Blog

September 12, 2017

By ACecala

As you might have heard, Culinary Crafts announced that our next harvest Pop Up Restaurant will be held on October 6th at the Big Moose Yacht Club!  Every year, we've hosted a 'harvest' pop up to honor the end of summer and celebrate the harvest season!  In case you need a little extra nudge to get you seats to this year's, here is our Pop Up Restaurant from last year.  It was amazing, and I'm sure this year will be even better! Last year's dinner was held at the beautiful Snuck Farm.  Isn't it pretty??? Since this was a harvest celebration, of course our color palette inspiration was full of rich autumn tones!  We LOVED how the florals turned out and fit the feel perfectly! Our very own Mary Crafts-Homer hosted this AMAZING dinner last year, and will be hosting this year's as well!  Of course, that means a lot of mixing and mingling will be happening! Our butler passed hors d'ouevres were a fun nod to local fare of the harvest.  The Beehive Sea Salt and Honey Cheese on a Utah Pear with Slide Ridge Honey and the Sage Honey Apple Crisp with Brown Butter Acorn Squash Mousse garnished with Sea Salt were DELICIOUS! The plated 7 (yes, 7) course dinner was held in this beautiful space.  Such a great venue for an intimate dinner! Hey llama!  They were such a fun addition to the surroundings and the guests loved meeting them!  Meanwhile, inside the barn, the gorgeous tablescapes are all ready for dinner guests to be invited inside.  We couldn't wait! An up close look at the table - We loved the wooden bread boards mixed with metal tones and the vibrant florals! Mary loves to come out and welcome our pop up restaurant guests and give them a little background on the menu and what course is up next!  We love this extra touch to these dinners because we feel like our 'foodies' love learning about the local foods being used, the "Honey & Salt" menu inspiration, and are excited to get a sneak peek into each dish!   For this dinner, our 1st course was a dual 'amuse bouche' of Rosemary Chicken Confit on Crostini with Salted Lime Crema and Pickled Peppers and our Utah Bacon Wrapped Date with Cold Smoked Shepherd's Farm Goat Cheese and Slide ridge Honey.  YUM! We love Snuck Farm and I couldn't help but share how cool this spectacular place is, especially at sunset! Our staff is AWESOME!  Their attention to detail and incredible hard work always makes our events so perfect.  Here they are finishing up the final touches on the 2nd course of Snuck Farm Butter Lettuce, Parmesan and Black Lava Sea Salt with Citrus Vinaigrette and our House-Made Orange Roll with Salted Honey Butter! This was our 3rd course, which was a favorite of mine for sure!  Bangerter Farms Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil Chiffonade, and Aged Balsamic with House Rosemary Focaccia with a Parmesan Salt Crust.  Vine-ripened tomatoes are one of my favorite parts of the harvest! The 4th course?  Sauteed Shrimp, Forest Mushrooms, Creminelli, over Smoky Beehive Cheddar Grits.  So good! I know you are probably thinking, oh man, we still have 3 courses to go?  No way!  Well, you bet we do, and here is the 5th course - a Mesquite-Grilled Snake River Skirt Steak, Chimichurri Sauce, Parsley Oil, and Yucca Crisps with Roasted Idaho Fingerling Potatoes served with Redmond Sea Salt Blocks tableside - it was a guest favorite, for sure! Loved the way this venue glows at night!  Such a pretty evening for an AMAZING dinner! Our 6th and 7th courses were on the sweeter side.  The 6th was a Honey and Salt tasting with Utah Apples.  Simple and so delicious!  And, of course, the 7th course was a decadent dessert.  A Chocolate Pot de Creme with Salted Whipped Cream and Pumpkin Ricotta Pound Cake with Honey and Grand Marnier Dried Fruit and our House Made Honey Caramel Gelato!  Such a tasty end to an perfect meal! I love this pic!  Mary made sure to take some snaps of the GORGEOUS dessert, because how could you not?! To all of the staff who helped make this evening so wonderful, we thank you!  And for all of you who want to get your seats for our next Pop Up, make sure you do it quick!  It's sure to sell out and we want you all to be there to experience an amazing night like this.  Happy harvest time, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!  

