On June 5, Chicago celebrated the opening of the 606, a public, elevated trail along a former railway, with a gala that paid homage to the host city. Limelight Catering serviced the event. Menu items included a first course of hanging flatbreads in two flavors: herb and olive oil and three cheese. The dish incorporated onions from an Illinois farm and cheeses from Wisconsin.
The 2015 Wall Ball gave its 700-some guests an opportunity to make their own salad by ordering from a salad mural. Held on May 21 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia and produced by Bread & Butter Productions, the annual fund-raiser supports the City of Mural Arts Program, which advocates community-focused public art that includes mural-making projects and educational programs. Complementing the event's artistic roots and inspired by the idea of a mural depicting community gardens, Catering by Design created a mural wall of salad greens.
The charity hosted its fund-raiser at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington on May 8. Ridgewells handled catering, and festive menu items included pours of champagne over popsicles for dessert cocktails.
Limelight Catering in Chicago recently created miniature Baked Alaska desserts for a "Fire and Ice" theme event in Chicago. The "flamed-to-order" desserts comprised stacked strawberry ice cream and dark chocolate cake wrapped with toasted meringue.
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Encore Catering
Toronto-based chef Roshan Wanasingha attended culinary school in Sri Lanka, then made his way through the kitchens of luxury hotels such as the five-star Hilton Colombo and the seven-star Burj Al Arab in Dubai. At Encore Catering, Wanasingha has spent the past year catering to clients such as Nike and BMW; he also serviced a million-dollar wedding.
Green tea, Chivas Regal whiskey, and white chocolate gelato served in a smoking teapot
"A couple of years ago, I went to a Chinese dim sum restaurant and they served a green tea. I was looking at it and said to myself it would be a great idea to do a green tea sorbet on a smoking teapot. It’s a very unique concept because it looks like it’s hot, but its cold. It’s almost like you’re serving sorbet on smoking water."
Shiraz Events
Born in Venezuela, Myriam Cordova studied at Casa de Campo University in Madrid before working alongside top chefs, including Douglas Rodriguez, Alex Garcia, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Zarela Sanchez. Cordova, who honed her skills as the executive chef at the Betsy Ross Hotel prior to heading up the culinary and catering division of Shiraz Events in Miami, also teaches at the New York Food and Hotel Management School.
A deconstructed piña colada made of coconut custard flan and baked into a dried coconut with homemade pineapple sorbet and a dark rum glaze
"We are always looking for new ways to serve classic flavors."
Occasions Caterers
Heather Weaver decided that she wanted to be a chef at a young age, and after culinary school, she began to work in some of Washington, D.C.’s most distinguished restaurants. Her respect for ingredients and tradition combined with creative curiosity led her to her current role as the lead chef of research and development at Occasions Caterers in the Nation’s Capital. With the help of co-founder Eric Michael and creative director Amy Lewerenz, Weaver develops, tests, and explores new dishes, ingredients, and presentations in an effort to stand out from fellow caterers.
Scallop hors d’oeuvres with shells magnetically affixed to metal pins attached to driftwood trays
"When interpreting or reinterpreting dishes, you should always begin with understanding its origin and the culture that created it. The tray design was truly about form and function. … Eric conceived the idea of producing something that related to the ingredients, was striking, and functionally effective."
Olivier Cheng Catering & Events
Jenny Glasgow, who worked as a senior advertising executive for more than a decade before becoming a chef, is the creative culinary force at New York’s Olivier Cheng Catering & Events, where she specializes in restaurant-caliber cuisine. Glasgow trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York and served as the director of culinary development at California-based Matthew Kenney Group before joining Olivier Cheng. With a diverse client base, including leading fashion houses, Glasgow and her team have created menus for events as far away as Doha, Qatar.
Ricotta späetzle with duck confit, served with a golden Gruyère broth, which is poured into the bowl, turning the liquid bright pink when it hits the beet gelée hidden underneath
"We had a client who was asking for a presentation with ‘wow’ factor. We didn’t want something that was just a gimmick. It had to be something that tasted good—that we would want to eat."
A treelike tower of biscuits made for clever decor at Chicken Coupe host’s Andrew Carmellini’s station. The event was held February 20 in the ballroom at W South Beach.
