Overview & Synopsis When your wedding has 900 guests, it s hard to create a space that feels intimate and cozy. The bride and groom met with us to share their dream for a small, relaxed wedding. The groom comes from a large family of 8 siblings, and the bride s family hails from all over the world. As the guest list grew and grew, it looked more and more unlikely that this couple would be able to maintain that laid back feeling. When asked to describe their favourite date, the groom told us about an old fashioned diner he had taken Rebecca to in New York City, where they enjoyed burgers, fries and milkshakes, and their favourite, authentic wood oven pizza. What about a diner style menu at the wedding?
Overview & Synopsis (Continued) We quickly got to work sourcing the barstools, hardware and lighting that would create the setting. We met with our graphics designer, who gave us a mock-up of a diner logo that we could incorporate into the décor and menus. Aprons, t-shirts, paper hats and bowties were ordered from a company that specializes in all things retro. We arranged to install a 42 plasma TV over the diner which had the menu listed on the screen. The menu was simple, fun and delicious. Burgers, fries, wings, chicken fingers, flatbread pizza, milkshakes, and old fashioned glass coke bottles with red and white striped straws really gave the diner that authentic 1950 s feel. To continue with the theme, we decided to print menus for the guests to order from. We hoped that the set up would really maintain that cozy friendly environment the couple were hoping for. Individuals could sidle up to the bar, friends could sit in pairs or threesomes, order some drinks and comfort food, and catch up on old times.
Challenges & Obstacles Sourcing the products for the diner turned out to be more difficult than we imagined. Who knew that red and white striped straws weren t available in Canada, and needed to be shipped from Delaware? The couple s favourite NY pizzeria served authentic wood fired pizza. How could we replicate that inside the lobby of a venue? The pizza had to be served piping hot, just out of the pizza oven. The chicken fingers needed to be deep fried at the last possible moment. We decided to rent an authentic, portable pizza oven, safe for indoor use, and a deep fryer, so we could make everything fresh. We needed to arrange the installation of specialty plugs so we could power all the kitchen equipment inside the venue.. We built an entire cooking line smack in middle of the lobby! With 900 guests in attendance, but only 50 seats at the diner, and all the food cooked to order by the diner chefs, we needed to ensure that our mise en place was perfect, and that we did not run out of food. Our cooking line was out in the open, so no shortcuts could be taken. Everything was being scrutinized by the guests. Due to our client s dietary restrictions, we couldn t use any dairy in the milkshakes. We were lucky enough to find some great substitutes, including soy vanilla ice cream and soy chocolate ice cream. They really created a thick, creamy milkshake with no milk or dairy products!
Recipes Caramelized Onions Guacamole 1 oz thinly sliced red onions 1 ripe Hass avocado 2 tsp red wine ¼ tsp balsamic vinegar 2 tsp brown sugar Simmer all ingredients in a small fry plan for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool. ½ Roma tomatoes, finely diced ¼ red onion, finely diced 2 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped ½ tsp fresh lemon juice Pinch salt & pepper Turkey Sliders 16 oz freshly ground turkey (dark & white meat) 4 oz panko 2 oz brunoise of onion, lightly sautéed ½ tsp thyme, finely chopped ¼ tsp rosemary, finely chopped Pinch salt & pepper Mash avocado. Add remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. Fold together all ingredients. Form into 1 ½ round sliders. Sear in a hot frying pan coated with oil, 1 minute per side. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes.