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Corporate Catering in LA Calls for Quality – Especially in Creative Venues
Today, corporate events are expected to be creative and exciting. But even if that converted factory is now an elegant party space, the food better be good.
Events of any kind can be nerve-wracking for the host. Professional event planners seem to know how to handle the stress, however, in part because they know how to manage the variables.
What does that mean? Very often, they do it by contracting with the venues, service providers, Los Angeles corporate caterers, wedding caterers, and staff they’ve worked with before. But there’s a problem with that in Los Angeles (and most major cities) insofar as the people corporations want to attract to their parties are themselves experienced event goers. They’ve been to the standard venues. They know a party theme that’s tried and true. Go to a new product launch at a certain Beverly Hills hotel again?
This is why savvy event planners – those with the stomach for it – are willing to venture into interesting territory. This is done a lot with weddings, but increasingly more with corporate events as well. Arts district loft buildings, mansions-turned-event spaces, galleries, boathouses, barns, converted churches … all expand the possibilities for memorable parties that draw crowds.
Such locations aren’t necessarily more expensive and can actually increase attendance because it will seem like an adventure. But these creative venues sometimes put a little more pressure on corporate caterers in Los Angeles to deliver hotel-quality meals under less-than-hotel-kitchen circumstances. In a corporate event, that can be a recipe for disaster if you’re working with an inexperienced or inflexible caterer. Whether pleasing clients, employees or other key audiences, the corporate event host demands and deserves quality – in menu, service, timing, and taste.
So how to find that right caterer for a quality event in crowd-drawing, people-pleasing venue? Drill down to the brass tacks with these questions:
What is your experience in unusual venues?
The venue manager says the kitchen facilities are capable of serving 125 people but we want to invite about 150. How might we do that?
What menu items do you suggest that could complement the unique space?
Does your bar offering include a special event signature drink?
Our company just achieved a record sales year. What menu do you suggest can somehow say, “we did it – we reached our highest goals?”
You’d need to set up an outdoor kitchen staging area? How will that hold up against very bad weather?
Aside from those special questions, your quality corporate caterer in Los Angeles will need to provide everything they do at standard-venue events: experienced chef and staff, insurance, references, standard/fair contracts that allow for very specific terms (food and drink quantities, cancellation clauses, etc.), pre-event tastings, etc.
The event planning business is by definition creative. But just doing something new is no excuse to fail on quality. Event planners and caterers: show us what you can do!
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Only Chic, Cool Wedding Venues Will do in Hip Los Angeles
Chain hotels ballrooms are fine if you want your wedding to feel like a business seminar. Venture to coolness for a remarkable wedding.
What defines a chic wedding in Los Angeles? It starts with the engaged couple, of course: some have it, some don’t. The latter might rent a perfectly nice hotel ballroom and whatever is offered in their standard menus. The former have different ideas – and far more memorable weddings.
For couples who want a wedding that speaks to their creativity and coolness, the interesting lives they wish to live, and their place among the hiperati, Los Angeles is the place with a lot of opportunity. Even if they don’t have their own ideas, wedding planners and the Los Angeles wedding catering company they choose are increasingly creative and attentive to what couples want. That might break down into three categories for the coolest of couples:
1 Unorthodox venues
There’s unorthodox and then there’s weird (although, that’s a relative term too – when in doubt, ask an experienced wedding catering expert if they think a site is ill-advised and unserviceable). An unorthodox venue is a converted public building, such as the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock, which has such rich architectural detailing that can save you a bundle on décor additions. Or, try the Heritage Square Museum in Mount Washington, the Smog Shoppe (near La Cienega and Venice boulevards), or the California Yacht Club, a surprisingly affordable waterside location in Marina del Rey.
The ultimate curveball for your wedding caterers in Los Angeles is to rent out Dodger Stadium – where you can actually say your vows on home plate (on non-game days, of course).
2 Industrial chic venues
The list is long for industrial conversions to party spaces: The Elysian (Elysian Valley, next to Silver Lake), Millwick (LA Arts district, near downtown hotels that are convenient for out-of-town guests), The Garage Burbank (emphasis on vintage cars, in Burbank), The Warehouse (with 9,000 square feet that accommodates a larger crowd and a big dance floor, in Chatsworth), and Studio 1342 (10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including lots of greenery and a fire pit, in downtown LA).
In one sense you could say the industrial venue has been around long enough to have lost a little of its coolness. But given the broad range of such spaces and their locations, with no two being alike, it’s not like any one location has become tired.
3 Who knew?
Big and blessed. You can rent out the former Catholic Archdiocese cathedral, now deconsecrated and known as Vibiana (South Main Street at West 2nd Street). It’s huge, in the Spanish Baroque style, and the former altar area is ideal for the actual vows and a dance band.