September 7, 2017

By ACecala

I think you all know this by now, but the people here at Culinary Crafts love food.  I mean, really, truly LOVE food.  And you know what?  We believe that a lot of you out there share this love of good food.  So, when we are asked to innovate some new experiences for events, of course we wanted to elevate our shared love of food into something even more amazing.  Enter Chef Experiences!  Basically, these are 'Chopped' style competitions to build teams, learn new skills, and have a great time!  We recently hosted one of these events at the GORGEOUS Big Moose Yacht Club - and I can't wait to show you the pics!  Side note, if you want to check out this venue in real life, we are hosting our Harvest Pop Up Restaurant here on October 6th.  You can get your tickets here.  Now, check out this awesome event! Isn't the Big Moose Yacht Club beautiful?  We absolutely love this venue and we so excited to host this novel experience in such a great space! As you can see, we set up each team's station with their ingredient kit, a stock set of kitchen tools, and dishes to plate the final creation.  We were so excited to get started on this fun evening! The ingredient kit!  We really wanted to focus on local foods so we used local Beehive Cheeses, local heirloom tomatoes and corn, plus other farm fresh produce and some sauces to mix it up!  Looks like the start of something yummy, I tell you! Some items in our specialty tool kit, because you never know when you'll need to julienne something!  :) Of course, we had a fully stocked 'pantry' where teams could come to get items to round out their dishes.  Of course, we stocked more local favorites like Amano Chocolate and Slide Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar! Another surprise?  Lavender Brittle as a basket item - totally different and unexpected! Our pantry was also fully stocked with herbs, spices, and grains! How pretty  is this live wood edged table?  Loved it for the teams to settle in after the competition to eat the final menu! Of course, our staff was on hand to inspire and help (or maybe scheme?!) with the teams if they needed! Lastly, I love this picture of our very own Kaleb Crafts, who was the emcee for the evening!  We absolutely loved this event and the energy and excitement from the guests was infectious!  I definitely think this is a great idea for any one looking for a unique and memorable event activity - whether it be for a family party, corporate event, or even an intimate rehearsal dinner! We hope this inspires you to think outside of the box and shake up your events with an activity that is totally new!  Happy planning, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!  

August 15, 2017

By MPrice

Have you heard the news? Culinary Crafts is honored to now be the EXCLUSIVE caterer at Aspen Meadows, a beautiful venue in the mountains of Utah that is perfect for the destination bride. To celebrate we thought we would give you a taste of a wedding we had at Aspen Meadows a little over a year ago that also happens to be of one of our favorite couples, Charly and Carley! Photos by Carla Boecklin Photography. P.S. Charly recently wrote a book! It's an entertaining conversation activity book for couples, which is now available on Kickstarter for only the next two weeks! The book, called Very Engaging, makes for a perfect engagement, wedding, or anniversary gift, or just a fabulous date night with your partner! You can pre-order a copy today by simply clicking here. Congrats to this wonderful couple!

August 4, 2017

By ACecala

Today's Instagram of the Week comes from Sage and Thistle Rentals who we worked with on this AMAZING inspiration shoot we did with Utah Valley Bride magazine!  This Cheese Wheel cake is still one of our favorite alternative cakes, hands down!  Thanks for sharing, Sage and Thistle Rentals - and remember, for your chance to be next week's pick, tag us at @culinarycrafts or add the hashtag #culinarycrafts to your posts, then check back to see who gets chosen next!  Happy weekend, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

July 28, 2017

By ACecala

Today's Instagram of the Week comes from our Mary Crafts-Homer who is in the midst of all of the AWESOME Outdoor Retailers events we have going on right now!  While this is a bittersweet year marking the end of this amazing event happening in our fair city, we are so happy to have been able to be a part of this epic convention and truly grateful for our ability to have done so many fun and over-the-top events in conjunction with the retailers who attend!  Thank you for posting, Mary!  And, remember, for your chance to be next week's pick, tag us at @culinarycrafts or add the hashtag #culinarycrafts to your post and check back to see who's chosen next!  Happy weekend and Happy Outdoor Retailers too! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

