11.04.09 9:00 AM
New Caterers Offer Sustainable Food, Hands-On Service
Michael Steifman and Kaegan Welch Photo: Vincent Dilio for BizBash
Throughout their careers, Michael Steifman and Kaegan Welch experienced different sides of the catering business. After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Steifman was the kitchen, operations, and beverage manager for Olivier Cheng Catering and Events . Meanwhile Welch, who also trained at F.C.I., worked as a chef for his own private dining company and at restaurants in Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York, including Bouchon Bakery, before joining Olivier Cheng, too. In spite of their different skill sets, the men shared a distaste for the amount of waste generated at events. Looking for a way to be socially responsible and gain more creative and personal freedom, the two formed full-service catering company Stuart & Welch in January.
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Max Mara , Stella McCartney , Bank of Montreal , Practical Law Company
09.09.09 9:00 AM
Floral Designer Anne Kilcullen Prides Herself on Interpreting Clients' Ideas
Anne Kilcullen found herself working in the event industry in 2001, after interviewing for a sales manager position at Bloom , a floral design company. “When I walked in, I knew I had to work there,” she says. “I didn’t care what I would be doing, because the shop was so beautiful.” She ended up renting out Bloom’s two spaces for parties, learning event planning along the way. On Valentine’s Day the next year, Kilcullen worked with the staff through the night to finish all of the holiday orders. What would seem like an exhausting experience actually invigorated her, sparking a lasting interest in flower arranging. After four years managing two Bloom locations, then honing her design skills during a four-year stint as manager and creative director at floral shop Flowers of the World , she decided to go solo, opening Blade Floral & Event Designs in fall 2007.
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Bon Appetit
06.24.09 9:00 AM
Set Designer Brings Whimsical D.I.Y. Approach to Event Decor
Sara Foldenauer began her career as a photographer’s assistant, learning the basics of prop styling and lighting from still-life and fashion photographers. When she ventured out on her own as a freelance photographer and stylist, she realized that her favorite part of the job wasn’t necessarily her subjects. She loved creating environments, from moody street scenes to a loft space filled with silver balloons. “I realized that it’s the most creative part of the process for me,” she says. “My goal, whether I’m working on an event or still photos, is to create an environment creatively and colorfully.” In fall 2007, she launched her company, Sets by Sara , which also offers prop styling and event design services.
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Deitch Art Parade , Target , Prevention , Sundance Channel
04.29.09 9:00 AM
Inventive Cocktails From an Up-and-Coming Mixologist
A lot of cocktails are nothing more than alcohol and mixers, with maybe an olive thrown in for decoration. But if Junior Merino is tending bar, you might get organic kiwi slices, agave nectar, or thyme, not to mention small-batch spirits. With Liquid Chef , Merino aims to raise the bar—pun intended—when it comes to cocktails. “Everyone can mix a vodka-cranberry, but we create something that will project a different image and give guests an experience,” he says. The company, which launched in 2006, offers catering, private classes, brand development, and other services.
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International Bar Show , Court of Master Sommeliers
02.25.09 9:00 AM
Amy Atlas Curates Stylish Dessert Tables
A dessert table by Amy Atlas Photo: Gemma Comas
Amy Atlas knows where to source treats of all kinds, from macaroons in the perfect shade of purple to centerpiece-worthy layer cakes. Trained as a lawyer, she has spent many years searching for unique store-bought desserts and arranging them at her own parties as a hobby. “I used to love to bake, but it became too much work, so I started to use desserts by other people,” she says. Word got around, and soon she was designing tables for private and corporate events, eventually going full time with her business, Amy Atlas Events , in spring 2007. “I’ve always been interested in bringing artistry to dessert,” Atlas says. “I’ve been to lots of events that had incredible design, but it wasn’t incorporated into dessert. I want to bring dessert into the rest of event design.”
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01.14.09 9:00 AM
Floral Designer Expands Services With New Decor Firm
A Meditative Journey : Southern California native Garin Baura moved to New York in the late 1990s with a graduate degree in Japanese and Chinese art history and ambitions of working in a gallery. “I was making no money,” he says. “And on the side, I really loved flowers.” Baura went on to study floral design with florists Elan Flowers and Ronaldo Maia Ltd., calling it “floral boot camp.” His expertise earned him positions with Roberta Bendavid, the florist for Gramercy Tavern, and event design firm Avi Adler, where he worked for three years. Baura also started doing weddings for friends and developed a roster of clients that allowed him to start his own event design business, Baura New York , in 2006.
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10.15.08 9:00 AM
Magazine Stylist Offers Unfussy Flowers for Events
Coast to Coast: Raised by a family of gardeners in upstate New York, Nicolette Owen has always been surrounded by flora. “I was brought up in the garden,” she says. “I learned about flowers from a very young age.” After studying fine arts at Sarah Lawrence College, she embarked on a career in photography before deciding to pursue floral design. A soulsearching photography trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, led to a move to Northern California, where she began working with florists in the Bay Area. “As soon as I started working full time [there], where I had my hands in flowers every day, learning their personalities, I felt very much at home,” she recalls. She moved back to the East Coast in 2006 and started her own business, Nicolette Camille Floral Design , in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
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07.23.08 9:00 AM
Former Ballet Event Chief Now Caters to Corporate Clients
Monet Meets Balanchine : For Kara Minogue, inspiration grows from institution. As a Boston University communications student, she discovered her calling while interning at the Museum of Fine Arts during its Monet in the 90’s exhibit. “I fell in love with the feeling of being in this institution—something bigger than oneself—where everyone is on the same team,” she recalls. After graduating in 1992 she accepted an internship with the New York City Ballet, which eventually led to a full-time position. Kara spent 13 years in the event department—eight as director—before opening her own agency, Kara Minogue & Company MORE >>
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Studio in a School , New York City Ballet
05.07.08 9:40 AM
Former Set Designer Adds Drama to Events
Jonathon Beck Photo: James Mottee
All the World’s a Stage: After studying set and costume design at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts—and becoming the youngest graduate of the course, in 1999—Jonathon Beck began designing sets for the Sydney Theatre Company before expanding his work abroad as a production designer for movies and television in Vienna. Upon his return to Sydney, in 2004, Beck began designing events, and his client list grew to include charity galas and parties for Wella, Moët & Chandon, and 20th Century Fox as well as film director Baz Luhrmann. “It was a natural progression from conceptual theater to what I’m doing now,” he says. “My [work] comes out of a visual arts background and is very installation inspired. It’s more than a backdrop. The idea is to enter into a world that is different from anything else.”
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Tommy Hilfiger , Y-3 , Moët & Chandon , 20th Century Fox , Hugo Boss
03.12.08 11:16 AM
A Look at Fête's New Design and Invitation Offerings
Fête owners Jung Lee and Josh Brooks Photo: Brad DeCecco for BizBash
Uncommon Ground: Jung Lee and Josh Brooks don’t have the typical résumés of New York event planning professionals (if there is such a thing). Lee worked in real estate development and design (with projects ranging from high-end grocery store/deli Azure, which she founded, to palatial Westchester homes), and Brooks spent 10 years as an investment banker and marketing exec at companies such as Kidder Peabody and M5, a telecom startup. Along the way, the two got married. In 2002, inspired by what they saw as a lack of original ideas in the event industry, they launched event production firm Fête .
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