Penthouse, Jacuzzi, city views, helicopter pad. All these things and a caterer’s kitchen are at loftSEVEN (7th Street and South Broadway), a 12th floor private residence that accommodates up to 200 guests. Your wedding caterers can use the freight elevator; this place spells swank with a capital S.
Because you’re literary. The Last Bookstore (South Spring Street at West 5th Street), a secondhand bookstore in a former bank has vaults, secret passageways, tunnels, soaring columns, and mosaic floors. May we suggest tables named for great authors?
Chic might be the clothes you wear, the car you drive, and the friends you keep. But your wedding venue is what people will remember for years after your special day.
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Why the Chemistry Between Venue Event Planners and Caterers Matters
Higher-end catering is about more than fresh ingredients and master chefs. The food and the venue have to work together–as do the people running both.
Perhaps a term used in catering and event planning, “ballet service,” sums up the importance of a well-coordinated event. It specifically refers to synchronized meal service, where a line of servers places a meal in front of each guest at the same time. It takes timing, coordination, planning – and grace. Every guest is treated equally as everyone receives their food at precisely the same moment.
The same might be said about a good relationship between venue event planners and caterers in Los Angeles. They share a client, they share space – and they share the outcome. How an event flows and meets the needs of the corporate or wedding party will reflect on both of them. Clearly, they need to have a good working relationship. And it’s more than just contracts and logistics – they need to have that chemistry to make it work.
What defines good chemistry? It’s a certain something that defies technical explanation as much as it’s hard to describe why some people have good, long-term personal relationships and others don’t. At best you can observe what happens between the two parties to see if it’s going well.
For venue-event planner/corporate caterers in Los Angeles, some of those characteristics would include the following:
Right menu and service for the right space – A funky, edgy venue might be perfectly suited for taco bars and self-service buffets, but the caterer would be wise to plan a more sophisticated menu and sit-down service in a higher-end location (quite possibly including that ballet service described above).
The caterer really knows the venue – By this we mean that the wedding catering company doesn’t simply book the event long distance and show up for the pre-con meeting (when all vendors, florists, the DJ, and others gather a day or two before the event, akin to a wedding rehearsal). An astute caterer will know the art gallery, hotel, or converted mansion first hand, either from past work or because they took the initiative to visit early in the relationship.
The venue planner knows good food – Certainly the walls, chairs, tables, entry foyer, restrooms, and dance floor are essential parts of the event success. But fine catering involves the aromas, the complementary mix of menu items, as well as how each is presented. Why should this matter to the venue planner? He or she has to respect it, arrange the venue to allow fast service of particularly delicate dishes and sometimes make arrangements for alterations to kitchens and holding areas to accommodate it. Most important, the planner will delight in what is being served as much as the caterer.
Can a client take responsibility for making this relationship work? Not likely. Better that he or she inquire about past collaborations to see how well things worked.
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Millwick: Downtown Los Angeles’ Urban Venue for a Fantasy Wedding
In LA’s Arts District, Millwick and its caterers make sure events come off without a hitch – in this building that originally was a livery.
There’s something perfect about hosting a wedding in downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District. Just as older generations give way to younger people beginning their own lives together as couples, this is a part of LA that has transformed from its industrial past to a creative, lively, and fresh home to artists’ lofts, retail, and residential development.
As for Arts District venues, Millwick is the place for brides and grooms who love that history as much as its present-day renaissance. A super-loft structure, it’s a combination of about 4,500 square feet of interior space immediately adjoining an additional 3,000-square-foot garden courtyard. The site accommodates up to 175 people for a sit down, wedding caterer reception in the interior; judging from abundant social media posts, the courtyard is most popular for the wedding ceremony.
The Los Angeles wedding caterers who are hired for events at this space have to be approved by the venue, but the list of accepted vendors comes with many options. The bridal couple can separately hire their own professional bartenders as long as they are insured.
The menu for any event at Millwick should have some kind of a touchstone with the venue itself. Step inside this location (800 East 4th Place) and feel the juxtaposition of bricks (nearly a century old, from when it was a livery and later a cold-storage warehouse) with lush, vertical garden walls. In the interior space, the Grand Hall, nine overhead skylights allow in natural light between soaring wooden bowstring trusses. It’s an understated oasis with dramatic moments.
So what can wedding catering in Los Angeles deliver that is just right for Millwick? At points, this is a virtual jungle, so think along tropical themes for at least the appetizers and perhaps the bar signature drinks. The rough walls of the original structure suggest a substantial main entrée (Mesquite grilled tri-tips? Pork tenderloin roulade? Hangar steak with peppercorn rub?) and perhaps a late-night snack, post-dancing, of street tacos or bahn mi mini sandwiches.
