foodinbloom, Author at Food In Bloom Catering

4th Annual Northwest Meeting + Events Best of Awards

November 7, 2014 By foodinbloom

We’re delighted to share that Food in Bloom Catering was recently nominated in the 4^th Annual Northwest Meeting + Events Best of Awards! This is the first year Food in Bloom Catering has been nominated in the ‘Best Catering Company in Oregon’ category and we’re honored to be a part of their Best of Awards. The winners were announced on Oct. 16^th at an event held in Seattle. The winners will appear in the Fall 2014 issue of Northwest Meetings + Events. Finalists are chosen for various categories and include companies from British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Below is their compiled list for all of the category winners in Oregon and we’re excited for our sister companies that won in two categories, Vibrant Table Catering & Events and Vibrant Flowers.

BEST ATTRACTION
Crater Lake National Park

Labeled one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon by Travel Oregon, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the purest large body of water in the world. It’s like no place on earth. Formed by a violent volcanic eruption more than 7,000 years ago, it is immeasurably beautiful, with wondrously deep-blue water surrounded by 1,000-to-2,000-foot-high cliffs. Amenities include a historic lodge, trails, campsites and ranger programs. A visitor favorite is the 33-mile Rim Drive encircling the lake. With more than 30 scenic pullouts, the spectacular drive is open from July through late October. The park gets more than 44 feet of snow each year, so plan your visit carefully.
(Crater Lake, nps.gov, 541.594.3000)

Runners-up // Mount Hood; Multnomah Falls

BEST A/V PROVIDER
Greenlight Creative

This is Greenlight Creative’s fourth win as Best A/V Provider in Oregon. Owner Dwayne Thomas has a flair for cutting edge creativity and is highly respected for his technical expertise. Thomas takes great pride in producing beautiful lighting for amazing events for work (meetings, exhibits), play (concerts, sporting events) and celebrations (galas and weddings). (Portland, greenlight-creative.com, 503.970.0246)

Runners-up // ThinkAV; Allied Video Productions

BEST BOAT CHARTERS
Portland Spirit

With breathtaking scenery, freshly prepared Northwest cuisine and exceptional service, Portland Spirit’s river cruises provide some of the best venues in the Northwest—on land or water. Planners appreciate the range of options available, including the flagship Portland Spirit, a large stylish yacht with a capacity of 400; the Crystal Dolphin, an 84-foot yacht with capacity for 120; the 120-capacity Willamette Star, with its classic warm cherry and brass interior; and the picturesque Columbia Gorge sternwheeler, with a capacity of 499.
(Portland, portlandspirit.com, 503.224.3900)

Runners-up // Five Star Charters; Yaquina Bay Charters

BEST CATERING COMPANY
Vibrant Table Catering & Events

Vibrant Table Catering is once again, for the fourth year, our readers’ choice, go-to caterer in Oregon. Staff members showcase their love of food by consistently producing extraordinary cuisine with the freshest ingredients. Vibrant Table offers innovative options like a Composed Menu (selections based on geography), elegant picnics and divine holiday fare.
(Portland, vibranttable.com, 503.297.9635)

Runners-up // Food in Bloom Catering; Crave Catering

BEST CONVENTION/CONFERENCE VENUE
Oregon Convention Center

A winner in this category for the fourth time, the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) is located in downtown Portland and is the largest convention center in the Northwest, with more than 255,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Meeting planners respect both its worldclass features and its leadership in the adoption of sustainable practices. The OCC is LEED certified at the Platinum level, does extensive waste recycling, features menus with locally grown and organic foods, and publishes sustainablity guides for both exhibitors and event planners.
(Portland, oregoncc.org, 503.235.7575)

Runners-up // Salem Convention Center; Eagle Crest Resort

BEST FLORIST/EVENT DÉCOR PROVIDER
Vibrant Flowers

Floral and Artistic Director Page Winograd’s job is to translate imaginative concepts into creative realities—and she excels at the task with just the right mix of classic, elegant and contemporary touches. Using locally grown flowers and exotic imports, combined with grasses or herbs and bits of odds and ends, Winograd doesn’t produce centerpieces—she creates floral sculptures.
(Portland, vibranttable.com, 503.297.9635)

Runners-up // Flowers by Deanna; Zest Floral

BEST GREEN VENUE
Ecotrust, The Natural Capital Center

Located in the heart of the Pearl District, this beloved building was a 100-year old warehouse that was renovated utilizing the best environmental building technologies and materials. It was the first historic renovation in the nation to become LEED Gold certified. Adherence to stateof- the-art environmental practices is rigorous and includes banning the use of plastic water bottles and absorbing 98 percent of stormwater runoff on-site. The venue boasts beautiful spaces, especially the rooftop terrace—a park in the sky complete with a fireplace, gardens and exquisite city views.
(Portland, ecotrust.org, 503.227.6225)

