Our Caterer = Bliss

Have I told you yet how much I love our caterer?

When I first started my search for a caterer I was a little worried. I didn’t know if we would be able to afford the food we wanted. See having an “off-site” reception is a little different from having one in a reception hall. The food has to come to you and most of the time (95% of the time) it comes pre-cooked and then reheated before it’s time to serve … soooo many things can go wrong, the pasta gets mushy, the meat can get over done … it can be a nightmare, so you have to make sure you either go with food that holds up well or find a caterer that cooks on site.

From the beginning we knew food was at the top of what was important to us …. That and our photographer, he is amazing and another story all together. We had planned on using about 30% of our total budget for the catering and I think we did pretty darn well at staying close to that … there was a brief moment where I thought we were pushing it but thanks to Emily she was able to help us change things to better fit our budget.

Probably from the time I set eyes on her website I knew Emily’s Café & Catering was the one … or at least I was willing to hope she was. The food and feel of all their events was exactly what we were going for. Everything is beautifully prepared, the flavors were unbelievable and yet so simple. They use a lot of fresh local and in season produce, you might not think it makes a difference but it really does.

In July I flew home to meet with caterers, Patrick was not able to get the time off from work so my mom did all the meetings with me. First off Emily was the only one who actually did a tasting on the first meeting. (All the caterers knew our situation but still chose not to do a tasting) Emily and her husband (who is also the chef … lucky gal) own Emily’s Café which is located on Main Street in Pennington, NJ. It is a small café that has this rustic, “neighborhood corner café” feel to it. If you are ever in the area stop by for lunch and some hot chocolate which Patrick described as “rainbows in a cup” …. I pictures rainbows as fruity but he apparently imagines rainbows tasting like yummy chocolaty goodness …. to each their own. Emily is the sweetest woman I have dealt with in this entire process. She just has this really soft-spoken voice that’s makes you feel like everything is going to be alright. I deal with her mainly through email but I can almost hear her calmness through her emails. I know that every time I have a question or concern she is right there is answers and options and never makes me feel like a pain.

As we arrived Emily got us drinks and started us off with some hors d’oeuvres. I had picked out some prior to the tasting but she had added some different ones and one was a date and goat cheese on an endive leaf, drizzled with some balsamic … OMG I can not even describe how amazing these were … it was so smooth and sweet with just a little tang … wow … needless to say it made it to our final menu. Then we were served a Caprese salad … fresh mozzarella layered with red and yellow tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette …. This is one of Patrick and my favorites. Since we are going with a buffet/station style dinner Emily suggested we serve the salads plated so people go to their seats, kind of bringing everyone together. (see what I mean .. love her!)

The next course they brought out Three Cheese Ravioli in a tomato pesto basil sauce …. Now I am using the word “sauce” lightly here because it was so much more than a sauce. The ravioli were mixed in the “sauce” but it wasn’t a sauce because there wasn’t much liquid … the cherry tomatoes halved and sautéed in EVOO, garlic, pesto and then the raviolis were tossed in it just coating them … the tomatoes were just as much a feature as the raviolis in my opinion and I can honestly say I have never had a better ravioli dish. Next we had our meats which were Grilled Flank Steak served with sautéed baby spinach, garlic and shallots (YUM!) and Pablano Chilli Glazed Grilled Chicken Breast served with vegetable orzo (again YUM!) Everything was so GOOD!

Now you are probably thinking “Megan the food is not going to be that good at the wedding … it’s going to be pre-cooked and then reheated once they get to the site.” WRONG! Emily’s caterer cooks everything ON-site so if it fresh when served. Now you may think “Well the price is probably so much more that way!” Nope … at least it wasn’t for us because we had another caterer we were kind of considering and she was the same price … I even did a price break down and yes Emily’s food was pricier, the other caterer’s service/supplies was more money and so the difference between the two was a mere $6 … I kid you not. I also didn’t factor in that Emily’s includes the wedding cake (of your choosing of course) and the other caterer did not. I do have to rent the outdoor stove but the coast of the cake cancelled that out. So for the same coast as a caterer who cooks everything off-site I get food that is going to be made fresh on-site and that tastes AMAZING.

We are also having a mashed potato station where you can choose between Sweet Potato or Red Bliss Potato mash and all the fixings you can think to go on them! I am sooooo excited about that! Patrick also HATES spinach (as well as peppers, onions and most vegetables I love lol) so we are having a mixed seasonal vegetable side as well.

So here is a break down of our Finalized Menu :-)

As Guests Arrive for Ceremony
Freshly Brewed Iced Tea
*with mint sprigs in mason jars to garnish
Strawberry Lemonade

Cocktail Hour
Passed hors d’oeuvre:
Smoked Salmon Canapé
with crème fraiche and chives

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlet

Shrimp Cocktail
with lemon wedges

Endive Spears with Dates and Goat Cheese
with a honey balsamic glaze

Mini BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
with a sour cream dollop

Petite Lamp Chops

Plated Salad:
Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese
layered with sweet basil
*microgreens garnish

House Made Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Buffet Main Fare:
Chimichurri Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
sautéed baby spinach on the side

Poblano Chili Glazed Grilled Chicken Breasts
over herbed vegetable strewn orzo with citrus zest


Pasta Station:
Three Cheese Ravioli
made to order with:
Plum Tomato Basil Ragu

Wood Grilled Summer Garden Vegetables
with a basil pesto drizzle


Mashed Potato Bar:
Smashed Red Bliss Potatoes and Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes
with mixers:
candied pecans, Monterey Jack cheese
chives, crispy shallots, bacon


Oh did I mention that she has been featured in New Jersey Bride (TWICE) and on the all-inspiring Style Me Pretty!!! If you want check out their blog ... they have some really creative ideas they do for weddings and events!

PS: I had a horrible nightmare 4 months ago where everything went wrong; it rained, people came in jeans and t-shirts, no one wanted to dance and just went inside and watched tv, my photographer said it was the worst wedding he had ever photographed. But then the caterer arrived and the sun came out and the food was amazing and then I woke up. Thank you Emily's Catering for being the saving grace to my wedding nightmares!