What adds an element to Millwick that is just so right is how the venue offers little niches with more than a hint of romance. “Nina’s Lounge,” typically a dressing room for the bridal party, has comfy couches for respite. “The Fondrevay,” a mini-bar-like corner could be a place for beverages – or maybe a live performer. The “Magic Gardens” are reminiscent of places young lovers go for a private conversation, a surprise small gift – or a first kiss. And if any of that gets caught on video, Millwick has a 25-foot digital cinema screen and DJ sound booth, where everyone in attendance can watch and weigh in as critics (this is LA, after all).
Millwick’s owners are proud of having created this venue in an environmentally responsible way, saving it from the wrecking ball while heating and cooling it with minimal use of energy by passive means (e.g., the layout captures natural breezes). Guests arriving from neighborhoods on the Metro Gold Line might even be able to take the train to an event here via the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.
Taking the train to a wedding in LA? Now that’s a modern transformation.
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The Ruby Street: A Unique Arts & Crafts Venue for Unique Events
This event venue, ideal for weddings and receptions, bears a history from another era. It has that thing that party planners look for: memorable details.
More than a century ago the Arts & Crafts movement traveled from its birthplace in Great Britain to find a distinctively American expression in the Arroyo Seco area of Los Angeles. The architectural style is evident in the legions of Craftsman homes in NELA (Northeast Los Angeles) towns that include Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and South Pasadena.
A few non-residential structures also have the distinctive features of Arts & Crafts: deep eaves with exposed rafters, low-pitched roofs, and decorative knee braces. An excellent example of that is The Ruby Street, an event space in Highland Park that once was a church. The people who converted it to a place for parties clearly had decked out guests, deejays, wedding caterers, and al fresco cocktail events in mind.
This can be a place for intimate gatherings, but with 4,000 square feet it accommodates up to 200 guests for sit-down dinners. Inside a sound system and projector, private bridal suite, and custom wood tables and chairs are complemented with one-of-a-kind arrangements of chairs, sofas, tables, and wall art that make it a welcome departure from hotel and other banquet hall reception mills. This is a place where Los Angeles wedding caterers are inspired to match the menu to the venue.
Arts & Crafts-style homes in the Los Angeles area very often placed a premium on gardens. Outside of The Ruby Street, in the back, is a lawn and plaza that can be used for the ceremony, cocktail hour, or the dinner itself. Ask any wedding catering director: Guests are just naturally happy to be outside when weather allows, but the option of the indoor space is essential. Rain might be good luck for the couple but not so much for people wearing their wedding day best outfits – in Los Angeles as much as anywhere else.
A distinctive stained glass window from the building’s ecclesiastical past remains a commanding feature of the building. This is ideal for wedding photos, shot from either the inside or out, but that doesn’t mean The Ruby Street can’t be used for corporate events, receptions, exhibitions, and other private events. The kitchen is outfitted for any kind of foodservice, and event planners are invited to bring in whichever corporate caterers in Los Angeles that they choose.
The primary ethos of the Arts & Crafts movement was an emphasis on the hand-made, non-industrial features of homes and, in this case, a church. For mothers-of-the-bride who do their Martha Stewart best to craft a gift for guests, the theme can be applied to their 21st century reception.
The Ruby Street is a one-of-a-kind location that honors an historic architectural style while accommodating the needs and expectations of modern bridal couples and other event planners. It’s also affordable, with rates that vary according to seasons. As guests arrive and depart an event at The Ruby Street, they’ll know they were able to enjoy a solidly built structure that has endured the tests of time – fitting for people who are just beginning their own lives together.
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Nine Questions to Manage Wedding Reception Catering Costs
There are many variables in hosting a wedding reception. This checklist can guide you to make critical decisions the affect the price of your big day.
Planning a wedding sometime soon? The excitement of that should be part of the joy. But if you want to keep control of the costs, and make it a day you will treasure, try this list of questions with your wedding caterers as a way to go about it rationally:
Date? – There are several reasons why the date factors into early planning and overall costs. One of course is simple availability. A Los Angeles wedding catering company may have the capacity to handle one event only per day or per weekend. Others might have the bandwidth for more. Inquire if a Thursday or Sunday affair would come with a price break – for venues, that is often possible.
Time of day and hours of service? – This is a question that pertains to the nature of the event itself. Some couples opt for a luncheon following a morning wedding. That would likely be a shorter event, lighter menu, perhaps without a bar or perhaps with a signature drink (Bloody Marys in pitchers, for example), all factors that can affect costs. An evening event with an open bar might be more elaborate and consequently more expensive, keeping in mind that labor for preparation and service all factor into the overall price.
Venue? – Some venues work with a list of caterers in Los Angeles who have been through an approval process, while others have a more open policy. If there is an on-site kitchen the food preparation and service might be simplified, but if a mobile kitchen has to be set up the costs increase.
Size of guest list? – Of course most caterers set prices according to the number of guests, some allowing for lower prices for lite eaters who will not be using the bar. But seating and service are required regardless of age.
Food expectations? – There is a range of cost for any size wedding that can be tied to the menu itself. Clearly, a lobster or filet mignon dinner will cost more than chicken. Family-style platters of sliced meat and pasta will likely cost less. Your caterer should present a range of options.
Beverage expectations? – Welcome and toast champagnes, an open bar, quality spirits, dinner table wines and craft beers are awesome. But it’s possible to pare each of those things back. For families whose religions discourage or prohibit alcohol, there clearly is a savings involved.
Special needs? – We live in a world filled with food restrictions: gluten, nut allergies, vegetarianism and vegans, etc. Identify if one or more guests cannot eat a full menu, then prepare your caterer to offer an alternative. It’s going to be easier (and cheaper) to accommodate them with advance warning.
How green? – Disposable dinnerware is going to be less expensive, but the environmentally oriented couple and guests might find that philosophically unacceptable. Washable china and glassware is always more expensive, particularly if it’s not venue provided. There are biodegradable disposable plates and serviceware that might be palatable to all.
How fancy? – Many brides and grooms will accept nothing less than china, silver and glassware. Prioritizing that comes with cost – but it does seem appropriate for all the formality associated with weddings.
In other words, the cost of a wedding reception boils down to choices. With a list of questions it’s possible to be methodical – and to identify what matters most to you.
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Corporate Event? Your Catering Company Should Mean Business
Catering to a business crowd is hospitality on steroids. Because so much work gets done in business socials, food service and incidentals need to be top notch.
The importance of corporate hospitality has risen in recent years, so much so that some of the best universities offer MBAs that have everything to do with the topic. This might relate to the fact that a half-trillion dollars of the American economy is given to hospitality overall. So it stands to reason that economics guide the advancement of Los Angeles corporate caterers in particular, because of the nature of the industries based here.
Note that California State Polytechnic University in Pomona has one of the top-ranked hospitality management schools in the U.S. – and it is where many corporate catering careers are launched.
Stanford University also places a premium on catering and events, publishing a checklist of what its own departments must do when hosting events on its fabled Palo Alto campus. Its office of special events and protocol could be a checklist for anyone planning to serve a meal to five or 500 guests. We offer the highlights here as a best management practices to catered business events:
Budget: Know what it is before you begin planning.
Site: Is it appropriate for food and beverage service? What on-site food preparation is possible or restricted?
Alcohol: Observe location licensing policies.
Competitive bids: Talk to three vendors if over a set amount (for Stanford, it is $1500)
Specify extent of services beyond food: tables and chairs? Staffing? Floral arrangements? Etc.
Designate the menu selection person/persons: And identify if special dietary restrictions are to be catered to.
Style/format of service?: seated, passed trays, buffet, etc.
Site walk-through: Make sure your corporate caterers know the lay of the land in advance of the event by visiting the site, mapping out and confirming arrangements.
Document in writing: Put everything on paper for clarity – and to cover your legal/financial commitments.
Permits: Your business caterers need food and alcohol permits (think about this relative to food handlers and parking valet attendants as well, as required by the city of Los Angeles).
Even if these rules are followed to the letter there is no guarantee the food quality and selections will be up to expectations. This is where the softer side of business comes into play. The menu and how it is executed matter. The menu should be age appropriate. It should also be right for the time of day, for the venue, and (as hinted at in item #6 above) be right for the audience. If a noteworthy number of people in attendance abstain from eating pork due to their religious/cultural background, pork items in the menu are strongly discouraged, for example. Smart corporate caterers with a good reputation are skilled at accommodating diverse guest lists.
A great deal of hospitality, catering in particular, is learned at the school of hard work. But there’s nothing wrong with taking cues from those who study it – and, it seems, those who practice business-worthy catering in an academic environment.
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An Enchanting Wedding at Greystone Mansion: Gardens, Courtyards - and Catering
Holding a wedding at this Beverly Hills landmark is akin to creating your own piece of history. What was exclusive 100 years allows for a grand event today.
Bridal couples who choose to hold their weddings at the Historic Greystone Mansion and Park might do so because of its sumptuous surroundings and rich history. Those are good enough reasons to make any occasion special. But as any good wedding caterer in Los Angeles will attest, the views from the terrace and reflection pond at this Beverly Hills landmark are perhaps what make the day most memorable. It’s one of those places where guests can see the sweep from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean.
If there is one drawback to any bride choosing the Greystone Mansion for her nuptials it’s that she might not get all eyes on her for the entire reception. This sprawling estate, built by oil barons Edward Laurence Doheny and his son Edward Doheny in the late 1920s, has everything a fairy tale wedding would require: formal gardens, a mansion courtyard (where sit-down receptions are staged), and the terrace and reflection pond (suitable for the pre-reception cocktail hour). Events can also be staged indoors in a card room, the grand entry, the living room, library, grand dining room, and the breakfast room.
