Vendor Spotlight: Main Course Catering

Rachel Main is a culinary genius. I recently had the pleasure of visiting with the Executive Chef and Owner of Main Course California at her bistro in Ventura. She treated me to a simple lunch that tasted anything but. A roasted veggie sandwich that melted in your mouth and could have been chocolate cake it was SO good, and a roasted tomato basil soup that must have been fresh from the garden. I mean, who craves a roasted veggie sandwich and tomato basil soup the way they crave chocolate cake? I do. Now, I do.


Rachel has cooked side by side with some of the biggest chefs in the country (ever heard of Thomas Keller and The French Laundry?), but she is completely down-to-earth. Very sweet and helpful, she wants her guests to enjoy every bite of her food. Menus are customized and everything is excellent. Contact Main Course to cater your next wedding or event, and if you're in Ventura, stop by her unassuming little Bistro for lunch or dinner. Totally worth it!

OMNI FRESCO CATERING

One word: YUM. I recently worked with Sarah Dandona of Omni Fresco Catering and was blown away by her professionalism and enthusiasm. And that was even before I tasted the food!!

Everything about this company is fabulous. The food - fabulous. The service - fabulous. The presentation - Faaaaabulooous. Just check out some of their stuff:

Individual Paella samplers - SO good!

Roasted Veggies exciting - oh yeah!

And you should have seen the display for the Bananas Foster station - the table was almost as pretty as the Bananas Foster was good ... almost (That Bananas Foster was outrageous).

Available for weddings, private parties and corporate events. Contact Sarah at Omni for more information at info@omnicateringsb.com.

Thank you Linda Chaja for the gorgeous photos!

THE BURGER BUS

To me, nothing solves the problems of the world and makes the sun shine brighter, than a good old-fashioned cheeseburger. I'm a HUGE fan. So often we go overboard trying to be elaborate and sophisticated and it often ends up falling short. But a cheeseburger ... rarely lets you down.

Michael and Cheryl Gardener are the founders of The Burger Bus. It's a tricked out, squat yellow school bus that tools around Santa Barbara serving burgers. They've developed a near-cult following; publishing the schedule of where the bus will be located at the beginning of each week on their Web site and via their Twitter feed.
Their burgers are grilled fresh and are made with grass-fed hormone-free patties. They're wrapped on a toasted ciabatta bun made by our local Daily Bread. The ingredients are also local and the quality is the The Best. Burgers start around $7.50 and sides include things like yam fries, onion rings and fried pickle chips. YUM!!!
The best part? They are available for catering!!! Can you imagine having The Burger Bus pull up for your next party - whether a 40th birthday in your backyard, a corporate retreat or for cocktails at your wedding reception? How fabulous! Now that's high class comfort.

What's your comfort food?

A WILD NIGHT AT THE SANTA BARBARA ZOO

May 1st, 2009

Last night, the Santa Barbara Zoo celebrated the opening of the new California Trails exhibits - including a very cute Channel Islands Fox, impressive California Condors and more - as well as a new partnership with Rincon Catering. The party was held on the hilltop and hosted members of the media and the hospitality industry (i.e. yours truly). What a great evening of food, friends and animals! Rincon put on an amazing spread underneath a very cool tent they booked through EventRents (that is perfect for the space, just in case you’re planning something there). AMS pumped with great tunes from several of their DJs. The animals were out to party (both human and otherwise)! Congrats guys!

My gorgeous husband goes for the yummy tri-tip and cookies