Every now and then, a wedding comes along that seems to top all other weddings, and this one is it! At my first meeting with the family, they told me they were foodies and trusted me to design the menu and style that I would want at my own daughter’s wedding. Wow . . . and did I have fun! The event was hosted at the groom’s family’s vacation home in Wolf Creek and the parents wanted to treat their destination guests from California to a night under the stars dining in their aspen groves. They cleared trees, built a huge cantilevered deck out from their mountain with the most breathtaking views, and brought in a massive clear tent to seat all 180 guests. The band was from California. Surprise of the evening—sky writer bi-plane show to thrill guests and for the groom to tell his new wife, “I love you.” When we arrived on site the day of the event, a surprise September snow storm had left 6 inches of snow on the make-shift road to the tents and staging area. We had a huge team but no one was prepared to haul every piece of equipment by hand down a steep grade and out to the tent. What would have been a one hour off-load ended up taking our crew 2 1/2 hours; and we still served on time. Our staff did not even flinch but got right to work to make the wedding of the year a reality. 10 hours later in the pitch black of night everything had to be hand carried out again. Culinary Crafts’ team is simply the best. Oh, but back to the food! As guests exited the buses, they were greeted with a beverage and hors d’oeuvre pairing: Utah stout beer shooters with elk carpaccio. The cocktail hour continued with large artisan cheese displays and hundreds of scrumptious hors d’oeuvre creations. A formal plated dinner is always a challenge, but 4 courses on the side of a mountain in tents is nothing short of miraculous. As the guests danced the night away, we served cake and gelato as well as a delightful petite dessert sampler table. Custom gourmet caramel popcorn favor bags sent the guests away with sweet memories of a spectacular evening. It wasn’t until after the festivities were over that a guest took me aside to say, “We were all anxious to see the food tonight as their last son’s wedding was catered by Wolfgang Puck. May I just say, Wolfgang Puck doesn’t have anything on you!” Smiles all around. Love, Mary
Photography by Logan Walker, a Pepper Nix Photographer.
27x winner Utah’s Best of State
24x Best of State Caterer
3x Best of the Best / Hospitality
1x Entrepreneur of the Year