It’s even possible to use the interior spaces as a “pass through.” The wedding ceremony and reception might be outside, but guests can walk through the card room or up the grand staircase while the wedding catering company sets up the dinner around the enchanting fountain on the colorful slate courtyard.
The Greystone Mansion architectural styles are a combination of Gothic and Neoclassical themes. Built at the then-astronomical cost of $3 million – in 2016 dollars, that would be about $44 million – the main structure was built with Indiana limestone and Welsh slate (for the roof). Oak bannisters, rafters and balustrades were hand carved. Inlaid marble in black and white make up the floor of the grand hall. A wall safe was built in the kitchen pantry to hold silver and gold service ware. (Los Angeles caterers generally bring their own dinnerware and flatware for weddings and corporate events.)
The Greystone Mansion is owned and managed by the City of Beverly Hills and the entire 18.3-acre is a public park. In addition to serving as a venue for weddings, fundraisers, and business events, it also is the site of musical performances presented by the city for a low ($20) ticket price. The January-June 2017 season included classical saxophonists (Mana Trio), piano and violin (Friends Meet in California) and balalaika (Firebird Balalaika Ensemble), among others. Music resonates quite well on this estate.
Booking the Greystone Mansion provides an advantage to Beverly Hills residents, who can reserve their venue 12 months in advance. That’s a two-month jump ahead of non-residents, who are allowed a ten-month advance. Los Angeles wedding caterers that are properly licensed and insured can bring in alcohol service.
The Greystone Mansion is both a landmark and on the Registry of Historic Places. Weddings that happen here make their own history for couples and families who love the elegance of old Hollywood and the modern conveniences of a professionally managed event venue.
#Los Angeles wedding caterer wedding caterer#An Enchanting Wedding at Greystone Mansion: Gardens Courtyards - and Catering
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The York Manor: LA’s New and Hip Event Venue is Dressed to Impress
In times past, caterers in Los Angeles didn’t serve receptions in this church. Now deconsecrated, ceremonies, cocktails, dinner, and dancing all happen here.
There are several reasons why the Northeast LA (NELA) town of Highland Park has become wildly attractive to young professionals moving there. It’s the vintage and midcentury modern homes, the coffee shops, restaurants, food trucks, and walkable neighborhoods. Establishments such as The York Manor that provide a venue space for all kinds of events – weddings, fundraisers, bar mitzvahs, and concerts – help define the heart of this area.
The York Manner is a 6,000-square-foot building on a 10,000-square-foot landscaped lot. It was constructed in 1913 (architects: Train & Williams) and is now an historical landmark. But what the original designers for this structure – which served as a church as recently as 2014, before its top-to-bottom renovation – didn’t envision is what an adaptable space for weddings (and wedding caterers) it could be.
This is because the proprietors of The York Manor allow bridal couples and other hosts to bring in the Los Angeles wedding caterer of their choice to use the banquet kitchen on the main space floor. For some, that means fine dining in the main hall. For others, it might be a festive occasion outdoors with food trucks and taco carts. The backyard outdoor features a cluster of sail-like canopies, a dramatic touch for outdoor dining or a cocktail party between the ceremony and reception inside. The facility’s basement party space has an underground cabaret vibe that enables it to serve as an after-party, cocktails, performance or dance venue.
Given the nature of the rapidly growing interest in homes and communities in NELA, it’s not surprising that The York Manor was the work of a collective of real estate brokers, designers, and investors known as Extraordinary Living–A Real Estate Collective. When it became available, they took a cotton to the structure and what it brings to the community as a commercial entity as well as a place for non-profit gatherings. In addition to weddings, the space hosts a summer yoga series, small-venue concerts, immersive workshops, and fundraisers. Corporate caterers in Los Angeles find the space to be exceptionally adaptive to a variety of menus and methods of service.
“What sets The York Manor apart is our flexibility,” said Alicia Brockwell, COO with Extraordinary Living in a 2017 interview with VoyageLA. “We think it’s important our clients are fully self-expressed in their vision for their event. We call it ‘Design Your Day.’ We allow pretty much any vendor to work on our property. We have a stage that is great for DJs and live music. We have lovely grounds as well as a large main room with a kitchen and private rooms for guests to get ready on-site.”
For event planners, that kind of adaptability is golden. Just as the building has evolved to meet community needs of the 21st century, so too can the events themselves adapt to serve the diverse tastes of NELA party hosts.
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Castle Green: A Majestic Wedding Venue Demands Lavish Catering
What’s beautiful in movies can be breathtaking for weddings. Valentino and Gish once played lovers here, so this is ideal for real 21st century romance.
