On Friday, the Corcoran Gallery of Art launched the inaugural NOW at Night, replacing the Corcoran Fall Fête and celebrating the gallery’s newest exhibition addition, NOW at the Corcoran. The series of exhibitions focuses on site-specific work by budding and moderately established artists. Currently on exhibit is Spencer Finch: My Business, My Cloud, which includes his can’t-miss giant Passing Cloud, of which Bluebrain created a commissioned piece for the evening.
Attendees of NOW at Night were able to peruse the exhibit in their finest cocktail attire, viewing Finch’s work and a preview of Salon Corcoran before its showing at NADA Art Fair Miami Beach 2010. The Corcoran’s beautiful, spacious setting created a picture perfect (and electric blue) scene. Neon blue-lit conveyor belts served up dessert shooters and guests were able to choose from a variety of specialty cocktails. For those of you who were unable to make the evening, take a look at some great photos, courtesy of Ben Droz.
Washingtonian magazine returned to the National Building Museum on Wednesday night for its annual “Best of Washington” party, which marks the July issue honoring reader-generated picks in areas ranging from pizza to politicians. While the venue remained the same, the circus theme was a departure from last year’s Asian-inspired party.
Jennifer Haber, the magazine’s director of marketing and special events, worked with Hargrove Inc. and A. Dominick Events to transform the spacious museum into a gourmet circus with many of Washington’s top restaurants, as well as tents, games, and a sword swallower.
Occasions Caterers provided upscale circus fare for the V.I.P. publisher party held on the second floor.
“The circus idea came out of a planning session where we were looking at past ideas and I saw a picture of a stilt walker,” Haber said. “The circus is all about having fun, and we wanted to create a circus with a twist, where adults could be a kid for the night.”
The tone was set early as a carnival barker and a fire swallower greeted guests the moment they arrived and will-call tickets were available in a large red and white striped tent. Inside, juggling clowns and stilt walkers mingled through the crowd of 1,500 people, performing tricks along the way. Luckily, all the food was well above typical circus fare as more than 70 area restaurants doled out one or two dishes at their individual tables.
Although most of entertainment was of the old-school variety, planners also embraced technology and added a new level of interactivity to the event. Guest photos taken in the photo booth instantly appeared on a massive overhead screen in the middle of the museum. Five roaming photographers also sent food and group shots from the floor to a behind-the-scenes photo editor, who uploaded them to the screen. Sponsor Verizon Wireless also got in on the action, setting up a text-to-win program for the evening’s best dish. Using a code at each restaurant’s table, guests could text in their favorite dish, which eventually went to Co Co. Sala‘s German chocolate whoopie pie.
—TJ Walter
—Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography
At MSNBC's after-party on Saturday night, Occasions Caterers served a large array of casual food options, including self-serve s'mores.
The Washington National Opera set a new standard for its largest annual fund-raiser, the Opera Ball, which took over the ceremonial building at the Embassy of the Russian Federation on Friday night. This year marked the first time the Opera Ball was hosted in conjunction with Russia, and throughout the evening more than 600 guests were immersed in Russian history by way of five themed spaces that offered glimpses into both Russia’s past and its future. The event, which was overseen by chairman Susan Lehrman, raised $1.5 million for the Opera’s upcoming season and outreach and education programs.
Patti Humphrey, director of special events for the Washington National Opera, said the ceremonial building at the embassy was an easy choice due to the fact that it “was such a clean slate to work with, but still offered so much history and tradition.”
On the second floor were four themed rooms. The embassy’s Golden Hall was made over as St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace. The large room was a hub of activity, with two cake stations serving Faberge egg cakes created by Sylvia Weinstock, two large bars, the main dance floor, and dessert tables with chocolate creations by Occasions.
From the ballroom, guests could make their way into the Yellow or Petrovsky Halls. The Yellow Hall became a Russian tearoom complete with table service at round café tables and live music from Russian pianist Alexander Izbitser. Petrovsky Hall resembled an ice palace that paid homage to historic symbols of Russian history by way of seven nine-foot-all ice sculptures. Easily one of the most crowded spaces of the evening, the room featured two ice tables bearing a spread of seafood options, including Russian caviar.
The final room, Palekh Hall, resembled Tolstoy’s library with its dark walls and plush seating. A champagne and cordial bar anchored the room while a large round center table featured cake replicas of Tolstoy’s classic novels along with a variety of desserts—think chocolate-covered cherries and marzipan petit fours.
