week weddings but this one was well worth the effort.

The guests arrived late afternoon and although it was misty and cool (and the wind was crazy!!) they toured the grounds and enjoyed lemonade, summer berry punch and mint mojitos.   Housemade popsicles were also passed although with the weather on the cool side – we may have been better serving hot chocolate.     The ceremony by Sandy Morash was beautiful & wonderfully funny!  The guests were then treated to some of our chef choice hors d’oeuvres as the photographer whisked them away for photos.  We served up some summer Greek salad skewers, chipotle BBQ wings, wild mushroom risotto croquettes and potato latkes with smoked salmon and lemon creme fraiche.

Dinner was served in the barn – a 19th century troop barn rescued from demolition – the main space is 2000 square feet and Hannah & Rob had  Hen House do the decor – a wonderful mix of modern country… rustic yet so elegant.  Hannah’s mom made custom table covers out of canvas cloth and grey linen napkins…plus (we later found out) she also built some of the benches…seamstress, carpenter and best mom around!

Hannah & Rob wanted a real family style dinner – their guests enjoyed family style mussels two ways as the first course with a green curry sauce and a tomato fennel broth.  Lahave Bakery provided a mini baguette for each place setting that Hannah’s friends & family wrapped in brown paper and tied a luggage tag to each – stamped with a classic fish motif and each guests name.  They were perfect for soaking up the rich broth at the bottom of the mussel bowl and perfect place-settings.

A plated salad was next – filled with summer greens and fire roasted peppers, blueberries, grape tomatoes & champagne vinaigrette.  We garnished each with an edible flower from Riverview Herbs.  The main course was served again family style – large platters and bowls were placed in the centre of each table (and sometimes it was a tight fit) filled with steamed corn, roasted nugget potatoes, grilled balsamic marinated vegetables and skewers of red curry beef tenderloin, maple pepper glazed salmon and chicken skewers with preserved lemons. Dessert was a raspberry peach crumble with ice cream and cinnamon drizzle.  Dinner ran over but we finally got the tables cleared so the guests could dance the night way with Big Fish  When the first crew packed the vans to go – it seemed that every guest was on the floor!

Eric and Laurie soldiered on and served late night snacks to all the guests at 1:00 am.  Mini pizza, french fries in bamboo cones and Maureen’s fabulous espresso chocolate brownies were served. It was a 3 am night for staff and they were back to the regular grind the next morning (thank you guys!) Hannah and Rob are one of those couples who from the moment we met (well actually, spoke on the phone) I knew that they were so right together and their wedding would be phenomenal.  Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day!

Our week in Lunenburg NS – Part One

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This last week was eventful – 2 weddings in Lunenburg  - both in barns and both with custom menus…all within 4 days of each other.  There was lots of overtime and late nights…but the couples were wonderful, so very cute and lovely to work with… even through 35 degree weather (Sunday) and 12 degree weather (Thursday)  Welcome to summer in Nova Scotia.

July 31, 2011 – Daniel & Natasha

We were praying for sun after a week of rain…and the sun blessed us. It was hot.  Sticky hot (the weather never wins eh?)  But we had a fantastic time at Daniel & Natasha’s wedding on Sunday in Blue Rocks…just outside Lunenburg.

The barn was located on property owned by Natasha’s parents and the couple took the week to clean it out and prep it for the wedding.  They did an amazing job (what a transformation from the site visit to the wedding) and the barn was set with hanging lanterns.  Eric and Andre set up our “from scratch” off-site kitchen in the back of the barn behind a wall of sails (who knew they made such great room dividers!)

The guests arrived and were welcomed with our mashed potato martini bar  - on one our phone conversations, Natasha claimed we could just serve mashed potatoes and she would be happy.  Guests had their choice of whipped sweet potatoes & whipped Yukon gold potatoes and got to top off their stemless martini glass with a wild mushroom ragout, crispy bacon, sour cream drizzle and sliced green onions. Throughout the cocktail hour on the lawn…we served lobster sliders with bacon and lemon aioli, Greek salad skewers with lemon oregano vinaigrette and for Daniel – moussaka filled phyllo purses with cinnamon yogurt sauce.  The guests sat at tables under this incredible HUGE maple tree in the yard and toured around the heritage farm house.

Dinner was plated and served in the barn with a spring greens salad with seasonal berries, toasted almonds and chevre – with our signature champagne vinaigrette as the first course.  The main plate was a duo plate – Grilled skewer of chicken with preserved lemons and a lemon cream sauce, pan seared filet of salmon stacked on a risotto cake with fresh peas and individual vegetable bundles with herb butter.  We were so consumed with plating that we didn’t get a chance to take a picture – our ONE disappointment of the evening!!!  It was a beautiful plate of food!  We finished with a strawberry rhubarb tart with whipped cream as well as a family style platter of baklava on each table.  It always adds some fun to do restaurant quality food at a venue with no kitchen but our “henny penny” warming cabinet and BBQ worked wonders…once again!

