Vibrant Table
Catering & Events
Catering to the Senses
Our Creative Director & Owner, Kurt Beadell and Garden Designer, Lucy Hardiman’s gardens and events were recently featured in Oregon Home magazine.
What a wonderful tribute to community, food, events and Kurt and Lucy’s passion for gardening and art.
To see full article, click here.
Oregon Home Feature// Photography by David Papizan
What is a client’s favorite part of planning their event? Tastings of course! As part of the event or wedding planning process, clients often want to test the food to ensure it’s to their liking. Though this usually doesn’t require too much convincing of our clients, below we have shared some important details to get you fully prepared for your upcoming tasting with Vibrant Table.
Vibrant Table Catering & Events offers a complimentary tasting for up to 4 guests, for confirmed events valued at $8,000.00 (exclusive of venue rental).
Tastings take place at The Loft at 8th Avenue on Wednesday, starting between 11am – 3pm.
Clients are invited to taste their prospective menu, selecting from up to three hors d’oeuvres, two salads, and two entrées with sides. If dessert will be part of your Vibrant Table menu, you may select up to two for your tasting. For hors d’oeuvres receptions, guests may taste up to 8 items.
If you would like to sample wine, beer, or specialty cocktails, please notify your planner at least one week prior to the tasting; see current drink menus for pricing.
For events totaling less than $8,000.00, or for tastings prior to client confirmation, the price for a tasting is $50.00 – $100.00 per person, based on your menu selections. For events totaling $8,000.00 or more, the tasting fee will be credited to your event invoice when you confirm with Vibrant Table.
Please confirm your tasting with a credit card or check at least one week prior to tasting date. Should you decide to cancel your tasting, notify your planner at least 7 days prior to the scheduled tasting; otherwise, the full tasting fee will be charged.
Think of your tasting as a trial run of what the event will feel like. Your caterer, especially if they are helping with event planning, will want to discuss the specifics of your entire event during the tasting, including the timeline of events. You don’t need to know everything at this time, but this information will help them to put together a list of outstanding items to discuss and decide upon in the future. We know no one will turn down the chance to eat delicious food, so a tasting is the perfect way to mix business with taste bud pleasure. Enjoy!
Photo by Andie Petkus Photography
FOOD
Reduce the stress of entertaining by prepping ahead. We recommend plenty of cold sides with hot entrees that come straight off the grill. Have everything ready to go in the fridge, with little or no assembly required. Want to handle some things but not all? Your local caterer or deli will gladly help. Order times vary, so call ahead to see when you should place your order.
For menu ideas, peruse our recipes on our blog.
DRINK
Premixing signature cocktails makes serving much easier. For a wide range of guests, consider a fruity beverage that can be made alcoholic or non-alcoholic, such as a strawberry lemonade. Serve the lemonade in a bubbler and let them add the liquor at their discretion. Sangria is always a popular libation, and there are tons of delicious sangria recipes to choose from. A red wine lover? Try chilling a light red for a refreshing summer option.
APPEARANCE
Pretty buffets by serving dishes at varying heights. Boxes covered in a linen work great. Think outside the bowl or platter for a fun twist. Consider fruit salad skewers or individual desserts in shot glasses or mason jars (reuse mason jars in fall canning). Stylish with a social conscious? China is the most sustainable option, but for larger groups we recommend banana leaf plates. Creative Director Kurt Beadell adores MyDrap, attractive cotton-linen napkins that come on a roll. They can be washed up to six times and offer a vast array of color options. Completely biodegradable, throw them into the compost bin when done!
GATHERING
Guests are drawn to food, music, and seating areas. To keep guests out of the kitchen, provide them with alternative gathering spots by setting up food and beverage stations in a more convenient location. Consider setting up the beverage station on the porch, with seating nearby. Create an area for outdoor games, such as croquet, badminton, or horse shoes.
DECOR
Choose a color scheme with 2 colors and work it throughout. An attractive garden needs few extra touches, but you might consider signs to direct your guests or labels for food items. Have a few blank labels on hand for items your guests bring. DIY flag strands or pom-pom balls can be added to brighten up gathering spots or food stations.
LIGHTING
Stumbles to the restroom are no fun! If you plan to go after dark, light all food stations, gathering spots, and important pathways. Popular solutions include hurricane candles, string lights, torches, or solar lamps.
COOL OFF
Take advantage of naturally shaded areas. If your party isn’t at home, survey the event locale during the same hours as your event so you know where the sun hits. Lack natural shade? Consider a shade sail with a pretty cloth, muslin or canvas. Ikea has ready-made shade sails for $25, but we found this DIY tutorial on Apartment Therapy. Mint extract and water in spray bottles can be cooling misters. Kids love water guns or balloon fight, but prepare to be target practice!
BUG DISTRACTORS
Bugs are a fact of life with outdoor hosting, but there are some tricks to deterring them. If possible, connect a fan so that a breeze runs over the food display. Use attractive glass containers with lids (i.e. apothecary jars, cake stands, etc.). Lemon candles can supplement citronella, and there’s always the standby bug zapper. If meat-loving yellow jackets are a problem in your area, the best approach is to bait them away from the festivities with meat or seafood scraps (but not too far to be ineffective), taking care to place canisters out of reach of pets and children.
PORTLAND PARKS, PERMITS & RESOURCES
Based in Portland? Here are some handy links and resources:
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list of ingredients
toffee sauce
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DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Finely chop the dates. Place in a small bowl and add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack. Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stir constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. After the cake is cool, cut slices and drizzle with toffee sauce, top with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream. *recipe photo from whatjessicabakednext.com/ |
We are happy to announce that Creative Director/Partner of Vibrant Table, Kurt Beadell has been selected as the honoree of Equity Foundation’s 2014 Equity Awards. Equity Foundation promotes philanthropy, and seeks to represent the interests of the LGBTQ community and those that promote diversity and inclusion, by granting funds to organizations that work to eradicate prejudice against gender and sexual minorities, and people from other diverse communities. The Equity Award is given to individuals and businesses that are champions in creating social, economic, and political equity for the LGBTQ community.
Congratulations Kurt!
To find out more about Kurt and the Equity Award visit : www.equityfoundation.org
Thank you to Evrim Icoz Photography for allowing us to use his images. These images have been stylized by Vibrant Table.
