Monday, December 10, 2012

Encore New Jersey Bar Miitzvah Catering - your Simcha Specialists

When it comes to Bar Mitzvah Catering and Bat Mitzvah Catering - Encore Catering NJ are the "Simcha Specialists".  Clients throughout the Northern Jersey area and beyond clamour to have Encore NJ cater their child's event and dates fill up quickly.

Earlier this month, Encore Catering was scheduled to produce an over the top New Jersey Bar Mitzvah but Superstorm Sandy happened and the event had to be postponed.   A considerable degree of details had to be reorganized, yet, one week later the professional Encore catering team and vendor associates created a show stopping and Uber-delicious Bar Mitzvah Celebration, rocking New Jersey just as intended.


Encore Catering New Jersey MOBILE KITCHEN TRUCK

Encore NJ Catering worked closely with the Bar Mitzvah family and their event designer Pat Glenn Productions, along with a slew of other vendors to produce yet another dazzling and divinely delicious Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Sports Academy in Milburn, New Jersey.

Join us for a peek at some of the spectacular food, off the hook tablescapes and serving ideas.


The Sports Academy was completely transformed with white "pipe and drape" curtains that creating clean white walls and sectioning off the large sports arena into various areas.  The adults entered via a grand entrance to the cocktail lounge and bar area where the  main adult dining room was hidden behind a backdrop of white curtains.  Attendants ushered the  young adults along a long corridor where young adult cocktail food awaited them as well as several areas to enjoy games, bumper cars, food, photo boothes, personalized sweatshirts and MORE!



new jersey bar mitzvah lounges Encore Catering DECOR BY PAT GLENN PRODUCTIONS
The very masculine yet elegant lounge area with rustic brown leather couches and ottomans, was complimented by a matching three tier leather surround bar offering cocktails and beverages.  It later become the young adult buffet space when the adults were seated at their assigned tables.

Encore staff lined the entrance offering trays of alluring hors d'oeuvres and signature libations as the guests filtered into the cocktail lounge.

bar mitzvah lounge decor central New Jersey Encore Catering and Pat Glenn Productions Floral Design
A soaring fall accented floral display anchored
a table displaying seating cards on mini wood rounds
echoing the natural woodsy theme of the evening.




Waiter Passed Hors D'oeuvres

* Grandma Millie’s Potato Latkes
   offered with 
   Apple Sauce + Sour Cream
* Tuna Tatare Taco
* Buffalo Chicken Lollipops
* Grilled Vegetable Tower Skewer
* Encore Signature Franks in a Down Quilt


* Rosemary Encrusted 
  Baby Lamb Chop  
   ..Papaya Mint Chutney
* Butternut Squash 
  Soup Shooter
* Fried Pickle Burger 
 ..Spicy Ranch Dressing
* Spicy Shrimp Taco 
  ..Cilantro Crema
mobile kitchen equipment for on site cooking for bar mitzvah
A large kitchen tent +  box truck with ovens and fryers meant Encore was able to produce restaurant quality food fresh on site.
The white pipe and drape walls offered a neutral background for  uplighting that changed the tone and mood of the room depending on what was happening.  Blue uplighting accented the crisp navy blue linens in the elegant lounge area during the 
cocktail hour.  The curtains were pulled back, revealing the adult dining area and the double sided bar was accessible from either side .






Encore NJ Catering's
"off da hook" mozzarella station

everything from hand pulled warm mozzarella made in front of guests to buffalo mozzarella, fried mozzarella balls, marinated mozzarella and all manner of complimentary roasted, marinated and grilled vegetables, olives, salamis, and MORE~!
Complimenting the passed hors d'ouevres guests enjoyed an array of international delicacies from five signature stations.  From freshly pulled mozzarella and antipasto to a sushi bar, a traditional molcajete mashed guacamole bar and smoked mojo chicken with rice + black beans,  a chef attended Italian pasta station and a modern red and white lacquered Asian dim sum station.




As beautiful and delicious as the lounge area and bar mitzvah hors d'oeuvres and cocktail stations were, it was just a prelude for what was to come...   

