portland Archives | Food In Bloom Catering

Gettin’ Feasty With It

October 5, 2016 By Justin

Food in Bloom got FEASTY mid September for Portland’s annual food festival, Feast Portland. Partnering once again with Bon Appetit, Food in Bloom collaborated to use inspired recipes for the Bon Appetit Mercantile in the Grand Bounty event. Grilled Chicken Tacos with roasted pineapple salsa and avocado cream along with a Roasted Plum and Ricotta Tartine with honey and black pepper were created onsite and served for the masses of attendees. Portland based companies Bee Local honey and Jacobsen Salt Co. sea salt products were provided to incorporate into our creations, and powerhouse Wolf convection ovens and standing mixers were proudly displayed and utilized.

We also had a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Trick Dog Bar and Bon Appetit, making signature cocktails at Oregonian Media Group Smoked! presented by Tillamook in the Fields Park. Trick Dog Bar presented two cocktails in the BA tent: “Yellowbeard” featured mescal, pineau des charentes, osmanthus tea, smoked plum, caramelized white chocolate and lime. “Blue in the Face” included bourbon, dry vermouth, triple sec, maple syrup, bitters and hickory smoke to tie into the outdoorsy, smoked theme.

Back at Grand Bounty, Food in Bloom proudly partnered this year with National Honey Board, with recipes created by Chef David Gaus, serving Bruschetta with ricotta, blackberry-honey and lemon zest, along with sipping samples of non-alcoholic beverages: pear juice, star anise, cranberry, honey and orange and charred cranberry juice with burnt honey orange syrup and ginger root. We also collaborated with National Honey Board during Brunch Village presented by Whole Foods Market, serving Chef Gaus’ bacon cheddar chive scone with honey.

Our in house floral and décor department, Vibrant Flowers, partnered with Feast at several events, creating bountiful and country inspired installations at Grand Bounty and Brunch Village at Pioneer Courthouse Square, and punching up the wildflowers to complement the outdoorsy theme of OMG’s Smoked!, where we utilized Feast sponsor, Le Creuset carafes as vessels, dotting the park with punches of vibrant color and textures.

Brunching Through Your Reception

June 1, 2016 By Justin

Slowly replacing breakfast and lunch everywhere, brunch seems to be the coolest thing since sliced bread. Brunch translates exquisitely to dates, Instagram pictures, an excuse to start drinking early on Saturday or casual Sundays with your girlfriends. Come to think of it, we aren’t entirely sure why brunching hasn’t already been a phenomenon. Combining our favorite aspects of any meal; alcohol, bacon, champagne and carbs, we are certainly glad it is now a thing. And just in time for your wedding reception.

Timing is always everything, including when it comes to brunch. The ideal time for any brunch is between 11 AM to 2 PM. Waiting much longer than that your guests will either start getting hangry or would sacrificially ruin their meal by eating breakfast.

You might have your concerns steering towards such a trendy wedding reception. Don’t. What makes brunching such a hit, is it’s classic yet playful appeal. A brunch reception can be festive or formal and transitions into whatever theme, good or bad, you might pick. Brunching can also be a huge money saver (music to any brides’ ears)!

There are endless brunch options. Biscuit bars, donut cakes, waffles and never ending playful takes on dessert bars. Toast bars, mini benedicts and food stations (think omelet, crepes and scrambles), are always a delicious options, while catering to all food allergies guests might have.

But you cannot forget the crowd pleasing bloody Mary bar. Pick your poison; vodka, tequila, whiskey and whatever accoutrements one might prefer. We love to add some pizzazz with peppered bacon, shrimp and peppercinis.

Add in the mimosas and you have got yourself a successful reception brunch.

Five Cocktail Ideas for your Next Dinner Party

May 10, 2016 By Justin

Hosting dinner parties in your own abode is always an exercise in how to please everybody. You control the pace, ambiance, mood and tone of the evening. If you’re feeling sassy, switch up your dinner party or happy hour at home and take the less traveled route of cocktails instead of beer and wine. These five simple sippers will surely fit into any theme and budget, and are surefire crowd pleasers.