For entertainment, the Peter Duchin Orchestra kept the dance floor abuzz, and rising opera stars from the Bolshoi Opera gave three 15-minute performances in an adjacent auditorium. The ball concluded shortly after 1 a.m. and all guests received an official program and a shot glass engraved with the symbol of the Russian Federation.
by T.J. Walter
For the 55th annual Corcoran Ball, Project Runway fashion guru and Corcoran alumnus Tim Gunn served as the honorary ball patron, inspiring a fashion-themed room as one of eight lavishly decorated dining spaces in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. But unlike the past two years, Friday’s ball had no overarching theme. Instead it showcased different looks in galleries throughout the museum, including bright spring colors in the atrium, and rotunda decor based on photographs from the current exhibition “Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change,” a retrospective of art from the 19th-century photographer.
“The whole point is that each room looks different,” said Eric Michael of Occasions Caterers, who has been part of the event’s planning team for the past eight years, designing the look and the menu. Beginning in December, Michael works with the Corcoran’s women’s committee, headed this year by ball chair Molly Rolandi, and floral designer Jack Lucky to determine color choices and themes. Michael and the event planning team also work with Perfect Settings to choose linens that have never been used in Washington before. The cloths make their debut at the Corcoran Ball and then become part of Perfect Settings’ spring line.
This year’s color schemes included cheery pinks, yellows, and oranges in the atrium, with colorful mobiles in mod shapes dangling from the ceiling, floral arrangements with tulips, and a mix of plaid tablecloths and shimmering overlays. Guests walked up the sweeping staircase—embellished with rose petals in orange, pink, and yellow—to the rotunda, where Muybridge photographs were projected on the walls, and modern accents, like Lucite chairs, matched the austere black-and-white images. Custom tableskirts were silk screened with Muybridge photographs and lit from beneath the table.
Upstairs in the Bridge overlooking the atrium, dress forms displaying evening gowns set the tone for a dining space inspired by Project Runway, with tables meant to look as though show contestants designed the tablescapes. Whimsical touches included feathers, sequins, even fish-net and high-heel shod feet peeking out from under one table. On the tabletops, colored pencils and notepads encouraged impromptu sketching by guests.
Due to a last-minute scheduling conflict, Gunn was unable to attend the ball, but another reality star, Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern, made an appearance, filming for an episode of his show.
The nearly 900 guests—down from last year’s 1,000 due to space constraints caused by current exhibitions—moved to their seating assignments at 8:30 p.m. for a meal of Maryland crab gratin en croute and a filet of beef with trumpet mushrooms, spring vegetables, fondant potatoes and Madeira sauce. By 10:30 p.m., servers had cleared the chocolate-orange parfaits and guests headed to the atrium for slow-dancing to standards by the Phil McCusker Orchestra or to the upstairs blue lounge for soul and disco from Bob Hardwick Sound.
But dancing was just part of the evening’s entertainment, according to Michael.
“It’s the rooms, looking at different decor and galleries, that’s the entertainment,” he said. “It’s one of the last true events in Washington that people know they will go and see their friends.”
3 Easy Appetizers: Short on Time? Here are some quick nibbles to serve guests this holiday season.
You want to invite friends in this season for sips and nibbles but can’t shoehorn cooking into your schedule.
It’s not a problem when you have fast apps in your culinary repertoire, ones with great flavor, good looks and little or no cooking.
Eric Michael understands this dilemma. A simple solution? Get good quality sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, olive tapenade, or Moroccan preserved lemon, he says. “Any of these can go with a mild goat cheese on toast for quick hors d’oeuvres.”
Michael is the creative director of Occasions Caterers, a Washington, D.C. based company he founded with his brother Mark. They do parties for 2,000 at museums as well as gatherings for eight in private homes.
Whatever you plan, he notes, consider the “mess factor” and “allow for small plates with forks.”
Here are a few appetizers — the first two from Occasions; the fig one’s from us.
GRILLED SHRIMP BLTs:
Split 6 medium shrimp in half. Grill, roast or bake with a favorite barbecue sauce. Cook 2 slices bacon until crispy; cut into ½-inch squares. Cut a dozen 1½-to-2-inch rounds from a sandwich bread; toast in the oven. Cut 4 cherry tomatoes into thin slices. Tear baby arugula or baby spinach into small pieces. To bottled tartar sauce, add Cajun seasoning and lemon juice to taste. To
serve, layer atop each toast: Cajun tartar sauce, tomato slice, greens, bacon
and shrimp. Makes 12 bite-size pieces.