Pat Glenn Production's  motto is
Life is short...
     have an affair
Just take a peek at how the floral decor and design transforms the polished Sports Academy into a opulent steakhouse dining room,
creating a rich fall toned natural setting brimming with earthy tones of floral and fauna, layered with burlap, moss, fabulous succulents, soaring branches and a multitude of exotic florals.   Lush earthy floral displays were filled with copper toned cala lilies, coral pin cushions, jade succulents, branches and oversized deep rusty colored orchids running the length of the farm style long tables and in a echoing square display on the large square dining tables.  The long farmhouse style wooden tables were centered with a rich burnt orange fall colored tree spiraling above the guests. Contrasting square tables enjoyed glass columns that formed a platform for flickering candles above the level of the guests view.  Thick beveled glass shelves held up by vases of submerged exotic florals would eventually stage the burled wood shared family style side dishes, and also held white pillar candles complimenting the lush florals below.  


BAR MITZVAH decor by Pat Glenn Florals and Decor NYC Bar Mitzvah Decor Lisa Teiger Photography Caterbuzz Blog
fabulous decor + lush floral design by Pat Glenn Productions

Once the candles were lite and the adults guests seated, the steakhouse dinner created by Encore's talented culinary team commenced the first course, a baby romaine caesar salad.  


Encore Catering NJ Executive Chef
and Co-Owner Lisa Epstein
prepares Truffled Mac  and Cheese
Classic Steakhouse Surf and Turf – served for every two guests
presented on bark edged smoked wood platters

Both Encore Owners, sisters Karen Epstein-Chioccariello and Lisa Epstein 
were on site and hands on, to ensure the Bar Mitzvah Catering ran smoothly.
classic caesar salad steakhouse surf and turf bar miitzvah encore catering new jersey

Encore is renowned for offering Chef prepared fresh five star quality food in any setting. On events like this Bar Mitzvah, held in a facility with no kitchen,  Encore Catering NJ brings the kitchen to the event, along with an army of chefs and equipment, cooking and serving amazing food to serve their clients and guests.






Grilled Bone in Filet of Beef with Crispy Frizzled Onions Flanked by 
Two 9 oz Lobster Tails with Drawn Butter, Fresh Lemon and Sea Salt.
An earthy natural decor theme was echoed by the natural wood slabs that the main course was presented on as well as the burled wood bowls that Encore Catering offered family style side dishes in, purchased especially for this event.
steakhouse surf and turf for every couple
with family style sides for each table

Each table was also served
family style side dishes:

Steakhouse Creamed Spinach

Herbed Shoestring French Fries

Truffle Porchini Mac and Cheese

Housemade Beer Battered Onion Rings 

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts 

scented with Roasted Garlic + Citrus EVOO



Desserts Galore
...continuing the party atmosphere, the bar mitzvah guests were offered a bevy of fun and delicious desserts.   


Waiter Passed Desserts
Mini Bouchon Cupcake
Glittery Petite Homemade Cannoli 
Bite Sized Apple Tartlet
Cheesecake Lollipops Adorned with Fun Decorations

Encore's Signature S’Mores Station - fun for the kid in all of us!

Make Your Own Chipwhich 
Chocolate Chip * Oreo * Triple Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Chip, Banana + Strawberry, and  Hazelnut Gelato
Dramatic  Dry Ice Presentation

Takeaway Stations offering fresh donuts.
chocolate dipped candied apples, logo water,
coffee, tea and hot chocolate to go
wrapping up an awesome evening
of bar mitzvah celebrations!!

Hi, I'm Lisa Teiger, founder and forum moderator of caterBuzz, owner of cuisinEtc Catering and Special Events,  a boutique NYC catering concern, a food stylist, culinary fashionista and roving caterBuzz catering reporter, coming to you from NYC but always going beyond !!!  

