food stall

By Pauline Parry Catering chefs are truly the unsung heroes of the culinary world. They can create eight-course gourmet meals in a closet. They are just as comfortable with Sterno as a heat source as they are a Wolf oven. They have been known to carry food into exotic locales on foot, cook a memorable romantic meal for two, then pack it back out. And they do it all happily, for the food, the fun and the love of it! An Example of Catered Food Art: Yellow Beet Basil Stack Created by Chef Joanne Purnell Every year many of the world's top catering chefs come together at CaterArts , a conference produced by the International Caterers Association (ICA). From August 8 to 11 they'll be at Sullivan University (a large culinary institution) in Louisville, Kentucky, and will attend classes taught by the best in the business. They will get demonstrations of new techniques, get hands-on experience working side by side and most important, continue to elevate the profession as they forge new...

A lot of companies talk about giving back to the environment or to needy causes, but talk is not enough. Action is what is needed. At Volt, the BizBash After Party, we worked with and supported two very innovative and action-oriented beverage purveyors: Tru Organic Vodka from the Greenbar Collective and ONEHope Wine who are raising the bar, so to speak, on drinking for a cause. About Tru... Tru is the first certified organic vodka made from American wheat AND made in Los Angeles by Modern Spirits, an acclaimed artisan vodka maker. From field to bottle TRU is free of chemicals that can contaminate the land and leech into ground water. The makers limit ecological impact in a variety of ways. They also, and this is our fave, plant a tree for every bottle sold working through organizations such as Sustainable Harvest International. What we can tell from the Volt event, event professionals are now responsible for an entire new forest! About ONEHope... In a short period of time, ONEHope ...

A day that sparkled with energy. There are some days that are electric and this was one. It began with opening educational sessions at the BizBash LA Expo and Event Awards at The LA Mart , continued on to a tradeshow floor packed with industry professionals and awards show and ended with Volt! , the first-ever BizBash after party! Co-produced by Good Gracious! Events and kool. Party Rentals , the event was held at The Pacific Electric Lofts . The 1905 building, a former utilities company, was our inspiration for the name of the party -- Volt! The event was held in the penthouse of this live-work building that is fast becoming one of LA's hottest new event venues. You can see why. When our Good Gracious team (led by myself and Dan Smith) and Anthony Griffin and Jack Weiner from kool. Party Rentals first saw the space a mere two weeks from the date of the event we knew it was perfect. Along with the stellar team we assembled (for full list, please see end of this post) Los Angeles...

First Tip: When cooking, a smile is always your secret ingredient. Why? Because you're doing something you love! As a followup to our cooking class post, I thought I'd share with you some of the most common cooking mistakes and how to make some simple corrections that will lead to success! #1 Not Shocking Your Green Vegetables Greens continue to cook even after you have boiled or par-boiled them. If you are going to serve greens immediately after cooking, perfect. But most recipes have another stage which means that the greens will overcook if they aren't shocked to stop the cooking process. To do this, after you have boiled your greens in salted water for three to seven minutes, immediately plunge them into iced water. This prevents them from turning that ugly army green color. This can also be done a day in advance. Refrigerate the vegetables and use when needed. When cooking a complex meal, this step will take away some pressure and you will find that the veggies will ha...

My "students" and I celebrating a successful cooking class / party! As a caterer, being in someone else's kitchen is just part of what I do. Often my staff and I find myself joined from time to time by a curious guest who loves to cook. And if there is time, we always try to answer all their questions. But, as you can imagine, a catering kitchen when it starts to really rev up is a bit like a roller derby -- hot, fast and just a little dangerous! If you aren't in sync with the action, it sort of passes you by. Which is why we enjoy it so much when we can slow things down and take the time to spend with clients and guests who want to learn a little more about the recipes we make. We have done many cooking classes and they mostly fall into two categories. The first one is the class as a party itself or as a team-building experience. Cooking is always a fun, interactive, and ultimately rewarding activity for bringing people together. The other cooking class we've do...

Oceans of Love was the theme for a wedding reception that took place in Malibu at the edge of the Pacific Ocean but played upon a color scheme popular on an island in the Atlantic -- Cuba. And of course, Oceans of Love also referred to the waves of love for the couple, Tanya and Jared that was showered on them on their special day. But we get ahead of ourselves... The story actually begins several years ago when Pauline Parry, owner of Good Gracious! Events , and Heidi Vail, mother of the bride, and a caterer herself ( Heidi's Events and Catering in Tempe, Arizona) met and became friends through their affiliation with the International Caterers Association . When Tanya and Jared became engaged and it was clear that the wedding would be in the Los Angeles area (his family is from LA, plus it's hot, hot, hot in Arizona in the summer!) they knew they wanted to work with Good Gracious! Events for planning, design and catering of the wedding. "Both Heidi and Tanya had lots of ...