Runners-up // Brasada Ranch; Salem Convention Center

BEST HISTORIC VENUE
Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, is located on the south side of Mount Hood. For an authentic Timberline experience, stay in one of the lodge’s 70 rooms. For families and groups, one of the six nearby luxury Timberline condo units is a perfect option. “Timberline Lodge provides an extraordinary venue set against the magnificent backdrop of Mount Hood,” says Kirsten Smrtka, lead wedding coordinator at Bridal Bliss. “Guests will find warm hospitality no matter how deep the snow is outside, and delicious menus that showcase the finest Oregon food and wine.”
(Timberline Lodge, timberlinelodge.com, 503.272.3311)

Runners-up // The Benson; The Heathman Hotel

BEST SMALL HOTEL WITH MEETING & EVENT SPACE (Less Than 200 Rooms)
The Heathman Hotel, Portland

The Heathman offers impeccable service and modern amenities with a dash of style. This beautiful luxury boutique hotel was originally built in 1927 and is a National Historic Landmark. Located in the heart of downtown Portland, The Heathman offers personal concierge service, award-winning dining, versatile events space—and a unique tour/stay package, 50 Shades of Oregon, to locations visited by characters Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the book Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
(Portland, portland.heathmanhotel.com, 503.241.4100)

Runners-up // The Grand Hotel in Salem; FivePine Lodge and Conference Center

BEST LARGE HOTEL WITH MEETING & EVENT SPACE (more than 200 rooms)
The Nines

The Nines, a luxury LEED Silver-certified hotel, is located in the heart of Portland at the top of a beloved landmark, the stately Meier & Frank Building. The hotel is an ideal spot for browsing nearby boutiques, dining in the trendy Pearl District, or exploring the gardens, museums and chic neighborhoods of Portland. The striking venue showcases original art pieces, and an elegant staircase enhances the ambiance of 13,478 square feet of meeting space.
(Portland, thenines.com, 877.229.9995)

Runners-up // Hilton Portland & Executive Tower; Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront

BEST RENTAL SERVICE
The Party Place

This family-owned, full-service rental company with more than 50 years of experience can equip any event down to the last detail. With a comprehensive inventory, it’s got you covered from tent top to tabletop, from Plate and Pitchfork dinners to classic wine auctions and elegant garden weddings. (Portland, thepartyplacepdx.com, 503.548.4880)

Runners-up // Barclay Event Rentals; West Coast Event Productions

BEST RESORT
Sunriver Resort

A readers’ choice award winner for the fourth time, Sunriver Resort is a spectacular destination resort in Oregon. Think of it as one destination with four unique golf courses. In addition to golf, guests can rent canoes, kayaks and rafts at the marina, explore 35 miles of bike trails and enjoy one—or all—of the nine dining venues with menus to suit any taste. There is also the Sage Springs Club and Spa for spa treatments, swimming pools and tennis courts, and the Sunriver Stables, where guests can saddle up for a ride along the Deschutes River. Top it all off with lovely accommodations, and this resort is a winner. Literally.
(Sunriver, sunriver-resort.com, 800.801.8765)

Runners-up // Brasada Ranch; The Allison Inn & Spa

BEST TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER/VALET SERVICES
MTR Western

MTR Western takes great pride in offering the finest fleet of buses available for charter in Portland. The company specializes in long-distance tours, sports team transportation, corporate shuttle services and custom transportation needs. Clients appreciate enhanced amenities like reclining leather seats, power outlets, Wi-Fi and onboard computers used by drivers for GPS tracking, alerts and routing. (Portland, mtrwestern.com, 800.975.0464)

Runners-up // Lucky Limousine and Towncar Service; Premiere Valet

Vendor Spotlight: Corfini Gourmet

April 17, 2014 By foodinbloom

We are big fans of roasted chicken, house-smoked pork and other meat dishes. When we create a new menu for a client, we always start with the best ingredients. That’s where Corfini Gourmet comes in. In the words of Corfini Gourmet, “We are a Northwest based company with distribution locations in Seattle and Portland. We are dedicated to supplying all natural, local, sustainable meats and specialty ingredients from nearby farmers and distributing them to restaurants, catering companies and food retailers all over the Pacific Northwest. Corfini Gourmet is committed to providing our customers with excellent products and superb customer service.” We couldn’t agree more and we have been buying sustainable meats from them, like chicken and ground beef. Here are some recent dishes we have created with meats from Corfini:

grilled lemon & herb breast of chicken with sautéed artichokes & Sicilian caper relish

roast beef sliders with caramelized walla walla onions on assorted grand central bakery cocktail rolls

House Made Ice Cream Sandwich

April 1, 2014 By foodinbloom

This week we spent a lot of time with our amazing Pastry Chef Hillary Naishtat updating our seasonal desserts menu. We are gearing up for summertime, and with an abundance of seasonal fruit and warm weather on the horizon, she’s whipped up some delicious treats that will leave a lasting final impression on your palette. Our mouth’s screamed, “Ohhhhhh”, declared by, “More?!”

One such tasty treat is the Ice Cream Sandwich. We first introduced our spin on the ice cream sandwich at 2014’s Rocked Bridal Event, held at The Nines Hotel this past March. Hillary created two delicious versions; 1) Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Chocolate Cake dipped in fudge and 2) Strawberry Ice Cream with Lime Chiffon Cake. These were both wildly popular during the bride-centric event, and are trending to be a huge hit this summer.

