Food Fun Friday with the Flinns!

Just over a month ago one of my best friends got engaged and asked me to be her Maid of Honor - with a wedding planned for August 20th, there's lots to do! There is one benefit, and one benefit only, to her living far away in St. Louis during all of this wedding planning: I was invited to attend the catering tasting with her parents since she couldn't!

After being stuck in traffic and arriving almost exactly one hour late, the eating began! So a big thank you goes out to Chef Sean for waiting! A Day to Remember is a catering company based in Methuen, MA - and one of the recommended vendors at The Stevens Estate, where the wedding will be held. One of the most interesting parts of the night was getting to know Sean and the background behind he and his wife's catering company. Of course it helped that we were being treated to delicious food, along with the wine we were allowed to bring along for the evening. One thing we noticed was that, by the end, we were questioning if we had too much food on the menu. The food just kept coming - but Sean made a great point that the guests will not be sitting at a table eating all of the food at once, like we had been doing all night.


I don't want to give away the full wedding menu to those attending and following this blog, but let's just say you will not be disappointed!

                     

            
 

                     

  

Things to make note of when attending a catering tasting


- Portion Sizes: Are the appetizers easy to hold, one bite or a couple of bites, do you feel like you need a fork and knife, are there both stations and passed hors d'oeurves, good mix of vegetarian and other options?
- Do you like the sides, sauces and accompaniments? If the ravioli has a sauce you don't love, suggest one you've had at a restaurant or make at home and really enjoy. A good caterer should be willing to make changes!
- Ask lots and lots of questions. There's no such thing as a stupid question because it's probably likely that this is the first time you're doing this. Ask about timing, costs/deposit, how long you have to make a decision, their relationship with your venue location, recommendations since they're the experienced ones, references from past couples who have used them for weddings.
- Consider the pros and cons of serving styles: buffet, stations, seated meal service.
- If you have a popular family recipe that shows up at all of your family parties, consider making it a part of the menu. It will add a nice feeling of personalization and uniqueness!
- Most importantly, leave room for dinner! Make sure not to eat a huge lunch because if it's a good caterer you'll want to be good and hungry for your tasting!
- Really talk to the chef/servers to help you get a better understanding of the type of people that work there. You should feel like they care about your opinion and want to hear feedback on the food, even though they realize they're the professionals.
- If you are planning to take pictures after the ceremony, ask if they will bring a couple plates of appetizers to those involved in the pictures so that the bride and groom, attendants and family won't miss out on all of the yummy hors d'oeurves!!