Shelly’s Corporate Lunch Testimonial

by | Oct 4, 2017 | Events, Our Services, Testimonials

The latest offering for the office from Chef Michael’s Catering was a delicious exercise in chasing tastes and textures, and “Yep!” I AM singing the praises of a business office’s lunch.  The delivery and set up were timed perfectly and with efficiency. Our mid-day spread included fresh sandwiches of Virginia Ham & Swiss pleasing paired with salty slightly sweet ham and buttery Swiss–a traditional combination coaxed to be outstanding, as well as “The Ultimate” Meatloaf, seasoned and richly flavored with elegant (no heavy slabs here) slices thoughtfully portioned, yielding “Sammie Perfection” with crisp lettuce, a touch of tomato, and thin-thin-thinly sliced onion–there was also a colorful vegetarian sandwich that garnered the comment that “…this did not seem like an afterthought that was “schlubbed” in for vegetarians.” Nice, Chef Michael! For side offering and other salad selections:  a generous dollop of chunky homemade potato salad that was creamy to the bite, with zesty crunch and much flavor, Tabbouleh (a favorite of mine) and CMC’s was infused with lemony thrill, loaded with colorful bits of parsley,roasted tomatoes full of zing, interspersed with a base of fluffy nutty cracked wheat–a simple yet delicious iteration, however the Grilled Asparagus and Parmesan Salad diverted my attention with firm tender bites of perfectly grilled slender green asparagus, a liberal flurry of nice Parmesan treated to a flawless classic Dijon vinaigrette.  Rounding out the selections, certainly deserving a mention was the Asian Shrimp salad, vibrant with good-for-you-ness, full of spinach, little medallions of water chestnut, slices of Napa cabbage, flavorful crunch in the form of snow peas, dashes of carrot, and golden toasted slices of almond, topped...

Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres Menu

by | Dec 2, 2016 | Our Services, The Foods We Eat

We hope you find the perfect Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres Menu for your cocktail party right here. Most items can be prepared to enjoy before a holiday buffet dinner, plated dinner, cocktail party, office party, reception, or whichever food event you have in mind. These are a few easy and convenient menu suggestions. Please visit our complete Guide to Hors d’Oeuvres for many more selections. Pick your favorites, and we’ll prepare your custom quote promptly. Your order options include Delivery, Pick-up in disposable containers, Buffet Service, or Butlered. Just talk to us about whether you’d like full service “soup-to-nuts”, or would prefer a different service option. We’re here to help make this season the most wonderful food experience for you. Contact us if you’d like to book an event date, or inquire about availability with Chef Michael’s Catering. In the meantime, these easy-to-navigate menus will make your mouth water! The following Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres Menu are suggested menus at various price points. However, you may select any items from our Standard Guide to Hors d’Oeuvres for your event. Prices will vary accordingly. Taxes and service will be added if needed. (Ask for our non-profit discount with your 501-c(3) organization’s exemption letter.)   Prancer (10.95 pp) - Fresh Seasonal Vegetable & Domestic Cheese Display with Fancy Crackers - Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Confetti Deviled Eggs - 2 Signature Finger Sweets   Blitzen (18.95 pp) - Fresh Seasonal Vegetable Crudité Platter with Garlic-Herb Dip, Assorted Domestic Cheeses with Crackers & Fruit Garnish - Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Spinach Artichoke Dip with Tortilla Chips - House Smoked Salmon Spread with Toast...

Ode to the Cranberry

by | Nov 3, 2015 | Our Services, The Foods We Eat

Who remembers - like me - the neat slices of canned cranberry sauce served at Thanksgiving time when you were growing up? I’ve never even seen a cranberry vine, or even a cranberry bush, as some people believe them to be. And the only cranberry bogs I’ve seen are on the Ocean Spray TV commercials. Yes, I admit I am ignorant when it comes to the cranberry. Make that “was”. Because now, I believe it’s truly a super-fruit; the small berry with big health benefits — huge benefits! If you knew cranberries were actually named after the crane (as in bird), you may as well just skip to Chef Michael’s cranberry sauce recipe. Some people thought the blooms looked like the head of a crane, so they called the fruits crane berries, which over time became cranberry. Here’s why I think it’s one of the best fruits around:* That mouth watering, sweet, tart, POW! taste of cranberries and cranberry sauce can help offset the sleepy, triptophan-induced feeling you get when you indulge in too much turkey at the Thanksgiving table. When you get that gush of saliva stimulated by fresh cranberry sauce, it actually helps your body digest the protein from the turkey. Here’s another benefit. According to Ayurvedic practitioners, cranberries promote good cholesterol and the sour taste also tells the liver to produce bile. Bile breaks fat into tiny pieces that are easier to digest or emulsify. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes need help getting my full belly to move around after an hearty, family feast like Thanksgiving. Cranberries are high in antioxidants and beta-carotene. Both can help detoxify...

United Way of Asheville & Buncombe: Tocqueville Patrons Dinner Reception Menu

by | Oct 19, 2015 | Events, Our Services

Perhaps the best way to summarize why the United Way named one of its donor societies after the aristocratic Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, is through one of his own comments: “Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations…In democratic countries knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others.” United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County’s local chapter of The Tocqueville Society was created in 1990 to recognize individuals and couples who invest $10,000 or more each year. Since that time, members of The Tocqueville Society have generously given nearly $12 million to change the lives of their neighbors in need. In 2013, the A-B United Way Tocqueville donors surpassed the $1 million mark, representing 20% of the total dollars raised in their community campaign. Amazing! No doubt that as an aristocrat traveling to America in the 1800s, Mr. Tocqueville would have eaten quite well. We like to think he’d enjoy our menus, too. Here’s a Heavy Hors d’Oeuvres Dinner Party we previously catered for The United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County. Sausage & Sage Stuffed Mushrooms House Smoked Trout with Horseradish Cream on Belgian Endive Petals Crispy Polenta Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Relish Oysters Rockefeller Shooters Crispy Smoked Provolone Risotto Balls Chicken Yakitori Skewers Winter Quiche with Poached Pear, Gorgonzola, and Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Roasted Winter Vegetable Platter Chef Michael’s Mint Oreo Milk Chocolate Truffles Bourbon Pecan Pie Tartlets Ginger Cream Puffs with Caramelized...