Newsletter from Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters

Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters
August 2009 Newsletter

www.hughgromancatering.com

"The food was delicious, on-time, and beautifully presented. AND we didn't have to clean up afterwards. We tossed the platters into a carton that they left, put it outside the door, and they came to pick it up!"
-Exerpt from a YELP review recenlty posted by a Greenleaf Platters client. Thanks for the review!

We donate 1% of our revenue to the Alameda County Community Food Bank

THANK YOU

We wanted to express our appreciation to those of you who have positively reviewed us on local websites such as YELP and the Berkeley Parents Network. These local sites are crucial to our success, and we notice an increase in business when you add a review.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Staff Spotlight
Valerie Ruma

We are happy to feature Valerie Ruma in this month's staff spotlight.

We especially appreciate Valerie's sunny personality, her "can do" attitude and her strong leadership skills. Valerie really cares about doing a great job with whatever she does, and that does not go unnoticed.

Valerie grew up in a restaurant family, but spent 20 years in technology sales and marketing. After deciding she'd had enough of the corporate world, she started catering, thinking it would be a temporary job until she made her next move. That was 4 years ago.

Valerie says she "loves working for HGC because of the quality of the people. Hugh always shows appreciation for his staff's contributions. He also treats us like family (or maybe family pets) and has a great sense of humor. The rest of the staff also works well together, and there is very little ego involved. Finally, the food is always delicious and high quality.

When Valerie is not working she likes to spend time with her two cats and in her garden. She loves to cook and is especially good at Persian food. She also enjoys international travel, reading, biking and playing her violin, although she thinks her neighbors upstairs may not enjoy it as much as she does.

Questions or comments?
E-mail us at nina@hughgromancatering.com
or call 510-647-5165.

Message from Hugh

So my wonderful friend Jeff emailed me a link to a Craigslist ad about an open call for the new season of "The Next Food Network Star." I couldn't resist! I went to the audition and waited 5 hours to have a 3 minute conversation with a friendly casting agent named Jen. I got a 45 minute "call back," which was a lot of fun and exciting slash stressful. I had such a great time and held nothing back. Let's just say there was dancing and singing, and I told them what I had for breakfast. I won't hear anything until October, and they don't contact you if you aren't going to the next round of auditions. Regardless of the outcome, I gave it my all, which is a nice feeling, and I even tweeted about it! The best part of the whole experience was the tweets that then went to Facebook, which led to so many wonderful replies with incredible words of encouragement. All these sweet people taught me a lesson about the simple power of supportive friends. :)
Sincerely,
Hugh

Featured Recipe - Salsa Verde (makes 2 cups)

* 1 bunch Italian parsley, washed and stems
   removed
* 1/2 bunch scallions -- washed and sliced
   fine
* 1 clove garlic -- finely chopped
* Juice of 2 lemons
* 1 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper -- to taste
* 1 medium shallot -- chopped fine
* 1/4 cup capers -- rinsed and chopped

1) Up to one day ahead: Prep herbs, garlic and shallots. Be sure to slice scallions fine before adding to food processor.

2) Combine herbs in food processor, add garlic, shallots, capers. Process until fairly uniform, but it should still have texture.

3) Add lemon, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.

We serve salsa verde with roasted filet mignon, grilled New York strip and flank steak.   I also love this sauce with any kind of fish as well. You can serve it with roasted or grilled vegetables or polenta too!

For conversions between weight and measure, click here.

Quick Tip - Guest Count

Many of our clients struggle with figuring out how many guests will actually come to their events. Guests often RSVP late or not at all, and this can leave you wondering anxiously how many people will attend. After years of experience we have come up with a pretty good formula for "guesstimating" this number. Basically, our rule is to take the number of "maybes" you have and add them to the number of people you haven't heard from at all. Divide that number by 2 and add that to your "YES's". You'll see people will continue to RSVP up until the day of your event, and this formula will be remarkably accurate.

Environmental Focus

At Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters we strive to create "zero waste events". This means we compost and recycle everything we possibly can so at the end of the event there is no garbage to go in the landfill. You can easily reduce the amount of garbage created at your own events. Try setting up stations with clearly marked receptacles for recycling and compost. Better yet, hire a helper or ask a friend to monitor the stations to help sort garbage, compost, and recyclables. A little planning and effort will go a long way in both increasing people's awareness and decreasing clean up time at the end of your event.

A 50th Birthday Celebration for one of our wonderful customers
Finger Food Hors D'oeuvres Fresh Mexican guacamole with fresh tortilla chips, baby carrots and jicama White fish ceviche with homemade tortilla chips Passed Hors D'oeuvres Quesadillas made with spinach tortillas with jalapeno, fresh spinach, corn, black beans and jack cheese Grilled chipotle shrimp with garlic, lime and fresh mint Chicken chile verde in a crisp masa cup with a queso fresco lime crema Grilled scallops with salsa verde on poblano mashed potatoes Salads Station Salad of arugula and pink grapefruit with queso fresco and toasted pumpkin seeds in a pink grapefruit vinaigrette Salad of jicama, beets, carrots and naval oranges with toasted peanuts in a lime vinaigrette Salad of black beans, corn and slow roasted tomatoes in a garlic lime vinaigrette Action Station Tacos - white fish, beef, tropical fruit avocado salsa, tomato salsa, cabbage, chipotle aioli, shredded cheddar cheese, crisp and soft shells Chicken tamales with tomatillo salsa Summer vegetable tamales with tomatillo salsa Desserts Tiny chocolate and cinnamon pots de crème with whipped cream and chocolate covered espresso beans Fresh berry crisp with dulce de leche ice cream Trifle with sour cream butter cake, dulce de leche, toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh whipped cream and pineapple

Hugh Groman Catering

Hugh Groman Catering is a full service boutique catering company providing the highest quality food and party planning services for events up to 1000 guests. Our customers want delicious, interesting food, served with warmth in a simple, elegant style, and they want us to make it all easy for them.

Greenleaf Platters

At greenleafplatters.com we provide party platters unlike any others you may have had in the past. We offer the same quality food you've come to expect from Hugh Groman Catering, served on elegant white porcelain platters, delivered and set up at your event. This service is for those who don't need staff party planning services, but want to impress their guests with exceptional food.