Old Fashioned – The trick is with the orange rind. Use a thick enough peel and wipe the rim of the glass, as well as twist over the bucket to allow the orange oils to become part of the tasting experience. Garnish on top of the ice cube and serve. For a unique approach, quickly light the pulpy part of the rind with a match – this will take your old fashioned into a smoky, campfire direction.

French 76 – sub the gin w/ vodka and call it a 76. This is a refreshing and biting cocktail that incorporates clean vodka, tart lemon juice, simple sugar and crisp sparkling wine. It’s like a super fancy wine cooler.

Poloma – Fresh grapefruit juice, soda, tequila and lime. That’s it! For variations on this beast, use San Pellegrino Limonata instead of soda and grapefruit juice. Add a chili pepper or slice of jalapenos a garnish to spice things up, literally.

Classic Martini – for the discerning guest, you really just need gin or vodka, an icy up-glass, vermouth and olive juice. It’s an iconic drink, a crowd pleaser, easy to create, and it won’t stain. Shaken or stirred? Well, that depends on if you want to hear rattling ice for three hours.

Moroccan Coffee – this is always a fun party cocktail. People are enamored by the dazzle and spectacle of burning alcohol. Set that over-proof rum on fire, spritz the cinnamon and nutmeg to create little firecracker flashes, then add in your coffee liqueur, Irish cream liqueur and coffee, and viola. These after-dinner delights sneak up on you AND stick around for a while— make a pot of decaf for those folks who don’t’ want to be wired for the night. If you need to pull the fire extinguisher out because you’re having too much fun, switch from the hot coffee drink to a smooth White Russian. You’ve got the ingredients, and you probably have enough people who will appreciate the Big Lebowski homage.

Shrimp: A CEO’s Weakspot

April 1, 2016 By Justin

“Serve passed items that are easy to eat, not messy, that you can pick up with one hand always contribute to a great event”. Says Annessa Hartman, senior coordinator for Food in Bloom Catering.

Some say it’s a dog-eat-dog world We say it’s a shrimp-eat-shrimp world. So, why not incorporate our favorite crustacean into your next happy hour gathering or networking event?

Perhaps you see your CEO or boss like a shrimp: strong external shell, powerful navigator of the sea, and uses his/her feelers for sensibility.

What are some appropriate ways to serve our treasured swimmer of the sea?

Your guests, boss included, will likely have a cocktail in one hand, and flamboyantly storytelling and gesturing hand motions with the other. It’s a safe bet to keep the shrimp simple and flavorful, avoiding sauces, using a skewer stick, and keeping it relevant to your other food items.

If you are going for a Mediterranean themed menu, you’d incorporate flavors like paprika and rich, bright herbs. You likely wouldn’t have shrimp with lemongrass and peanut sauce. And, what if your guests are allergic to shrimp? Easy fix. Provide more than one hors d’oeuvre to your guests, and be open minded in your approach. Your group of guests will likely include someone who is vegetarian or vegan, someone who is gluten free, and someone who has dairy sensitivities.

You may have somebody who had a terrible encounter with shellfish in their past and prefers chicken. It’s important for you to have options, and an experienced caterer will provide you boatloads of choices. Because if your CEO or boss doesn’t like shrimp… well, you’re going to need a backup option to win him/her over. Otherwise, you may get tossed back into the sea.

To quote Forrest Gump: “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it.” –Bubba

Lan Su Chinese New Year

March 18, 2015 By Justin

Lan Su Chinese Garden concluded their Chinese New Year celebration with a dramatic lantern viewing. Food in Bloom was on hand to caterer and participate in the event on Sunday, March 1.

250 floating lanterns and 150 hanging red lanterns, alongside a dragon procession and drummers lit up the venue for four consecutive evenings. In addition to the ceremonial conclusion of the lantern viewing, the Year of the Ram celebrations began 10 days prior. Lion dancers, Chinese calligraphy demonstrations, martial arts performances, Chinese wishing tree and live sheep and goats all played a pivotal role in ringing in the New Year.

A complete wrap up of Lan Su’s Chinese New Year Celebrations can be found HERE.