We hope that you will consider caterBuzz as your traveling eye for the inquisitive professional catering guys and gals around the globe.  Sharing and learning from each other as only like minded professional caterers can do, through pictures, stories, questions and answers, available here on www.caterBuzz.com and also on our facebook caterBuzz group pagea private forum for the experienced professional catering community.


EVENT CREDITS
Bar Mitzvah Catering:    Encore Catering NJ

Bar Mitzvah Venue:       The Sports Academy, NJ

Bar Mitzvah Event Planner
and Floral Design:          Pat Glenn Productions, NYC

Catering Photographer
and Blogger:                  Lisa Teiger, Caterbuzz.com


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Mike Roman the Catering Guru



Recently a intimate group of new and experienced caterers sat around a conference table in a NYC Times Square Hotel with the Catering Guru, Mike Roman, discussing the Management of Catering.   “Catering has always been in my DNA and blood”. 
Mike Roman is a special type of man and if I had to guess his blood type it might be a unique one CG = Catering Guru.

As the founder of Catersource, Mike’s knowledge, expertise and friendship has helped tens of thousands of caterers develop and grow, earning him the title of the Catering Guru.   Countless caterers from North America and around the world have learned tricks and tips on how to hone their craft and increase their business and sales skills via classes and catering conferences that Mike Roman has taught and organized over the past 32 years.   In addition, Mike has authored many valuable catering industry resource books and publishes a daily blog  “Roman’s Opinion”. 

Now “semi-retired”, although still presenting at Catersource, and consulting  for nuphoriQ media, a creative marketing agency,  Mike Roman is once again going back to his roots.  Traveling the USA, Mike is offering catering sales, marketing and management clinics open to a maximum of 10 participants daily– a chance to interact with Mike Roman, the Catering Guru up close and personal.

Last week’s Times Square management clinic was lively and informative, full of ideas from not only Mike Roman’s vast catering consulting experience and knowledge but also from the active participation of the attendees.  Questions and answers posed by relatively new catering businesses like Kurent Events on staffing agencies and boutique liquor offerings, to how to start a new kosher division (a plan that Encore CateringNJ’s VP Karen Epstein and her partner/sisters are launching this fall), offered the opportunity to discuss relevant catering knowledge in depth and be “Romanized”.

Mike suggested that our catering businesses can’t always move forward until we assess and give up a segment that is not profitable.  It is a common rule of thumb in business; i.e. "80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients".  

Mike and the catering management clinic attendees discussed ideas such as finding the right employee match via industrial pyschologists, understanding generational differences in both employees and customers, using retired folks or special refugee programs for staffing needs and considering the business of wholesale catering.

The up close and personal aspect of this type of catering seminar can’t be beat.   Where else do you get the bragging rights to say that you spent the day with “the” Mike Roman, shared coffee, tea, hot chocolate and enjoyed lunch in a lovely setting overlooking Times Square, received a personally autographed catering management book (all included in the tuition) and got to discuss the nitty gritty of catering with Mike Roman, the Catering Guru.

Times Square as the back drop for lunch with
Mike Roman, THE Catering Guru.



We shared real life catering challenges and solutions – advice and expertise and each of us came away with a renewed sense of why we love this crazy business and the passion that fuels our drive.

front row: 
Bernice Roman, co-founder,  Catersource,  Gary Lyons
Back Row :
Britt KurentLisa TeigerKaren EspteinLaurie ClarkPeter Herrero
Hi, I'm Lisa Teiger, founder and forum moderator of caterBuzz, owner of cuisinEtc Catering and Special Events,  a boutique NYC catering concern, a food stylist, culinary fashionista and roving caterBuzz catering reporter, coming to you from NYC but always going beyond !!!  

We hope that you will consider caterBuzz as your traveling eye for the inquisitive professional catering guys and gals around the globe.  Sharing and learning from each other as only like minded professional caterers can do, through pictures, stories, questions and answers, available here on www.caterBuzz.com and also on our facebook caterBuzz group pagea private forum for the experienced professional catering community.

We invite you to take a look at the caterBuzz internet social media cheat sheet blog post for more information about catering social media sites.