Fall Client Open House at Southern Plantation Oasis

As a client of Catering By Robert /Event Concepts. FL, you are invited to attend multiple group tastings which focus on our diverse menu offerings. 

Since we do not need to know clients' final menu selections until two weeks prior to their events, these open house tastings are excellent opportunities to sample a variety of options prepared for 50 or more attendees.

Our host for our fall open house and food tasting was the incredible Southern Plantation Oasis specializing in wedding weekend packages. 

Since private mansion/vacation rental settings make up 50% of our annual events, we welcomed our current clients to experience the hospitality we provide in this unique and often challenging outdoor atmosphere.

This expansive estate is conveniently located just minutes off the Veteran's Expressway/Suncoast Parkway in the Lutz area of Hillsborough County. While the house resembles a plantation house, the centerpiece of the property focuses around a large tropical pool area complete with waterfall and lagoon. Just about any theme goes here.

Our theme for this event was "Ports of Call" which featured cuisine from around the world.

Because rain was expected, we located guest tables under the first breezeway adjoining the house with a garage area (where we do much of our prep work). Food was served mostly on the back covered veranda. We utilized the adorable Tiki Bar for complimentary Blue Hawaiins and other beverages for our guests.

We chose a color palette of silver, rose, and various shades of blue ranging from baby blue to  wedgewood to royal.

While acquiring a tent for the guest seating area is a plus, we demonstrated that clients holding all outdoor events at Southern Plantation Oasis, have some options for inclement weather. We were able to accommodate up to 60 guests under the first breezeway which connected to other covered areas where sign-in, gift table, bar, and food tables could be located.   

Even though SPO is located near lots of natural preserves and woodlands, it gets its fair share of tropical breezes which can be a challenge for guest table settings. Napkin folds that are secured over our in-house charger plates, are one of the best ways to make sure settings stay in place. Lower centerpieces anchored by water have less chance of tipping over.

The expansive wrap around porch offers cover and shade for welcoming guests.

Social hour hors d'oeuvres are one of the first impressions guests receive. Our talented on-site culinary staff takes special time to make sure these tidbits look appealing and interesting. 

Venetian Salami Coronets with Garlic 

Proscuitto-Buffalo Cheese Pinwheels

Memphis Bourbon Drunkin Dogs

Key West Coconut Shrimp with Rasberry-Marmelade Dipping Sauce

Singapore Spring Rolls

Cucumber Rounds with Garlic Pate

Southern France Mini Quiche

 Greek Calamari

Mumbai Curried Chicken Salad Tartlets

Our buffet and stations featured our chafing dishes inside wood crates protecting the heat from the wind.

One of our station features was an Italian favorite, Chicken Frangelica. Tender chicken medallions were sautéed in heavy cream with shallots and red and green peppers, and then flamed with Frangelica liquer. Toasted hazelnuts provided the finishing touches.  

Pasta Primavera

Hand-Torched Montreal Maple Glazed Salmon 

over Wild Rice

Our carved feature was Hawaiian Honey Glazed Ham served with Pineapple Salsa and Hawaiin Rolls.

Our displayed salad was Mandarin Orange with Toasted Coconut, Red Onion, and a Citrus Viniagrette Dressing.

Many thanks to Southern Plantation Oasis and West Coast Events and Rentals for being a part of this event.

Summer Client Open House

Four times a year, we host a special food tasting event for our booked clients. Since we had many new brides and grooms with a wide variety of cuisine interests, we decided to focus on a free spirited approach. We had such a great response for attendance, we had to schedule two sessions which was held at our Citrus Park Studio. 

Our goal was to feature summer seasonal regional foods as well as surprising options in presentation.

Here are some highlights of this colorful, fun afternoon!

 

One of our clients sparked our interest in featuring a guest table in bright pink, green and yellow. While this is not their exact table décor, we embellished a bit to include a mix of solids, polka dots, and damask with hints of silver.

We had the back up napkins for the second session lined up on the wrought iron backdrop next to it.

Our second guest table captured a bright green and orange motif with our popular glass cylinders in the center. We showcased an idea for custom napkin rings as well. 

The second session had a slightly different set of napkins with a butterfly attached.

Our third main guest table was a shabby chic design with clover green and gold damask.

All of our in-house centerpieces were on display.

One of our routine challenges is how to do food presentations in outdoor settings. Since we have several clients considering a Charcuterie display for their social hours, we experimented with a vertical design utilizing our dark wood cabinet. 

With several clients focusing on non-pork options, we incorporated only beef in our main offerings. This included beef pastrami, genoa beef salami, beef pepperoni, and summer sausage. Acruments ranged from gluten free flatbread crackers, bread sticks and baguettes, smoked salmon pate, stone ground mustard, gerkin pickles, apricot jam, chopped hazelnuts, pears, and fresh grapes.  

We felt that the distinct separation between items gave us the option to include a variety of meat types without them touching each other. 

 

We featured a number of hand-passed appetizers including the Aricini Rice Balls with Marinara below.

Providing interesting butler trays is always a challenge. Below, we included our popular demi glace meatballs with pretzel handles. The meatballs contained only beef and turkey. Also, Duxell Stuffed Mushroom Caps (all vegetarian) were also on the same tray without any items touching each other.

 

It is always fun to present standard food items in a unique way. We did this with our Caesar Salad Skewers. Also below are our Firey Watermelon Half Hearts.

 

A big hit was our Grecian Grilled Flatbread with a tangy cream cheese and parmesean topping.

Some of our station-buffet selections were showcased in our new rustic wood chafing dish crates.

Our chicken entrée was Spanish Style with red sauce. Featured pasta was tangy Southwest with mushrooms and diced tomatoes.

 

Another colorful station showcased our Powder Coated Chafing Dish (in the process of getting more manufactured) with Garlicky Smashed Potatoes and BBQ Baked Beans (no meat). 

Our feature station was a Fajita Bar with seasoned vegetables and deep fried catfish.

 

Our last station included Mediterranean Marinated Vegetables and Carved Bourbon Glazed Ham.

We loved interacting with our clients and their guests.

It is always great to have staff members that love what they do as much as we do!