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Culinary Crafts Marketing Foodies

November 29, 2018

Top picks for the kitchen! Holiday gift ideas from our chefs.

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  With the holidays just around the corner, we put together a list of items our chefs just could not live without in their own kitchens. Here are their recommendations: Ryan Crafts- Burr Coffee Grinder The single most important step to take to improve your home coffee experience is using freshly roasted and freshly ground beans. I find the best beans are almost always from a local roaster (Publik, D'Bolla, and Pink Elephant are some of my Utah favorites). I weigh out the beans for my cup each morning and grind immediately prior to brewing with burr grinder.   Kaleb Crafts- End Grain Cutting Board End grain boards last longer than edge grain boards. End grain boards are easier on your knives, leaving them sharper longer. They're also one of the most beautiful additions you can make to any kitchen. You can buy one of Kaleb's custom made ones here!  Meagan Crafts- Bench Knife and Squeeze Bottle The 2 items I use most in my home are a bench knife and squeeze bottle. I use my bench knife to cut and divide breads, desserts, and candies. It is the way it fits in your hand as opposed to a chef knife that makes it faster to use. I use squeeze bottles for everything—dressings, chocolate, sauces, etc. It makes plating and designing fun and creative! Chef Brandon Roddy- Immersion Blender From soups to vinaigrettes, a stick blender in your home will change a daunting task to the easiest thing to do in the kitchen. Chef Robert Mendoza- Can Opener I recommend a good can opener! I can make do with a lot of other things, but there is really only one way to get into a can!   Chef David Dexter- Vegetable Peeler This is simply for ease. Every home has 3 or 4 vegetable peelers, but only 1 good one. Invest in a quality one and throw the other ones out! Chef James Arnold- Cutting Board My cutting boards are my most used items in my kitchen. I love having set cutting boards for each type of food I am cooking—poultry, red meat, vegetables, etc. Chef Utahna Warren- Quality Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Drop the money to buy some quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It will change the way you cook. Culinary Crafts put together a box of our favorites here!  Chef Jaden White- Mixing Bowls Mixing bowls are a great addition to your collection. At Culinary Crafts, we have dozens and dozens of bowls and the varying sizes makes the kitchen experience a breeze. Chef Libby Rice- Electric Stand Mixer My KitchenAid is my most precious possession in my kitchen. I don't know how people managed to whip cream and egg whites or hand knead dough endlessly back in the day. A good mixer can change the speed and efficiency with which you cook in the kitchen. Chef Kayde Dexter- Cast Iron Pan A 9-11" cast iron skillet is the most versatile pan I own. It adds a cool level to home cooking. Chef Raquel (Rocky) Ortega- Heat Resistant Spatula Make sure you find one that can withstand the heat, it will ease your cooking experience. Chef Lacy Johnson- Instant Read Thermometer The best way to revolutionize the way you cook is with and instant read thermometer. Getting your proteins to the perfect temperature instead of guessing will change the way you eat. Chef Danielle Mahoney- Chef Knife You cannot even begin cooking without a quality chef knife. If I was going to upgrade any item in my kitchen it would be a good knife first! Chef Madison Oliveira- Rice Cooker As silly as this may seem, my mother-in-law gave us a rice cooker for our wedding, and I am never going back. It is wonderful. Chef Megan Gagne- Off-Set Spatula and Piping Bag As a pastry chef, I love to decorate—especially for the holidays. An off-set spatula and piping bag with tips are key to decorating all those fun desserts and plates for your holiday season. Chef Cambridge Dockendorf- Kitchen Shears If you follow our blog, last week we showed you all the glories of spatchcocking a turkey. The magic of kitchen shears doesn't stop there. I use mine every day and I love not having a pair that has to cross over—they are just for cooking. Chef Jocelyn Gillies- Scale Cooking is a science, the weight of your ingredients is so important, a volume measurement is never as precise as it should be. A scale will change the quality of all your recipes. Chef Hunter Ashton- Microplane A microplane in your home will add a new level to your cooking. Fresh orange zest over your pork loin or fresh nutmeg shaved right into your egg nog is a beautiful addition. Chef Kyle Castillo- Non-Stick Skillet A good non-stick skillet is a great addition to any kitchen. You cannot have too many of these! Chef Dardree McClellan- Serrated Knife I bake bread in my home all the time and having a great serrated knife makes my life easier. Chef Calli Kassel- Hallow Ground Santoku Knife A quality chef knife is important but an Asian chef knife is super cool. Because the blade is ground at a 20 degree angle it is crazy sharp and makes cutting anything like cutting though butter. Chef Allison Parker- Knife Sharpener I recommend a knife sharpener, not a honing steel (although that is a great piece as well), so you can keep your blades crazy sharp. Being able to do this at your home instead of taking it to a shop makes keeping your knifes sharp easy and convenient. Having this addition to your kitchen will surprise you by how dull your knives can get. Chef Megann Brimhall- Bacon Grease I couldn't think of a tool, but I certainly use bacon grease often! Don't be grossed out—I use it to grease pans, fry pancakes and eggs, and sauté vegetables—yummm. A great Christmas gift for me would be a pound of bacon and a wide mouth mason jar specifically for keeping my grease. Make sure to buy a little strainer specifically to get out the little bits of bacon, though, so it doesn't go rancid. Chef Adam Park- Large Flake Salt and a Salt Cellar Most home cooks under season. One of the best ways to finish a dish is with some beautiful seasoning salt. A salt cellar will help you keep your finishing salt separate. Also, salting by hand is more balanced than using a shaker. The salt cellar lets you measure your salt in your palm. Check out our favorite custom cellars here.