June 29, 2017

By ACecala

You know, all of us here at Culinary Crafts think we get to host some of the most AMAZING weddings!  We especially love events that have a twist on a theme and this one is a favorite for sure.  Plus, it is perfect inspiration for any of the 4th of July events you might be hosting this upcoming weekend.  So, without further ado, let's get to showcasing this stunning wedding - with a twist of festive, patriotic flair! Aspen Meadows is breathtaking, don't you think?  It was such a lovely place to host this breathtaking wedding! We love the subtle hints of Americana and love the couple's choice to bring a bit of romance and balance to the red, white, and blue palette with pops of pink instead of bright reds.  Such a pretty decor! Next, we created drink to fit with the patriotic theme like the Strawberry and Blueberry Mojitos!  We loved that the fruit added a delicious touch - but was a super fun "patriotic" detail as well! Isn't this a pretty site for a cocktail hour?  We love that the tables weren't competing with the surrounding natural beauty.  Also, using the taller tables encourages people to mix and mingle - which is great idea for any event! While the interior had hints of the patriotic palette - and definitely a gorgeously, romantic vibe - the outside was a place that we took the theme over-the-top!  From this fun red, white, and blue teepee (which the kids LOVED) to the patriotic pillows on the luxe white lounge furniture.  It was the perfect way to amp up the theme! Of course, we made sure to serve some truly delicious eats.  The couple wanted to keep with a more casual menu with an elegant, upscale feel!  The hors d'oeuvres were definitely a reflection of that.  Yum!!! Such a pretty day for a wedding!  We loved putting the dinner buffet just outside the dining area - another great way to tie in the beautiful surroundings! We kept the romantic, yet casual, vibe going through dinner - and it was scrumptious! To kick off the buffet, we served some gorgeous sides like the Mixed Baby Greens Salad with Feta, Berries, Toasted Almonds, & Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette; Roasted Potatoes with Herb Salsa; and Fresh Mozzarella, Basil & Grape Tomatoes Salad.  Light and fresh - perfect for a summer party! Next, we get to the main courses!  House Made Corn Bread with a Sprinkle of Paprika, served with Honey Butter; Grilled Chicken with Herb & Chili Rub; and finally our AMAZING Barbecued Short Ribs.  Seriously delicious! Another festive touch for this party?  Fire pits which just beckoned the guests to get outside and hang out.  LOVE! Of course, since we have fire pits (and it's a summer party), we just had to have our S'mores Bar complete with Hershey's Chocolate, Graham Crackers, and Culinary Crafts Signature House Made Marshmallows!  The guests LOVED this fun station! And, lastly, the bride and groom chose to have this AMAZING American flag 'cake pop' cake for dessert which had to be my FAVORITE detail of the whole day!  It was so fun and so festive - a perfect touch for this patriotic wedding! We loved this wedding so much and think it has so much to inspire you in planning your parties and BBQs for this holiday weekend (and all of summer parties, really)!  Happy planning, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