We heard from Jackie Cassie (our first time working with Signature Events - a wonderful experience) that the evening went well into the wee hours…long after our staff left the property. It was great to be a part of the big day for Natasha & Daniel!  We wish them the best of luck in the coming years – if the fun they had at the wedding was any sign – it is sure to be a long and happy marriage.

After a late night and drive back to Bedford….the staff worked through food shop production, 3 corporate events and then…

Julie & Tuan’s Wedding Celebration!

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July 15, 2011 turned out to be a fantastic day here at Kitchen Door Catering. Julie & Tuan were the first couple we did a tasting for back in April 2011 at our new food shop kitchen @ 2 Bluewater Road in Bedford (we were super excited and proud to show off our new digs!)  Eric & Andre had a great time creating the delicious Cape Breton & Vietnamese inspired menu items…Julie & Tuan left feeling very full with a doggy bag and were super pleased with what the culinary team had created.Tuan assured us that his family would be impressed with our renditions of stir fried noodles and bulgogi skewers.  We were looking forward to July…

The weather was fantastic that Friday – not too hot with a light breeze – a perfect day at Saint Mary’s Boat Club.  We set up our outdoor kitchen with silver moire linen on the tables and our 6 foot folding grill on the back deck and greeted the guests with the wonderful aromas from the grill. Throughout the cocktail reception, the guests enjoyed our vegetarian spring rolls with spiced mango sauce – Andre rolled every last one (thank you Andre) and we heard rave reviews!  Everyone was ready to taste what we were cooking up for dinner!

Laurie set up two beautiful buffet stations – the Maritime Station included fig glazed pork tenderloin with dried fruit & fig chutney, maple pepper glazed Atlantic salmon fillets on cedar planks, new roasted PEI potatoes with herb butter and grilled asparagus with balsamic.  The Asian Station included our service staff filling Chinese take out boxes with delicious stir-fried noodles with marinated tofu, bulgogi beef skewers with sesame & individual mango & cucumber salads with cilantro vinaigrette in little glass cubes.  For dessert – a petite sweets station was set with over 600 pieces (and every last one was eaten) including mini lime & lemon curd tartlets with seasonal berries, edible Asian spoons with white chocolate & strawberry mousse, mini pavlova with apricot preserves and strawberry rhubarb mini tarts with streusel crust.  The guests seemed to enjoy everything and we received many compliments throughout the evening!

Julie & Tuan are a fantastic couple – truly genuine, gracious and so easy to work with – all the staff commented on not only how fun Julie & Tuan were (great big gigantic smiles on both of them) but also that their guests were so happy and wonderful to service.  And the MC – well, only one word there – hilarious.  The slide show was one of the most impressive I have seen at a wedding…and we do a lot of weddings.  We also got the chance to meet Layton Reid – responsible for the truly genius photos above (thanks Layton!)  He is new on the scene in Halifax and you should definitively check out his website  - the self-serve photo booth photos are gems!

I am so glad that Julie & Tuan choose us to be a part of their very special day -one of the many things I love about my job is that I get to meet so many wonderful couples and assist in making their visions come to life!  Julie & Tuan were a joy to work with and we here at Kitchen Door Catering wish them the very best!

We received this lovely note following the wedding….

From our first meeting with Patty, we knew that we were in good hands. Working with Kitchen Door considerably eased our wedding preparation and we are very thankful.

 Patty and her team created a delicious and cohesive menu that excited both the Vietnamese and Acadian palettes of our families! It was fun working with Patty and seeing what she and her creative team came up with in the months preceding the wedding. Our guests were not only pleased with the delicious food and presentation, but on the helpfulness and happy demeanour of the staff.

 Patty, thank you for sharing your expertise and talent with us!

 - Julie & Tuan (Halifax, NS)

One more thing to check off the list…..

Clients have been telling me for years to start a little blog about all the events we get to be a part of here at Kitchen Door Catering – “Patty – write a blog I would LOVE to read all about the food you cook and the events you cater!!”  And truthfully, it has been in the back of my mind as well – every time I read about ways to communicate with future clients and how to build a better on-line presence for my “little engine that could” start up catering company.

But my life is well – Busy.  My daughter Kathleen is now almost 7 months (was New Year’s Eve that long ago?) and James is the most bombastic 3 1/2 year old boy in the world (well, at least in Bedford) and with all the NEW full-time staff (Eric, Andre & Laurie) and all the NEW part-time staff and the NEW Food Shop at our NEW location in Bedford, NS – things have been…well…busy and NEW.

But here it is.  My NEW little blog.  We have a number of weddings under our belt so far this year…all fantastic and blog-worthy.  Eric, Laurie, Andre and the gang have done a fantastic job making each event truly wonderful.  It is a great joy to work with people who care not only about the job they do and the clients they serve but also care greatly about Kitchen Door Catering and our success.  Thanks to them, my life is less busy.  Some days.

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