PEAR AND BRIE QUESADILLAS:
Peel and core 2 red pears; cut into thin slices. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with granulated sugar; roast in a hot oven, about 400 degrees until tender, about 5 minutes. Lay two 10-inch flour tortillas flat. Place thin slices of brie and roasted pears on half of each tortilla; fold tortillas in half. Lightly brown both sides in a skillet. Cut each into 4 triangles to serve. Makes 8
servings.
MANCHEGO-FIG BITES:
Slice a narrow baguette into ½-inch slices. Spread each slice with bottled fig jam. Position a small wedge of Manchego cheese atop. To serve, sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
by By Judy Hevrdejs
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Introducing…..Cakes from Occasions Caterers!
Although Julia prefers the oh-so-adorable mini pies to cakes, I have some GREAT news for the rest of us cake-lovers. One of THE BEST caterers in the District, Occasions Caterers (a District Favorite!), is now making wedding cakes!
And, like anything Occasions does, these cakes are second to none. They are gorgeous, unique, and absolutely delicious!
These cakes look so nice sitting atop clean, white cake stands.
American Pharmacists Association Building Now Open for Events
Last week, for the first time, the American Pharmacists Association opened its headquarters on Constitution Avenue for events. The venue consists of two connected buildings, ground-level outdoor terraces, and a spacious rooftop deck. On a heavily shaded and landscaped lot across the street from the Lincoln Memorial, the association’s headquarters is the only privately held building facing the National Mall and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The original one-story Beaux Arts-style building was designed by John Russell Pope and dedicated in 1934. (Pope also designed the National Archives and the Jefferson Memorial.) Event spaces include the marble-lined Pope Hall Atrium, an art gallery with 40 paintings depicting moments in the history of pharmacy, and a meeting room, which, altogether can seat 168 or hold 270 for a reception. The adjoining Plaza Terrace can accommodate an additional 300 for a reception.
Behind the association’s main building is a modern, LEED-certified six-story addition that was completed earlier this year. Available for events in February 2010, the addition has a rooftop terrace that offers sweeping views of the National Mall and beyond. The space will be permanently tented and have a reception capacity of 600.
Bookings and food service for the venue are handled by 
Occasions 
Caterers.
After the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Dinner, MSNBC threw a late-night party across the street, with ice cream, sugary treats, and drink stations—one tended by Rachel Maddow. By Adele Chapin
Guests at the 65th Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday shouldn’t have had any problem finding the after-party hosted by MSNBC. They simply walked across the street from the dinner at the Washington Convention Center to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., where giant light projections of the MSNBC logo on the building’s exterior lit up the night sky.
The annual dinner, which was held at the convention center for the first time and included a speech by Barack Obama and a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock, ended at around 10:30 p.m. As the journos and politicians on the guest list made their way across the street to the party, music pumped from speakers outside and red and blue rotating LED lights cast a glow on the society’s classical building. “We wanted to make an impact and put our imprint on the city,” explained Dana Haller, producer of strategic marketing for MSNBC, who worked with producer Philip Dufour of Dufour & Co. and lighting production company Atmosphere to design the look.
“The work they’ve done outside makes the place pop and sets the tone,” Haller said. “You see it when you’re walking by and say, ‘What’s going on in there?’ As soon as people walked in, they got the vibe and flavor of the party. We wanted people to know that we wanted them to have fun. We wanted to immediately hit them with that.”
Planned in a little more than a month, the 600-guest party was the biggest event that MSNBC has ever hosted, and served as a celebration for MSNBC’s recent success in the ratings. Inspired by the network’s blue logo, guests walked a blue carpet to the Historical Society’s entrance. Inside, the party’s futuristic look included blue accents in everything from floral arrangements to the throw pillows in the outdoor lounge area. The MSNBC logo motif continued, with rotating light projections displaying logos from shows such as Andrea Mitchell Reports, The Ed Show, and The Rachel Maddow Show. And the network brought in its personalities and newscasters, like Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, and David Schuster, who mingled with White House advisers and staff, including Valerie Jarrett.