June 14, 2017

By ACecala

Today on the blog, we have a bright and BEAUTIFUL ranch wedding that was held at a private residence in the Maple Ridge Ranches - so you know its going to be breathtaking!  We absolutely loved how bold the color palette was and how fun and creative the menu was!  Thank you to Kristina Curtis Photography for the amazing photos.  Check it out! A mix of classic lace with a fun twist from these colorful cowboy boots.  Plus that amazing bouquet from Roots Floral Design?!  Absolutely flawless! How stunning is this floral arch?  These peonies are my favorite!  We love how the colors popped against the beautiful blur skies and green fields. We love this ceremony space!  Such a perfect setting for this intimate celebration. I love it when couples have their furbabies at their weddings!  And, how cute are these pups with their bandanas?!  LOVE. I'm telling you, these peonies were out of this world!  We loved using them to dress up our wooden serving platters!  Such a great touch that perfectly tied into the feel of this wedding! We loved how the centerpieces popped against the lace, natural burlap, and white washed tables and chairs from Diamond Rental.  Plus, the mixed metallics of the votives really added a touch of elegance! I mean, seriously, how pretty was this room?  Love the wagon wheel chandeliers too! The couple chose to give their guests favors that were sweet AND pretty!  This custom candy bar with these sweet little treat bags were so cute! Of course, with a celebration this fun, we had multiple chef stations around the space to add interest and encourage the guests to mix and mingle.  We also loved using spare blooms to dress up the stations!  This is our Snuck Farm Salad Bar with locally grown produce with all of the trimmings for a summer salad!  Yum! Beautiful sliced Utah Apples and Candied Pecans were an obvious choice for the salads!  Plus, we offered three tasty, summer dressings - Raspberry Vinaigrette, Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette, and Slide Ridge Honey Vinaigrette!  So good! These cute take out boxes were the perfect vessel for our Vegetarian Wok station!  Aren't they so cool? Next station, our Chef Torched Tri Tip!  Always a crowd favorite! Along with the Tri Tip we added our amazing sides, like House Made Chimichurri Sauce and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Olive Oil and Sea Salt!  Such a great pairing! This Curry Salmon with Carrot Oat Waffles and Bechamel Sauce was so different and delicious!  We loved this dish! Another shot of these gorgeous florals, (because, well, they are amazing!)  And how pretty was this cake from Carrie's Cakes?!  We loved how the lace and burlap elements tied into the simply elegant cake, and the addition of the bright florals really made it so romantic! Of course, there were desserts (my favorite!)   We couldn't just serve one, so we made it a grand buffet with ALLLL the delicious plus slices of the fabulous wedding cake! We served our Pot de Cremes and Milk and Cookie Shooters.  Love these cute little bites! Our Raspberry Crumb Bars are a classic dessert offering for mix and mingle receptions too!  So tasty and easy to carry around while talking to everyone! Last, but not least, our Fresh Berry Parfaits and Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars rounded out the AMAZING desserts we served.  Perfect for this summer menu! Wasn't this wedding so pretty?  We absolutely LOVED this wedding and how colorful it was!  I hope this inspires you all to be a little bold with your color choices and creative with your menus!  Happy planning, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com! VENDORS - Photographer: Kristina Curtis Photography | Event Designer: Mary Crafts | Food: Culinary Crafts | HMUA: Makeup by Myrinda | Venue: Maple Ridge Ranches | Cake: Carrie's Cakes | Flowers: Roots Floral Design | Rentals: Diamond Rental