When the Castle Green annex to Pasadena’s Hotel Green was opened in 1897, more than 1,000 people attended the first celebration in the grand, palatial venue. It was an auspicious beginning of more than a century of epic parties, galas, and receptions.
Guests weren’t the only people anxious to snap up the chance to be part of a party at Castle Green. Los Angeles wedding caterers loved the setting as well. Sumptuous feasts looked that much better in extraordinary surroundings with movie celebrities of the day.
The building survived time – spared the fate of its sibling structures the 1893 Hotel Green and 1903 Wooster Block, each demolished as of 1935 – to give us the same sense of grandeur in the 21st century. For couples with an epic sense of romance, it’s among the most magical venues for a wedding today.
The mix of historic architecture and the building’s own history is part of what makes this place so special for present-day celebrations. Steeped in the Mediterranean Revival style, the building has an eclectic mix of Moorish and Turkish Revival and Victorian features on the interior that to spend too much on decoration would be, to borrow the phrase, gilding the lily. Only the radiant bride and her well-turned-out groom are necessary to enliven these grand, flowing spaces of wrought iron, velvet, domes, arches, pillars, balconies and verandas, set on sweeping ballroom floors of travertine – flanked by drapery-cloaked nooks for intimate encounters.
Wedding caterers with range are called on by couples of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds for events at the Castle Green. Its Moorish and other Middle Eastern features are appealing to couples who either trace their own roots to the region, as well as for wedding parties that simply want an exotic feel for their event. The flows of a complex Arabesque or Persian dastgah are just right for the Castle motif.
And while Los Angeles wedding catering companies are busy prepping and serving a feast worthy of Rudolph Valentino and Dorothy Gish – who filmed “Nobody Home” here in 1919 – the wedding photographer might find the venue equally thrilling. It’s been a location for films, television shows and commercials for more than a century. Location credits for Castle Green can be found at the end of “The Sting” (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), “The Last Samurai” (Tom Cruise), “Wild at Heart” (David Lynch, Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern), “The Man Who Wasn’t There” (Billy Bob Thornton, Francis McDormund), “Man With 2 Brains” (Steve Martin) and “The Prestige” (Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman).
But regardless if you are a Hollywood star or just the brightest light in your love’s life, it’s worth exploring the Castle Green facilities on Raymond Avenue in Pasadena. It’s a place of epic romance to last the ages.
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Wedding Catering and Craft Cocktails: A Marriage Made in Heaven
Pairing beverages with menu items is intimidating to many people. But with the right wedding caterers who understand it the task is much easier for hosts.
Every wedding is a pairing of not just two people but two families and a mix of friends as well. So it only makes sense that a Los Angeles wedding caterer would find ways to marry craft cocktails with the reception dinner.
The business of mixing and matching cocktails, wines and beers with food is part science and part art. Which is what wedding caterers should be expert at in both regards. The science part is knowing about things such as tannins, malts, dry vs. sweet, etc. and the effects each has on the palate in combination with fats, sugary foods, and tart menu items. The art is the intuitive sense of how such things go together.
Now that craft cocktails are so popular, particularly at weddings, it’s beholden on the wedding caterer to put together this marriage of food and drink in ways that make sense. So what are the scientific and artful strategies of drink-menu pairings? A few of them include:
Things that stand in stark contrast. Say the dish is on the spicy side, perhaps during the hors d’oeuvres portion of the evening. A citrusy drink (gimlet, margarita, etc.) would provide that contrasting taste.
Things that blend. Not everything has to scream out differences. Continuity between the food and drink, such as fish tacos and a light chardonnay, can also be pleasing.
Give your mouth a “wow!” moment. Agave spirits - tequilas, basically - have a higher alcohol content and therefore a bit more bite on the palate. Don’t overdo it, but this can pair well with spicy dishes, cheeses, meats, and even pickled vegetables.
Kumbaya cocktails and nibbles. People who like gin are discovering Aquavit, the Scandinavian spirit that has a botanical bent. In a highball or fizz, it pairs well with meat appetizers, allowing both animal and vegetable foods to peacefully coexist.
Acids. Not the Timothy Leary 1960s LSD kinds, but the acidity of certain wines (sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, for example) can offset a fried food in a single sip.
Bubbles. Whether it’s with a spritzer, champagne (or brut) or a craft beer, the magic of carbonation is how it cleanses the palate. This matters most when the food your caterers in Los Angeles are dishing up richer foods with meats and cheeses as primary ingredients.
Bitter Bettys, Tannin Shannons and Sweet Louises. The slightly bitter or astringent taste in dry wines, hoppy beers and black teas (all of which, including teas, can be cocktail ingredients also) can cut through smoky and fatty meats. Meanwhile, a sweet cocktail involving something like an Aperol Spritz are a complement to something like caramelized onions that have their own sweetness.
