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vendor reviews: catering
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From cuisine to décor - you name it, Culinary Catering serves it Reviewing George & Sally Anast, Owners Culinary Catering
It's pretty amazing to meet people like George and Sally Anast of Culinary Catering. Throughout our interview, the phone never stopped ringing and there were about twenty parties on the board for that week. Even so, George explained in detail what it is that they strive to do for every client they have, outlining their concept and goals with the enthusiasm of brand new business owners. The difference is that George and Sally have been catering for over twenty years. I guess when you love what you do, it really does show in the service you provide and the way you deal with your clients...
Despite the name... There's so much more to Culinary Catering Services than just catering Canadian, Italian, Portuguese and East Indian cuisine - despite the name. Culinary provides full wedding consulting for every detail of your wedding or event. They'll do site inspections with you if you need a hall, they'll do your flowers, decorating and rentals, and even add an ice sculpture to the menu, if you'd like.
When a bride walks through their doors, she is presented with a great little folder of recipe cards outlining the various services Culinary will end up helping her with. These services range from 'Menu Selection' and 'Personalized Décor' to 'Rentals' and 'Catering Venues' (only one of these cards has anything to do with food!).
Wedding consulting A free consultation with Sally is where the real fun begins! George will set you up with the cuisine of your dreams, according to your taste and budget. In many of the weddings that Culinary takes on, Culinary Catering is asked to provide wedding consulting services. Whether it's an outdoor event for thousands under a tent or an intimate backyard reception, both George and Sally are your wedding consultants and new best friends. The best part? Consulting services are included in the price of your catering!
Preferred and in demand To attain the services of Culinary Catering, it is recommended that you call as early as possible. Brides usually book about twelve months ahead, but they may be able to accommodate a function on shorter notice so it's always worth giving them a call. Their unique concept and approach to both service and food has kept George, Sally and their staff of chefs, servers, and office workers busy. Culinary caters for Museum London, Civic Gardens, The Old Court House, Elsie Perrin Williams Estate, Grosvenor Lodge, Brookside Banquet Centre, Centennial Hall, Purple Hill Auction Centre and a handful of other upscale reception locations.
Trusting the experts... One of the most important things a bride can do (and sometimes one of the hardest!) is to trust the experts with the details of their wedding. With years of experience and countless weddings under their belts, Culinary Catering certainly falls under the 'expert' category. "We have their best interests and the success of their day in mind always," they told us. They offer guidance on all of the choices available and say that they'll even step in and refuse to do something if they know that it won't work out for you in the end. "Trust in our experience," Sally assures her brides and grooms. “We’re not going to let you make a mistake."
Catering to the extras Beyond the meal, Culinary Catering offers a variety of services that tie in and enhance a beautiful reception meal, including on-site floral design from bouquets to centrepieces, décor including silver candelabras, columns, artificial trees, specialty backdrops, china and flatware, linens, organza and overlays, chair covers, and gold and silver ballroom chairs. They also have unique and creative lighting, ice sculptures, individually created themes, an assortment of fabrics for draping... and more.
detailsdetailsdetails • Prices for food range from $25 to $50 per person, plus taxes. • Outdoor events under a tent, weddings in halls, intimate backyard affaires, beach weddings - they've done them all. • The earlier you can book, the better, especially if you are looking for a Saturday. They prefer twelve months advance notice for your event if possible, but they also will do their best to accommodate last minute bookings. • Culinary Catering is doing more and more Friday (and other weekday) weddings, as well as off-season dates (January to March). You may qualify for a discount if you book with them for an off-season or off-day wedding. • Culinary Catering told The Ring that many of their brides are finding that they can’t get the selection or unique look that they want in the middle of summer when most other brides are having their weddings, so booking in the off-season is becoming the preferred option. • Gratuities are not included in the prices.
• There is a $500 deposit required when booking.
Sample Italian Menu: A taste of Culinary's cuisine Hors D’oeuvres: Assorted domestic and imported cheeses displayed with fruit, nuts, and crackers, Crudité platter with an assortment of dips, Non-alcoholic punch served in a silver fountain, Asparagus, prosciutto and provolone cheese wrapped in phyllo pastry, Freshly baked Italian rolls and breads | 1st Course: Antipasto, Melon wrapped with Prosciutto and boccoccini cheese, drizzled with olive oil. Black and green olives, marinated vegetables and cherry tomatoes on a bed of greens | 2nd Course: Shrimp Cocktail - 6 jumbo shrimp served on a bed of lettuce offered with cocktail sauce | 3rd Course: Pasta: A choice of cannelloni, manicotti, or lasagna, served with pommodore sauce (all noodles are handmade and hand rolled) | 4th Course: Rosemary Chicken served with steamed vegetables tossed in garlic butter | 5th Course: Family style Roast beef au Jus (served on a platter) OR Veal Parmigianna (served on a platter) | 6th Course: Family style salad (mixed greens tossed with a Balsamic vinaigrette) | 7th Course: Tiramisu decorated with fresh berries and a raspberry coulis, Coffee and Tea, Espresso offered at Bar | Late Night: Assorted Italian pastries, Fresh fruit, Assorted cheesecakes, Assorted Tortes, Italian deli meats and cheeses, Coffee and Tea | Hot & cold hors d'oeuvres, themed food stations (East Indian, Venetian, Canadian, Greek, Italian, Taste of the Orient, Spanish, Caribbean, Portuguese), plated dinners, late night menus, Portuguese wedding menus, and more - all ranging from $25 to $50 per person.
'How to Understand Lingo' Tip: When looking at catering pricing, you can expect to see 'per person' pricing for most items except for hors d'oeuvres, which are sometimes charged by the platter. This is common for catering companies, except that usually the taxes and services charges are extra. Budget Tip: Know approximately how many guests you'll have and what your budget is before contacting a caterer.
Inotherwords... "We wanted to sincerely thank you for making our wedding day so special. The dinner and buffet was truly amazing, however the whole night was incredible. Your staff was great, and your help in planning made everything so much easier. We truly appreciate everything that you have done." - Cheryl & Richard "Words cannot express our appreciation for all your hard work to ensure a beautiful, memorable evening as we began our new life together!" - Chris & Michelle "Thank you for making our wedding perfect! You are much more than a caterer. You were our wedding planner. Thank you for all your advice & support. We couldn’t have asked for more!" - Cheryl & Stuart "Thank you so much. Our day was absolutely perfect. I have received nothing but compliments about the food, service and décor. It was absolutely fabulous. Thank you so much for all your hard work." - Christina & Jim "We would like to thank Culinary Catering for completing our perfect day with class. Your presentation of the food and setting was perfect in every way. Your staff was helpful in all areas. Courteous and friendly at all times. We received so many compliments on the presentation and quality of the food. We hold Culinary Catering in the highest regard and would not hesitate to recommend your services to any occasion. Thank you again for making our day complete and perfect in every way possible." - Cory & Matt
To find out more about any of Culinary Catering's services or to book them for your wedding, contact Sally or George Anast by phone at 519-641-4725 or by email at info@culinarycatering.ca. They are located at 279 Springbank Drive in London. You can also check them out on the web (tons of menu selections and extensive photos of the work they do) at www.culinarycatering.ca!
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Culinary Catering. * Photos provided by and used with permission of Culinary Catering. Some photos in review courtesy of Sandra Dufton Photography, Abela Photography, The Last Forty Percent Photography, Helen Traczynski Photography. |
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