May 24, 2017

By ACecala

Today, I have a GORGEOUS wedding to share with you - and, since we are approaching Memorial Day weekend - it boasts a fabulous menu that can easily inspire your weekend get togethers!  This was such a beautiful event and the food was so fun as well as delicious (of course)!  We loved the couple's choice to serve some classic summer BBQ favorites, as well as some surprises.  Thank you to Kate Benson for the fabulous photographs!  Check it out! Red Cliff Ranch is one of our favorite venues!  We always love hosting events there. How pretty is this tablescape?!  We love the pink glassware that adds a touch of romance to the rustic table and the organic feel of the garland runner.  So pretty! How cute are these horse favors?  Each guest was welcomed to their seat with one of these cuties.  Love all of the small details at this event! Of course, we make sure that all of the guests have some fabulous beverage options - and this event was no exception!  We served fresh fruit infused waters (always a crowd favorite) as well as Mojitos!  We love the aspen bark paper straws in the Mojitos as well.  Such a great touch! To tie in with the casual feel of this event, the couple chose to host a grand buffet - and, boy, was it delicious.  Guests got a front row seat to the yummy eats and we loved seeing how excited they were to dig in! This menu is chock full of BBQ inspiration!  Case in point, our entrees were grilled on site and would be perfect at any event.  We served our Grilled Salmon Filet with Lemon Slices and Caper Sauce and our Mesquite-Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce - YUM! Another grilled dish?  Our Mesquite-Grilled Summer Vegetables.  Plus, our Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Local Mozzarella Cheese, and a Balsamic Glaze was a perfect addition to this summer-y menu! Another classic dish?  Mary's Macaroni & Cheese, which is always a star side dish! Of course, we didn't stop at the grand buffet.  We also hosted a Mashed Potato Bar action station where guests could create over-the-top mashed potatoes.  Such a fun way to entertain your guests and a great alternative to the  sliders and fries bars that it seems that are everywhere these days.  This is definitely a way to make your event unique!  Love it. What a beautiful night and the guests were loving this fun menu! Isn't the bride so beautiful?  Such a doll!  Mary always has such a great connection with our clients and it really shows - especially when Culinary Crafts is there to make their event even more perfect! We didn't forget dessert - I know you were wondering...  ;)  For this menu, our Fresh Fruit Cobbler action station was PERFECT!  We hand scooped Culinary Crafts' House Made Vanilla Bean Gelato on our cobblers - we served 3, yes 3, different kinds! Our peach, berry, and apple cobblers were SOOOOO good.  You definitely had to have one of each! Isn't the station set up pretty too?  We love adding simple touches that really add something extra to all of our stations.  To tie in the rustic feel of this event, we simply added wood stump slices which added visual interest AND pretty details! The couple chose to have a Gourmet Popcorn Bar for their favors where guests could choose from 3 flavors - plus they custom made cute little bags for the guests to take home their treats!  The bride and groom each chose their own personal favorite and then the third flavor was their combined favorite - so fun!  'His' was a Chili Lime popcorn, 'Hers' was a Cookies & Cream popcorn, and the 'Ours' flavor was the Bacon Bourbon Caramel popcorn (a personal favorite!)  YUM! Last but not least, no ranch wedding would be complete without a S'mores Bar!  So, of course, we served this classic take with our House Made marshmallows! This wedding was so beautiful and we loved the fun menu we were able to create!  We hope that this inspires you to create some fun BBQ menus of your own for Memorial Day weekend!  Happy planning, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

May 17, 2017

By ACecala

Today, on the blog, we have a STUNNING wedding that Culinary Crafts had the pleasure of working on last summer with our friends, FUSE Weddings & Events!  This wedding absolutely transformed the Gallivan Center Plaza into a romantic getaway for the couple's guests!  The couple, who reside in Wyoming, wanted to host a wedding in Salt Lake City because the majority of their family lives here.  They also wanted to create a gorgeous experience that was still casual with local comfort food and lots of lounge seating so their guests could let their hair down and enjoy the celebration - and I have to say, FUSE knocked it out of the park!  Check it out!  And thank you to Lindsey Shaun for the beautiful photos! Have you ever seen the Gallivan Center Plaza look so magical?  We haven't either - but boy, was it breathtaking!  And the florals by Soil and Stem sent this event over the top! I couldn't resist sharing another shot of this gorgeous set up and the amazing lounge furniture that the bride wanted so their guests could relax.  So lovely! I love the centerpieces and the geode table numbers are so PRETTY!  Ah-mazing. How cute is the couple?!  They were so fun and I loved the seating chart was so pretty too. The bride loves shrimp lettuce wraps - so, of course, we passed those during the cocktail hour and the guests loved them! Going along with the 'local, comfort food' feel of the menu, we served local fruits and cheeses, which were a great snack for guests to grab as they mingled during cocktail hour, and a selection of beers that included some local favorites from Uinta Brewing Co. Another fun element?  This street taco station where guests could make their own tacos! A taco bar isn't complete without chips and salsa!  So, we served a bunch of different salsas, cabbage slaw, and fun, fiesta color chips!  Yum!   For the Utah-themed dinner menu, we brought in local meats including skirt steak,which was grilled on-site, with a chimichurri sauce.  Side note, we love having a carving station at events.  Such an elegant addition to the menu! Again, how gorgeous is this reception space???  SO IN LOVE WITH THIS! The couple chose to host a buffet of local favorites so guests could grab a bite at their leisure.  This menu was so much fun to put together! Local Farm Greens with Feta, Raspberries, Toasted Almonds and Raspberry Vinaigrette and Mesquite Chicken (also grilled on site) with Mango Salsa were two of the offerings.  Such great options for warm weather events! A classic staple at any of our events is our House-Made Artisan Breads with Sea Salt Butter.  Plus, how can you have a 'comfort-food-centric' menu without Mary's Mac N' Cheese?  The answer is you can't.  :) A beautiful night for a gorgeous wedding! These hand stamped forks are adorable!  The perfect compliment to the couple's simple, yet elegant, cake from Flour and Flourish! Love this shot of these two lovebirds! Last, but certainly not least, we served our House-Made gelato cones alongside the wedding cake!  A perfect pairing! We LOVED this wedding!  It truly was an amazing event that we were so happy to be a part of!  And thank you to the amazing team of vendors who made this day so epic!  I hope this inspires everyone to create stunning events of your own.  Happy planning, everyone! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