But radio and television personality Rachel Maddow 
was the party’s most accessible MSNBC star, jumping behind the bar—a glowing version dubbed “Maddow’s Bar”—to serve drinks for guests (including Obama senior adviser David Axlerod) in the upstairs lounge. Maddow tested her mixology skills by devising the evening’s drink menu of throwback cocktails, such as the Hearst, a concoction of gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters.
Sponsor Starbucks also set up two bars, one in the upstairs lounge that gave away Starbucks VIA Ready Brew coffee, and another full-service bar downstairs that offered every drink available in Starbucks stores. Occasions Caterers provided plentiful food options—in addition to macaroni and cheese bites, mini milk shakes in shot glasses with straws, and a chocolate fountain, guests could also whip up their own Cold Stone Creamery sundaes. The sweets continued with an old-fashioned candy bar (suggested by a senior executive at MSNBC) stocked with apothecary jars filled with Pop Rocks, Good & Plenty, rock candy, Candy Buttons, and other classic candies.
At 12:30 a.m., servers passed trays of mini breakfast foods including challah French toast, croissants with eggs and bacon, and hash browns served in wooden cones. When guests finally left at 2 a.m., they were set for breakfast the next day, thanks to the reusable Starbucks gift bags that included a $50 Starbucks card.
A Conversation with Joel Wolke of Occasions Caterers
This past weekend, our team was lucky enough to plan a wedding that used the renown local catering company, Occasions Caterers. Not only was the food incredibly delectable, it was all creative, local, and beautiful. Today, Joel Wolke is here to share his expert advice on the ins and outs of wedding catering. This interview will make you hungry just reading it!
How far in advance do you first meet with a couple who is interested in your catering services? When do you usually schedule a tasting and who usually attends?
While we always prefer to have a meeting with the bride and groom, we often do not have the opportunity to meet personally prior to providing a proposal if the client lives out of the immediate area. We can easily establish an email and phone relationship to get things started until we meet for a tasting. Depending on a couple’s needs we sometimes will do a tasting very far out, perhaps 10 months. However, it is preferable that we do a tasting a few weeks prior to the wedding so that you can experience the seasonal produce we will serve at the event.
Do you recommend pairing wine with each course? How do you differentiate the menu of one wedding from another?
Wine pairing depends on the client and the style of the wedding as well as the guests. From small, intimate dinners to large, more lavish parties we work with the client to choose a wine selection fitted for their wedding. Some couples are happy to offer one red and one white wine throughout the evening. While others are more interested in pairing wines to compliment each course of the meal.
Each of our menus are customized based on the couple and their unique vision for their wedding. Wedding meals may range from plated meals for a sit down dinner to ethnic buffet stations to passed tapas style menus for a cocktail reception and more; there are many ways to make your wedding meal memorable and special. Seasonality of the food is also a factor in the design of the menu and we always take this into consideration by recommending different items based on what is freshest at that time of the year.
Do you recommend that couples request guests’ meal preferences in advance of the wedding on response cards? How much does this affect the cost? What about table-side entree selection?
We recommend that couples decide in advance to serve one entrée, or a dual entrée, based on what they like. If they are going to offer an option, response card selection is the most effective way to tally guests’ choices. With table side choices it can end up being more costly because without knowing what each guest will choose on the wedding day we must prepare significant quantities of each option so that we do not run out. In any scenario, we will always have vegetarian options and can meet dietary restrictions.
When would you suggest having a buffet versus a plated dinner?
This depends on the type and size of venue, the style of the wedding, and time of day. A buffet is great for couples who want a more casual style where guests can choose from a variety of options as well as have the chance to mingle. However, the cost is similar for both options so the decision should be based on the atmosphere you want to create on your wedding day.
Do you ever prepare food-related favors, such as dessert bars, etc.?
Absolutely! We create anything from customized boxed chocolates or cookie favors to dessert buffets where guests can fill their own bags with sweets and take them home at the end of the night.
What trends are you seeing in wedding catering?
Right now we are seeing requests for comfort and home-style foods. Couples want a simple presentation, but with a twist on the family classics. Mini mac & cheese bites, sliders, and short ribs are very popular because they are familiar and always delicious. Also, late-night snacks are a fun addition to the celebration, such as passed desserts like mini ice-cream cones, truffle pops, cupcakes, and milk shakes.
Thank you to Joel and Occasions for stopping by today!