Let’s get back to the engineer of these scrumptious delights; Hillary Naishtat. Hillary joined our culinary team in November 2013, and previously claimed stake at Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica, a three star, L.A. Times reviewed fine dining restaurant, and most recently Almond, based in New York City, where she developed recipes and led the dessert programs for the fleet’s three restaurants. Hillary’s refining touches have been a welcomed addition to the Food in Bloom kitchen where we make everything from scratch, using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. She’s already created crowd favorites such as our Rosemary Apricot Shortbread Bars with Pine Nut Streusel, as well as Earl Grey Truffles dusted in cocoa powder for some of our annual clients. We can’t wait to sneak back into the kitchen to taste the new magic she’s making.

Eastside Exchange Ballroom & Cascade Rooftop

March 7, 2014 By foodinbloom

Recently, we hosted a Pre-Construction tour of our new event venue, The Eastside Exchange Ballroom & Cascade Rooftop. This exclusive venue for Food in Bloom (and VT Group) is located at the eastside bridgehead of the Burnside Bridge, at 123 NE 3rd Avenue. This unique building (revitalized by Beam Development) overlooks the Willamette River and downtown city center, from a particularly exceptional view point. The ballroom and rooftop also gives guests a view of the famous and iconic ‘Portland, Oregon’ sign.

The Eastside Exchange building was built in 1925 and is on the national historic registry list. The building has served as an ice cream cone factory, housing during World War II, a Sears distribution center and more recently as office space. It was originally constructed for a furniture company and the area that is now the ballroom was built so that large rugs could be rolled out and show cased, which meant no supporting pillars could be used. As a result, the Exchange Ballroom offers a very large area, completely free from obstructions. The Cascade Rooftop is built from ipe decking and features a 360 view of Portland, including Portland’s seven, one-of-a kind bridges.

The venue includes: a 6,200 square-foot ballroom, a 2,200 square foot rooftop deck and conference rooms ranging in size from 225 square feet to 600 square feet. Each room can be set up in multiple configurations and a wide range of state-of-the-art A/V equipment is available. Contact us today for a tour of the Eastside Exchange and start to plan your next event at this extraordinary venue!

Hillary’s Winter Pavlova

January 23, 2014 By foodinbloom

Hillary, our in-house Pastry Chef made a wonderful tropical pavlova for a recent wedding show we attended. Our staff couldn’t stop eating it, as well as the wedding crowd. Get ready to wow your friends and guests with this recipe!
Pavlova is a classic dessert that is made up of three components: meringue, whipped cream and fruit. This time of year, in-season and readily available tart, tropical fruit strikes a perfect balance with the sweet meringue base. You can make large cake size meringue to cut up into slices or you can make bite sized meringue to make easy-to-eat and pass portions.

Method

Meringue:

3 egg whites
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
parchment-lined baking sheet

Whisk the whites and sugars together in a bowl with a stand-mixer. Place the bowl over a small pot of boiling water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot to the touch. Immediately bring the mixture back to the stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment, until the meringue forms stiff peaks.

Pipe the meringue with a piping bag and a tip of your choice or spread it with a spoon or spatula onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 250 degree oven until completely dried out. If you are making them bite-sized, it will take about 45 min. For a larger cake size, allow up to 2.5 hours. You’ll know the meringue is ready when you can easily lift it off the parchment paper. I always like to poke the bottom in the middle to make sure it’s not soft or damp. Once cooled completely, make sure you wrap the meringue in an air tight container until you are ready to build and serve the pavlova. Otherwise, the humidy in your kitchen can make the meringue get soggy and chewy!

Passion fruit caramel:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
a few drops of juice from squeezing half a lime
1/2 cup of passion fruit puree (if you want the caramel a little less tart, you can substitute a tablespoon of the passion fruit juice with orange juice). You can use either fresh passion fruit, that has been strained to remove seeds or a packaged passion fruit puree.

Combine the sugar, water and lime juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook the mixture over high heat until a light amber color — don’t go too dark or it will be bitter! Remove from heat, and immediately AND VERY CAREFULLY pour a little juice into the caramel. Whisk carefully. Add a little more, and whisk again. Repeat until fully incorporated. *You must do this slowly and carefully as to not get burned! When you add cool juice to very hot caramel, it bubbles up and can splash you. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Whipped cream:

Cream
A little sugar
vanilla

Whip up the above ingredients until you have the consistency you would like. In the winter, I like to add pink guava puree to my whipped cream to add color and more fruit flavor. To do this, either blend up your own fruit and strain it to make a puree. Then whip your cream to soft peaks, add the puree, and taste to see if you need more sugar, and then continue whipping to desired consistency.

The pavolva is constructed like so: the base is the meringue, topped first with whipped cream, then covered with fruit (and maybe nuts!) and drizzled with passion fruit caramel. I love using sliced kiwi and fresh passion fruit seed. While passion fruit is still available, I like to make a large batch of the caramel and save it in the freezer so I can make these pavlovas with raspberries and toasted pistchios! Enjoy!

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