Over the last few months, I have been helping fellow Tucsonans celebrate anniversaries, weddings, “milestone” birthdays and more. I thought it would be fun to share just a few of my most recent celebrations.

 

          In early April, I catered my biggest event to date – a wedding “rehearsal dinner” buffet for 150 guests in Dove Mountain. The home of my clients was the perfect venue for their party. We set a lovely buffet in their dining room and the bar was set up outside on the patio. Guests were able to enjoy the ambiance of the great room which was adjacent to the patio and pool area. It was a perfect evening. In addition to two bartenders, I had 4 servers helping me with the set-up, prep and clean-up. It was a lot of fun and my client’s were quite pleased. The menu featured both hot and cold “heavy” hors d’oeuvres including “My Signature” Savory Pesto Cheesecake served with Crackers, an Elaborate Antipasto Platter, Stuffed Mushrooms & Savory Smokey Pulled Pork to name a few. Then, in the great room we set up a dessert table featuring an eye-catching Croquembouche which made a beautiful centerpiece along with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. As my clients and guests will attest to, there was plenty of food for a full meal and no one went away hungry.

 

            Later in the month, I catered the food for the Sun City Gourmet Club in Rancho Vistoso. This fun group wanted more of a traditional Italian fare” so I provided my grandma’s recipe for Meatballs and Italian Sausage in a rich and savory tomato sauce (or red gravy as my relatives like to call it) served with cocktail rolls along with an “AntiPasto-inspired Pasta Salad just to name a few dishes. After dinner they enjoyed entertainment by local entertainer, Wendy Sweet.

 

            On a beautiful May evening, I catered a “milestone” 60^th birthday party for 50 guests in the foothills between Craycroft and Sabino Canyon. Once again we utilized both the inside and outside of the house. The buffet and bar was set up inside and linen-covered tables were set outside. Once again, I served both hot and cold items on the buffet that created a satisfying meal but casual in that most of the items could easily be eaten without utensils. For this event, I had 2 servers to help with the set-up, prep and clean-up.