May 3, 2017

By ACecala

Today, we have the food from Chris and Jacoby's wedding and it was just as AMAZING as the decor - if not more so, in our opinion!  (If you didn't check out the decor post, make sure to check it out too - there was so much pretty going on at this event!)  Thank you again to Logan Walker Photography for the beautiful photos.  Now, on to the food! The gorgeous florals from Artisan Bloom were a great pair to the industrial touches and the vintage bar sign was such a fun detail! Custom "His & His" cocktails and Mini Tacos with tiny Patron bottle shots were the perfect welcome to this stylish reception!  How fun is this hors d'ouevre presentation?! Of course, what's a dinner without bread?  Our house made Black Pepper Brioche Rolls with Utah Sea Salt Butter paddles were so yummy! One of the many food stations - The delicious Mezzaluna Salad station! Our two salad offerings were so delicious (as well as beautiful!)  Our Farro Salad with Harvest Tomatoes, Roasted Beets, Herbs, Sweet Onion, Arugula, and Balsamic Vineagar and out Farm Greens, with Mango, Kiwi, Wonton Crisps, and Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette, topped with Toasted Coconut.  YUM! A menu after my own heart!  The couple chose to serve a selection of artisan cheese boards - how cute! Our cheese boards featured Tea Hive Cheddar, "What's Her Name?" Basque Style Sheep Milk Cheese, Deer Valley Triple Cream with Truffle, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, and Parmigiano Reggianno accompanied with Red Grapes, Honey Crisp Apple, Honey Comb, Bada Bing Cherries, and Salted Marcona Almonds.  So good! We also hosted action stations with different entrees including our Pan-Seared Black Cod with Honey Soy Glaze, Wilted Spinach, Parsnip Puree, Garnished with Edible Micro Flowers. Next up, our Smoked Short Rib Adobo with Mushroom Escabeche with Purple Potato Mash and Honey Barbecue Sauce!  Wait until you see the preparation of this dish... Each Short Rib entree was individually smoked under glass dome for the guests at the action station.  Such a fantastic presentation! The couple also chose to have a sushi bar complete with customized chopsticks that their guests could take home as favors! Plus, of course there were desserts!  Firstly, our House Made Gelato Station featured Vanilla and Passion Fruit flavors - both with options to 'spike' them!  Vanilla pairings were Espresso, Bailey's Irish Cream, or Kahlua and the Passion Fruit pairing was Limoncello.  Delicious!  And how fun were these sugar skulls? Cronuts, anyone?  We served these decadent beauties in cute little kraft bags so the guests could grab one as they left or take it with them while they mingled! Another fun addition?  Giant Cotton Candy Mountains!  So much fun!  We also served Fresh Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies and Affagatos!  SO DELCIOUS! Lastly, this cake from Carrie's Cakes was stunning!  And remember those custom cheese boards?  Well, guests were give these custom laser etched "Praise Cheeses" wooden cheese boards as well as a Jack-O-Latern to take home as favors (did I mention their wedding was a couple days before Halloween?!) We loved ALL of the amazing details, love, and thought that Chris and Jacoby brought to their AMAZING wedding day and we're so thankful for being able to showcase some truly creative eats for one of our favorite 'freind-ors' big day!  I hope this inspires all of you to create an amazing day that is uniquely you as well.  Happy planning! Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!