Catering with an Elegant Touch

Jennifer
Mar 8, 2017
5 min read

With almost 4 months left before the big day I can

breathe a quick little breath.

All of the “majors” are booked. It wasn't all smooth sailing, but a little frustration helped make one decision easy, if that makes any sense at all.

Caterers.

The list started at four and each one provided a different experience. Simply put one never called back, one was booked, one frustrated me, and one was perfect.

I began my quest to find a caterer in the middle of January, just after we booked the Altamont Manor. I wasn't sure what we could afford and I didn't really know what to expect. I kind of knew what I had pictured in my mind stylistically but I didn't know if anyone would accommodate the vision. A non-traditional reception was what the bride and groom were asking for; one where the guests would mingle and eat. It would be a reception without assigned seating, dances, bouquet throws and the like. The kids just want an afternoon spent with their guests, enjoying family, friends, food, and drink. I wasn't sure if anything like this had been done or not, and I wasn't sure how outside of the box it was, but I was about to find out.

After visiting each catering website, I left a message for the first establishment on my list, but they never returned my call. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I am left to assume that they were already booked for the date, though I am a bit disappointed. The least they could have done was to return my call with a simple, “Sorry, we're booked for the date.” Regardless, they obviously would not be serving at our event.

I contacted one of the caterers via email. They were quick to get back to me and set up a consultation. Unfortunately, they hadn't realized the conflict they had for Ariana's wedding date and had to cancel because of an event they participate in every year somewhere in upstate NY. They were polite, apologetic, and wished us the best in our endeavors. I was impressed with the professional manor in which they canceled our appointment and wouldn't think twice about contacting them in the future as a possible catering choice.

Caterer number three was a mess from the initial contact and maybe I should have known from the outset that they were a waste of my time. I began by sending an email. After not receiving a response, I thought I might do better calling. A young woman answered, asked about the wedding, and asked for my email to send me a form to fill out and return. I received the form, filled it out, returned it, and waited to hear back to schedule a consult. Between the time that I returned the form and the time that we set a date, I had conflicting correspondence with three different individuals. This should have dissuaded me, but once the date was set for us to meet I thought all was starting to work toward the positive. However, the day before our consultation I received an email asking, ironically, if I had time that week to meet with them. I responded that we had an appointment and sternly, but politely told her that I was concerned by all of the confusion. This should have been a bigger clue as to what I should expect, and really it was, but I thought maybe once we met in person it would get better. The meeting went well. The woman was polite, took down our information, gave us some ideas on menu options, explained their full service catering and made everything sound like they might be a possibility. I felt better about them, until I received their proposal. One of the items I was explicit on was that we were having a dry wedding. This is not the norm I understand, but it was mentioned more than once. She had even typed “dry wedding” at the top of the proposal she sent to me, yet all of the pricing options included beer, wine, and liquor. Now I don't know about you, but I felt as if I was an after thought. I felt like I wasn't important enough for them to remember our meeting or important enough for them remember what I wanted, or in this case didn't want.

To top it all off, their per person price was extravagant for the lack of attention they were already providing.

Well, this frustration cinched the decision for the final caterer on my list, who was impressive and my first choice from the beginning of this quest. My initial contact with them was the best by far. Chef Kim answered the phone. She was very helpful, explaining their services and I was thrilled with the energy and heartfelt congratulations she expressed for Ariana and Kevin's engagement. She took my information and we set a date for a consultation. At the consult I met Deborah. She gathered some basics about the who, the where, and the when. Before I started to explain the what, she began to paint pictures of their buffet and station services. When she described their station service, she was describing exactly what I had already imagined in my mind. We talked more about various options and she showed off some picture books of events they had catered in the past. Before we left she gave me menus and station options, along with the task of coming up with a tentative menu. I was excited and couldn't wait to tell Ariana what I had learned and get an idea of what kinds of foods they might want so that I could get the information back to Deborah and Kim. Shortly after sending them our menu ideas I had the proposal and our caterer was chosen.

On Saturday, my husband and I had the opportunity to enjoy a tasting at Elegant Touch (OUR caterer) and were greatly impressed not only with the food but their kindness, attention to detail, and overall service. Kathy was our fabulous hostess and every once in awhile Deborah would pop out to see how we all were doing. There were three other couples and a trio along with us on our food tasting adventure, and I think they were just as impressed as we were. We walked inside to a Pomegranate Champagne tree and a Bistro table filled with delightful treats ranging from stuffed tomatoes to bruschetta. We were offered a variety of beverages and eventually made our way to a beautifully decorated farmhouse table. Passed hor d'oeuvres came out one by one, each one just as impressive as the one before it. I must say, however, that my favorite by far was the mini crab cake... to die for! Then came a salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, roasted peppers, and chopped mozzarella. After that, handmade gnocchi in vodka sauce. Delicious. This was followed by a plate with Moroccan chicken and parmesan crusted chicken. Then, came a plate with brisket, flank steak, and crusted haddock. The haddock was some of the best I've ever had. Finally, the last plate was a sampling of butterscotch mousse, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, and a delightful chocolate cookie cup with a chocolate coated center filled with homemade vanilla ice cream.

I was stuffed.

I was pleased.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we had made the right decision.

I think our dinner companions would agree that Elegant Touch is the perfect catering choice.

Everything is coming together. We have the dress, we have the church, we have the reception site, we have a photographer, and now we have our caterer.

I am waiting with anticipation for the experience we will have with Elegant Touch at the Altamont Manor this July!