January Tasting

I used to think there would be a naturally occurring "off season" in catering, and there is, but it is a little different than I had imagined. Busy event season is typically May-September which is to be expected due to weddings, summertime ect. Then there is the holidays too, so November-January is also very busy for us. You'd think the months of October and February-April should be pretty laid back, right? Yeah...not so much, haha. I do tend to have less scheduled events, but these "off season" months have JAM-PACKED with growing my business. But don't get me wrong, I love it!

I am the type of person that if my calendar doesn't have something scheduled in a day, I get a little anxious {I guess i picked the right career path}.
                                   
                                   Exhibit A:

See Jan 30th...stressful. P.s. don't ask about my color coding obsession.....

So what have I been doing to promote my business? Networking, networking, networking. That is the name of the game these days. It has been so rewarding for me thus far, not necessarily in a monetarily sense but in a personal growth sense as well. I have met some pretty great people in the last few months that I know I never would have come in contact with if I didn't put myself {and business} out there. At the end of the day I am a big time people person and I enjoy getting to know new people. 

So, at the beginning of January I attended the Tacoma Wedding Expo by Bridesclub with a venue that I work closely with, The Neuwaukum Grange. This was such a fun experience for me, I had the opportunity to meet a ton of newly engaged couples and brides. It was fun sharing about my business and trying to help some of them with ideas on menus and what pricing looks like as well. It was the first Wedding Expo I have attended, and I learned a lot. I can't wait for the next one at the end of March.

A few weeks after the Expo I hosted a tasting and open house at the Grange and we invited couple to come out and tour the venue as well as try some of my popular menu items. Thanks to Sarah, of Sarah Katlin Photography, I got some beautiful photos of the set up from that day. Here are a few of my favorites:

 I really love how she paired these pictures side by side, the food and the description. I know that whenever I look at food pictures I'm like oooo...yummy...that looks delicious...but, um what is it? This idea totally solves that problem.

 She also did a great job capturing the whole display and look that we were going for {the shabby chic/lace and burlap thing}. This venue has been beautifully restored and I think you can do a lot with it as far as themes, by either dressing it up for a more elegant feel. Or you can play up it's classic elements; the hardwood floors, the rustic barn feel and so on. It is a very versatile place to decorate in my opinion.

The main dance floor is pretty awesome as well. The fixed strings of lights give it such a cute touch and the large dance floor really leaves room for a lot of creativity as far as seating arrangements. And, lets not forget the stage. I think it work really well set up this way and I know the DJ's or band really like this set up too, they are out of the guests way, they can easily manage the event with announcements and updates. I think it is a great feature that not many places offer.

I really like how these "poof balls" turned out, too. There is a funny story behind them actually, first of all, have you ever tried to find brown tissue paper? And not like dark chocolate brown, but that tan color brown..? Let's just say it's not easy. My assistant, had a the idea of using brown paper lunch bags, and it turned out exactly how we wanted it. Creativity at it's finest!

To view the entire album be sure to visit my Facebook page; Eclectic Events. A huge thank you again, to Sarah for these gorgeous pictures. It is not easy to photography food, to see how great she can do with live subjects, make sure you check out her web site here.

The tasting was a very fun event for me. I was able to play around with a few new menu items and get to know a few new couples. I hope to have the pleasure of working with some of them in the future. I would also like to thank Jason and Gina, of the the Neuwaukum grange for partnering with me on the event, as well as to all the great guest that came out on that exceptionally nice winter afternoon.