January 27, 2017

Friday Instagram of the Week!

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CC_IGofTW95 For today's Instagram of the Week, we have picked an AWESOME capture from one of our GORGEOUS (and amazing!) brides, @fearnofight!  We love it when our couples post fun things like this from their wedding day and it makes everyone at Culinary Crafts feel so happy to have added a special memory like this for our clients - So fun!  Thank you so much for sharing!  And, remember, for your chance to be next week's Instagram of the Week, remember to tag us at @culinarycrafts or add the hashtag #culinarycrafts to your posts and check back to see who gets picked next!  Happy weekend, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

October 13, 2015

Recipe of the Month: Individual Apple Crostata

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May 4, 2010

Culinary Crafts Wins Best of Utah County

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January 11, 2010

French Macaroons

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People often wonder how new trends develop in creative fields like culinary arts.  Culinary artists look to many different places for inspiration, and one sure place to find it is the classics.   A prime example of a classic that has caught on in the United States is the french macaroon. Don't let their unassuming appearance fool you.  These jewel-like cookies are a perfect storm of complex textures, clean flavors, and brilliant colors.  The macaroon has gained favor with food enthusisasts due to the combination of a crisp, smooth - bordering on ceramic - finish on the outside and a chewy, sweet center.   Culinary Crafts is excited to offer this delicate treat in every color and flavor imaginable, adding a subtle delicacy to any event. 

October 20, 2009

New Ideas for Utah Catering

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One of the most exciting parts of doing research and development for our catering company is traveling to the coasts (both east and west) for inspiration!   International Caterers Association presented a Day of Education: Design, Trends, & Resources on Monday, August 17th. Produced and presented by Good Gracious! Events and Jay’s Catering, at Jay’s Catering in Orange County, CA. It was a full day of information and resources presented in an entertaining and fun way. Very interactive. These Regional Education Days (RED) are held at different locations throughout the year. This is a great way to stay informed and connected.  These are some of the great ideas we brought home to Utah!

August 10, 2009

Culinary Crafts wins Best of State

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February 19, 2009

Culinary Crafts’ Foodies!

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Kami & Keith, putting their heads together So who's behind the great Culinary Crafts marketing you see all over the inter mountain west?   Well....it's us!   Keith Westerberg and Kami St. John, of Flourish Art & Design. We've been working with Culinary Crafts since 2001 and are responsible for their photography, branding, graphics and marketing style. A note about their food shots. All the photos you see are from actual Culinary Crafts events. We never use stock photos in CC's marketing.  Hard to believe, but true....their food looks fantastic and tastes even better. A little bit more about us....We are confirmed "foodies" through and through. We love to grow our own vegetables, cook and eat.  As contributors to their blog, we'll share juicy tidbits about Culinary Craft's marketing and public relations activities, and occassional tales of our own food adventures. Have a great day - Kami & Keith, the marketing foodies And for dessert, Culinary Craft's......

January 29, 2009

2009 Wedding Show

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 Hi bloggers - In case you didn't make it to the 2009 Wedding Show in Salt Lake City, we thought you might like to see some photos we took of the absolutely gorgeous Culinary Crafts booth.  Shimmering with gold linens,  the  presentation featured beautiful table settings, an assortment of delicious small plate appetizers and desserts,  and a totally cool (pun intended) ice sculpture table top with fresh flowers. Enjoy the show!   Kami St. John & Keith Westerberg  Flourish Art & Design, Graphic Design & Photography for Culinary Crafts
 

27x winner Utah’s Best of State

24x Best of State Caterer

3x Best of the Best / Hospitality

1x Entrepreneur of the Year