Important to note is that pairings in food and drink are as fluid and full of surprises as human pairings. The trick to making it work is to pay attention to the dynamics, to be open to surprises - and to celebrate the differences.
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Tray-Passed Hors D’oeuvres Versus Stationery Appetizers
Some prefer one over the other. But both styles - served on a tray or on a table - offer advantages. Hosts need to consider what’s in the meal to follow.
There are a thousand variables in putting on elegant events. Ask any Los Angeles wedding catering company professional and they should be able to come up with a list that long in a matter of minutes. (Their stories can be rich, involving everything from live ponies to dead guests.)
But perhaps one choice that many party throwers wrestle with most is whether to have the hors d’oeuvres passed by wait staff or to have a stationery appetizer buffet. The fact is that wedding and corporate caterers in Los Angeles find that either can work - and that sometimes it makes sense to do both.
The pros and cons of each scenario are as follows:
Passed hors d’oeuvres - One might argue this method lends a certain elegance to an event, as service by wait staff that comes to you enables you to continue in conversation without having to make a trip to the serving table, juggle a plate and drink, and appear to be gluttonous if you grab several items at once. But others will variously complain that (a) the servers were too frequent and therefore they ate too much or (b) the servers were hard to find and they had to seek them out.
Proving once more that you just can’t please everyone.
From a cost standpoint, extra staff might add to costs. But not always. Sometimes the amount of food served by wait staff is less than if a table were set out.
Stationary hors d’oeuvres - This method empowers guests to eat to their hearts’ content. And if the experience of wedding caterers Los Angeles is any indication, there are many such guests. But there are some guests who are either physically unable to handle a plate and a drink, or they just don’t want to break from conversation to amble over to the table.
This often is the more expensive option. Your catering company will be able to outline the differences.
Both - Having both is a luxury, but also appreciated by all. Most corporate and wedding caterers in Los Angeles are able to accommodate this for a price.
Another question to tackle relative to hors d’oeuvres is how to balance the menu against the meal. Factor first for timing: how long has it been since guests likely ate their last meal (longer time = feed them fast). And since the appetizers are served during the cocktail hour, make sure it doesn’t go much longer than an hour or else there guests may overeat before the meal. Also, is the meal rich and generously portioned? You don’t want to fill up your guests before a full-bore prime rib lands at their place setting.
Finally, understand that there is no single perfect plan. But the overall impression you leave with your guests is ideally that they had a good time. Being well fed - but not overstuffed - is part of that.
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From Catering to Venues, there are Benefits to Friday Weddings
Saturday weddings are most popular, which is reason to consider a Friday wedding instead. For many reasons your guests might thank you.
There is nothing sacred anymore about getting married on a Saturday. Which is why more couples are contacting their wedding caterers about, instead, holding a Friday ceremony and reception.
Before we go into details on why Fridays (or Thursdays, or Sundays) might be a better day to tie the knot, consider how historically other days were the rule. In early American history Wednesdays were considered good luck for aristocratic couples. Working class Americans back then – which is to say, about 98% of people – married on Sundays because it was the only day they had off from work. The Puritans bucked that trend because Sunday was the Sabbath – which is kinda funny because Puritans weddings, bless their hearts, were fairly austere anyway. Guests brought their own mugs, spoons, and forks because party throwing was so uncommon they didn’t have enough service ware on hand for a large group.
Los Angeles wedding caterers of today put on events that have very little to do with 18th century New England. If there are religious considerations for which day of the week a wedding might be held, it could be on Tuesdays or Thursdays for very traditional Orthodox Jews. Some Middle Eastern and South Asian communities in America often celebrate over several days.
But increasingly, pragmatic American couples are looking at Friday weddings. Not just because Los Angeles wedding caterers may be more available then (they are, along with venues, clergy, DJs and flowers), but because it does their guests a few favors as well. Those include:
If guests travel, they get the rest of the weekend to relax and visit places nearby.
All guests, particularly close family members and friends, can enjoy the next-day brunch without having to rush off to catch a plane.
Venue availability is much better. Corporate catering typically leaves Fridays off its calendar (business events are rarely held at the end of the week). For couples who don’t want to plan their events two years in advance it becomes possible to snag a dream venue with far less planning and money.
Smaller guest lists are required. Some venues may require a minimum of, say, 200 people. So if you really only want (and want to pay for) 100 or 150 guests, they may allow that on Fridays.
Traditions evolve considerably over time around weddings, particularly in the American melting pot. So before committing to the rigidity of the “weddings are only held on Saturday” way of thinking, ask around by talking to wedding caterers, venue bookers, photographers, and clergy. You might find they too are more available to work on a different night of the week.
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The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Los Angeles Event Planner
You only get one shot at putting on a memorable business event or wedding, so don’t gamble on planning. Here is a checklist for identifying a good organizer.
Just about everyone has a general idea of what makes a good event planner: Organized, creative, and attentive to the needs of the client are some of the things that readily come to mind.
But regardless of whether you’re looking for corporate catering or wedding catering in Los Angeles, there are additional characteristics that define qualified event planners:
Leadership talent/impactful persona – This is one of those squishy concepts that are talked about in almost every business. But being able influence the teams of people involved in events, both in the planning and execution stages, is critically important. Picture these moments: “Catering company, you’ll need to plan for big appetites because this is a group of athletes.” “DJ, let’s put together a music program that appeals to the broad range of ages of guests.” “Tent people, give us at least three ideas on how we can work around this sloped site.”
Flexibility – Here are things that can wrong at events: Weather. Catering truck has an accident on the way over. Ring bearer loses his tie. Corporate sponsor has a PR crisis offsite. Drunk partygoer falls into the buffet table. Something always goes wrong. Qualified Los Angeles caterers might be a little bit better at these things because many cut their teeth on movie sets, which have their own set of unexpected incidents. But the astute client should throw a curve ball at their event planner in early meetings, just to see how the planner responds.
Communications skills and technology use – A good corporate caterer will always be buttoned up on informing clients about what is unfolding in the planning stages and at getting proper approvals. But for more sophisticated clients that means also using event management software and apps, and paying attention to how the client prefers to communicate, be it through texts, emails, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings.
Negotiating skills – Sure, your event planner might have talked you into a wedding catering contract that was a little bit pricier than you planned. But that means he or she might be equally talented at negotiating the best prices from event vendors. Every event should have some wiggle room for all players.
Eye on the bottom line – In a similar vein, no one wants surprises in the final bill. Wedding catering in Los Angeles is far more about the budgets of regular folks than those of Pippa Middleton and Jason Stratham (both married in 2017, not to each other).
Of course all of this boils down to having experience in catering and event planning. Your event might be a once-in-a-lifetime affair, but you really want someone who does these week after week, month after month, and year after year.
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The Smog Shoppe: LA’s Perfect Vintage Garden Wedding Venue
With the right caterer, this unique venue surrounds guests with greenery, recycled furnishings, great food – and a memorable experience that’s far from smoggy.
The name is misleading but that’s what makes the place a pleasant surprise. The Smog Shoppe is in fact a lovely, very green, reuse-recycle event facility that is LEED certified (Platinum). It’s also an ideal venue for marking major life events such as weddings.
How so? The green, vertical garden walls – this venue at points envelopes visitors with vegetation – and sustainability ethos are about a positive outlook on the future. It was possible to turn this onetime vehicle exhaust-check station into a party place. So it’s not a stretch that celebrations here help couples envision the positive transformations that lie ahead in their own lives.
The Smog Shoppe is an indoor-outdoor venue, with 6,500 square feet of usable space. That includes a 60’ x 40’ garden courtyard (outdoors), a 65’ x 28’ grand hall (indoors, with 15’ ceilings), plus “magic closets” (restrooms), cinema lounge and valet drop off area suitable for grand entrances. A service prep area is centrally located for wedding caterers to easily accommodate sit-down and cocktail party guests. Formal dinners can accommodate up to 150 people and cocktail parties can be held for up to 250 people.
No one would mistake this venue for a hotel ballroom. The furniture is decidedly funky-chic, recycled from past lives into an eclectic collection that manages to make a cohesive statement to the effect of, “Welcome! Relax with us and have a good time!”
The green ethos of the Smog Shoppe, which is 100% solar powered, is best matched with healthier catering choices. The fact that this is regarded in the industry as the most green event venue in Los Angeles puts creative, “clean food” ideas in the minds of caterers in Los Angeles who engage with this space. With so much lush vegetation all around it only makes sense for the catering company to get creative with herbed salads, asparagus risotto, seared bok choy, and maybe a bite-size tostada.
The Smog Shoppe logo and much of the reclaimed furnishings used throughout have a definitively vintage (mid-century modern through the swingin’ 70s) feel. In fact, weddings and business events are frequently held that involve robins egg blue 1957 Thunderbirds or a cherry red Corvette of the same year. Corporate caterers love those themes because they lend themselves to some pretty and colorful menu ideas as well (deviled eggs and mini hamburgers come immediately to mind). It helps that the venue designers kept carburetor cleaners and fan belts in the design – a nod to the building’s previous incarnation.
The Smog Shoppe is a decidedly green venue with a surprising name. Event guests find it a delightful discovery, but party planners might appreciate it more because it is designed for turnkey event management. Located in downtown Culver City (2651 South La Cienega Boulevard), ask your preferred Los Angeles wedding catering company if they have experience with this location.
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