catering

Catering, your wants and wishes

Catering is an important aspect of the food service business.  It takes a very wide range of menus, service levels and event coordination to meet the needs of both business and personal events.  We take pride in our ability to meet these needs in planning each successful event.

It is our objective to provide you and your guests with the best quality food and services available, whether a group of 10, or a company gathering of 1000s.  We welcome the opportunity to work with you and custom design your special occasions.

The following sample menus are provided to give you a better idea of the services available through us.  We provide these menus to you as a tool to build upon, not a requirement.  It is our desire to make your event unique to your personal needs.

We look forward to the opportunity to serve you in the near future.

Best Regards,

Diana Burke, Owner

Engagement Season is upon us!! Did you know that Christmas is the 3rd most popular time for a proposal, right behind the months of October/November & the number one day being Valentines Day. Wow, I'm already receiving many calls for catering weddings this year and you know me, I love to personalize them for the couples individual needs. This is going to be a great year to meet new couples and develop long term relationships. The one thing that I truly love about our business and the 30 years of history that we have is the fact that these relationships that blossom during the engagement time often lead to long term friendships for me. That makes my job truly a blessing.



Diana

Holidays are Upon us at the Speed of Light!

Wow, did this year go by quickly!  I'm sitting here writing, probably, my last blog before the organized chaos hits.  Cocktail parties, family gatherings, company dinners and all the other festivities that we are prepared for.  My staff is in a state of happy anxiety (it is possible when you love what you do) as we place supply orders, polish silver and prep appetizers for the multiple events that are on our calendar.  It is not too late to plan a small gathering of friends, we have the perfect staff to accommodate your needs.

We will finish out the year with some incredible successes.  The restaurant and catering business turned 30 years old this year on October 9th!  That is an incredible accomplishment for all of us to take pride in.  Our beautiful clients are deserving of the greatest credit, you give us purpose, inspire us to greatness and bless us with the ability to continue serving you.  I partnered with my wonderful sister, Coleen, to start a new generation of products to bring your way, a line of gourmet sauces and dressings called Mom Likes Me Best.  They are off and running successfully even in this crazy economy.  The media has been our friend this year, applauding us for our traditions and products, as well as a few surprises, we had a visit this November from the Rachel Ray film crew who were in town shooting a segment.  Read the article from the Lincoln News Messenger on 11/18/2009 and their quote about their favorite part of their visit to Lincoln.  OK, I'll share it here...... "the steak sandwich at Simple Pleasures, and their potato salad was to die for".  We did send along a basket of sauces and dressings for them to enjoy later, I hope they fell in love with them!

Well, friends, my prayer for you during this holiday season is that you will be healthy, prosperous in every area of your life, and inspired to pursue your dreams.  We look forward to celebrating some holiday cheer with you and to ringing in a wonderful 2010! 

Blessings,

Diana

Mom Likes Me Best!

Have you ever birthed a dream, pleasureful and painful all at the same time, right?  Well, on April 30th one of our dreams came to life, in full color with very long legs!  The kind of legs that are traveling across this country and giving people inspiration and hope in this difficult economic time.  After many years of dreaming, and with the incredible help of my sister, Coleen, we have launched a line of products called Mom Likes Me Best (www.momlikesmebest.com) into the marketplace.  These products tell the courageous tale of my mom's journey to California and share the tasty goodness that I have been blessed to grow up with. 

Please join me by following the media links that tell the story so well, and then join in by sharing in the goodness and passing it along to your friends and family.

http://lincolnnewsmessenger.com/detail/113121.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/05/18/smallb1.html

Thanks for your support.  You each make a difference in my life!

 

Weddings on a Budget!

I caught the tale-end of the evening news this week and the topic was "Weddings on a budget".  As I listened to the news commentator and heard the interviews of the brides it brought back the memory of how we got started in the wedding industry.  I just wish I had the photos to show you, but that was prior to technology, and since the receptions were truly on a budget, I'm not sure my brides even had professional photographers!!

Our first event ever was the Vance Wedding (brave of me wasn't it!).  Dear Leslie came to us and asked if we could work with her limited budget to pull off the wedding of her dreams, I still remember the feeling that we were helping a young couple start their marriage off on the right foot, without debt incurred from a wedding that they could not afford.  It was a challenge for all of us, one that I am proud to say worked and is still working after many years!

Our second event was the Pattison Wedding, a Renaissance style event, in period costumes.  I hired (sort-of, does feeding them count?) my best friends as serving girls and dressed my husband in a royal blue tunic, tights and leather boots with a handsome blue hat perched atop his head and a large white feather tucked into it.  We provided a turkey carving station, an abundant display of fruits, cheeses, vegetables, and 100 Earl-Gray Tea soaked eggs which is a traditional gesture of fertility for the marriage.  I guess it worked, since Dakota was born early on in their marriage, another success story.

Today we still cater many wedding receptions and still take into account all levels of budgets and needs.  One of the biggest mistakes that a young couple can make is to overextend themselves for their wedding day.  Their are so many possibilities to consider that can make your budget work and produce a "day to remember".  My heart still beats a little quicker when I'm presented with a challenge, whether it is a themed event, or a limited budget.  Remember, your wedding day should be one that starts an incredible journey, not one that causes your checkbook to do somersaults! 

Take a look at "Sample menus - 2008/2009" for some menu ideas and give me a call to set up a consultation.

Diana

JESPY Awards - William Jessup University Fund Dinner 2008

  I had the privilege, once again,  of designing the 4th Annual WJU Scholorship Fund Dinner this past weekend.  What a whirlwind of activity and an outstanding event!  Kathleen Tucker from WJU again pulled off a successful fundraiser for the scholarship program at William Jessup University, and our planning team, Faith, Deb, Kathleen,Ed, Matt, Taylor, Rob, our Bayside Friends and myself pulled together to shock and awe the guests who arrived in style on the red carpet.  This years service award was given to Ray Johnston, Senior Pastor of Bayside Church.  What a fabulous night we had!