Gourmet Bay Blog

June 7th is national chocolate ice cream day!  To celebrate Gourmet Bay Catering thought we’d give you a few recipes that involve the much loved chocolate ice cream: Baked Alaska with Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Ice Cream FOR THE CAKES: 2 cups sugar 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda Salt 1 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup warm water (about 100 degrees) 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 6 large eggs, room temperature, separated FOR ASSEMBLING: Vegetable oil, cooking spray 6 cups...


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Juice-cleanse: Fresh, local and organic juices are on trend this year.  You can get a fresh squeezed concoction on just about every corner in San Fransico and we’re betting the rest of the country will follow suit.  Get yourself a Vitamix for your home and throw in all the fruits and veggies you have laying around and viola fresh juice. Alterna Egg- Chefs are moving out of the henhouse, ditching chicken eggs in favor of their larger—and tastier—siblings: duck eggs. Find them sunny-side up with patatas bravas at Superba Snack Bar in Venice, California, or cooked and served in a jar at West...


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1) You get to celebrate one of the biggest days of your life surrounded by people who love you.   2) You can feel more relaxed on your wedding day. Because you’ll be surrounded by friends and family, you’ll feel more at home with your wedding guests.   3) You can save money. You can save thousands of dollars by having an intimate wedding, which means you won’t have to go over your wedding budget.   4) You can splurge. Some couples choose a small guest list not necessarily because their budgets are small, but because they can pull out all the stops and have...


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Weddings can be the perfect place to show off your creative side while including items that are personal to your family and friends.  This past month my mother and father threw Patrick and I a wedding in Indiana that we will never forget.  The ceremony was in our family church with beautiful stained glass windows, ornate candelabras, and our family and friends surrounding us.  After the ceremony our photographer, a friend of mine from high school, got some fun shots outdoors and off we went to the reception.  Our family and friends set up a blue and yellow rustic themed reception for us earlier...


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We’ve searched the net, listened to our 2013 brides and have come up with some 2013 Wedding Trends we think will be very hot this year. Patterns- We’ve seen patterns on everything from bridesmaid dresses, napkins, and linens to patterned wedding cakes.  Chevron bowties and table runners, paisley napkins and tables ties, and even polka dots will be in the wedding photographs of 2013.  One trend we would love to keep seeing is the mismatched bridesmaid dresses!  If done right the look is timeless, elegant, but different. Casual dining- Being a caterer we love this trend.  Having a “lounge”...


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Brides Choice Award 2013 About Bride’s Choice Awards The WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards® 2013 recognizes the top local Wedding Professionals that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. Awards are determined by a combination of four factors: overall rating (quality), total number of reviews (quantity), review performance from 2012 (recency), and consistency of reviews...


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Book your Save the Date now! Gourmet Bay Catering is offering a Winter Wedding Special for couples that book before the end of February.  If you book your 2013 wedding before 2/28/13 you will receive 50% off your Save the Date booking fee.   We understand that weddings cost a lot of money.  We are offering you 50% off your Save the Date deposit for your 2013 wedding.  Email Nicole with questions and to find out more information nicole@gourmetbay.net. Check out our menus at http://gourmetbay.net/category/gourmet-bay-menus/. *Fine print* Save the Date deposit of $500 must...


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Winter is the perfect time to tie the knot.  What better time to profess eternal love than during such a cozy and romantic season?  Here are some fun and easy tips to make your Winter Wonderland perfect for you and your guests this winter. A great way to bring in something chic and festive is to work with elegant white or ivory tones and pair with sophisticated metallic tones such as antique gold, pewter or copper. Go heavy on candlelight. The warm light candles provide is perfect for a winter setting.  Bare branches sparkle with frozen crystalline droplets, creating a luminous, icy white....


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Shopping Stumped about what you’re going to buy your loved ones this holiday season?  Let social media help.  Everyone is now pinning and liking and starring items on Etsy, Pinterest, Facebook, and Amazon.com throughout the year.  This is a perfect place to start collecting ideas about what to shop for when Christmas rolls around.  Many people have a Pinterest board labeled “Want” and “Please Buy” so I’d start there for the best ideas.  After you have the gist of what your gift items are go over to Etsy and search around to purchase them.  Many times people “favorite”...


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Being a caterer in Charleston we get to see a lot of great crafty ideas that brides and events planners come up with for wedding décor.  We wanted to share a few of our favorites.  A wedding mail box for your guest’s cards is such a great idea.  It’s simple and easy and makes a nice statement piece on your gift table.  Also, many guests like to give money or gift certificates in their cards and having a safe place to store them is always a plus.   This ladder photo display is amazing.  We have seen photo displays on mantels and hanging from screens or old repurposed windows...


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