Fire & Ice at McKee Botanical Gardens

This year, we had the opportunity to help plan and cater the annual Orchid Ball at McKee Botanical Gardens. The Fräbel exhibit was in full swing, so his artwork inspired much of the décor of the night. From the performers to the food, everything that was incorporated was used to enhance the theme. Dancers and stilt walkers dressed in fire & ice costumes, ice sculptures and torches were incorporated throughout the gardens, and the food ranged from house-made ice cream to a churrascaria station, and Arctic Char cooked on cedar plank. The result was spectacular.

Photos courtesy of: Vitalic Photo.

Ralph Rendsland, Director of Special Events

407.478.2733 | ralph@puffnstuff.com

Themed Parties Make a Comeback

From a Barbie-inspired birthday party to a Kentucky Derby celebration, themed parties are back. And they’re more fun than ever! This year, I’ve had the privilege of working on a few themed parties – here are some highlights of my two favorites!

Barbie Turns 50 Party. The guest of honor held her 50th birthday in her Orlando home. Barbie also turned 50 this year, so our client decided to go with that theme and host an adult dress-up party. We enhanced her home with hot pink lamour linens and martini-tied cocktail tables. We even covered her sectional sofa with white lamour for a more feminine touch! To further accentuate the theme, our staff (Stacey and Jeriko) had fun playing dress-up for the day. Barbie dolls were incorporated into our station set-ups, and there was even a life-size Barbie box where guests could pose and take pictures.

Kentucky Derby Party. In celebration of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, our client wanted to host a party. This southern theme was clear from the start. We paired fried green tomatoes with English tea sandwiches and sweet corn and ricotta fritters. The host even provided traditional silver mint julep cups for us to use for the traditional derby drink. Guests cheered on their favorite horse around the client’s big screen while they enjoyed the menu themed for the occasion.

Sandy George, Special Event Planner

407.478.5831 | sandy@puffnstuff.com

Accenting with "Pops" of Color

During my first meeting with Maxine and Lamar, Maxine came to me with several beautiful and unique color pallates. Swatches and color chips inhand, how was she ever going to choose! I could tell she had a flair for style and wanted to design a beautiful and unique look. We looked through some of her favorite color options, but decided to focus on the menu during our first meeting, knowing that her color scheme would fall into place. When Maxine and Lamar came in for their tasting the details had begun to fall into place. They had decided on a color pallatte of light blue and silver with “pops” of yellow. Quite fitting for an Easter weekend wedding!

With the help of wedding planner Tamuel Coward from Remembering When Event Planning, we used Wedgewood Bichon on the seating tables and Silver Bichon for the head square table of 6. Silver chivaris were the chair of choice and she accented the tables with silver chargers and butter yellow napkins. We also incorporated the butter yellow “pop” on the buffet and display tables as well.

One of my favorite aspects of the wedding was their Popcorn Bar. Maxine and Lamar chose popcorn flavors that included white cheddar, buffalo wing, chocolate, caramel and butter. A creative touch and special treat for their guests and another "pop" of yellow.

While pops of yellow were present in the reception decor, they were also noticeable in her attire. Maxine carried a gorgeous yellow bouquet created by Vicki at Peddles that included orchids. She really let her style shine with her choice of yellow shoes. A stylish and sassy touch. The yellow bouquets were the perfect compliment to the bridesmaid's light blue dresses and the groomsmen's traditional seersucker suits.

Color "pops" are often the final accent that tie a wedding together. They underline the couple's sense of style and personality, and more importantly create a beautiful atmosphere for their guests.

Amanda Berg, Special Event Planner

407.478.5819 | amanda@puffnstuff.com

Chef Paul Lorrain on The Daily Buzz

Our own Chef Paul Lorrain appeared live on The Daily Buzz Wednesday, April 21st in celebration of Earth Day with eco-friendly ideas that we can bring to the table or anyone can create at home.

Culinary Musings on Achieving Excellence

Cooking by definition is what happens when you apply a temperature change and/or chemical change to an edible object (ingredient). The relationships between ingredients and a controlled environment, as well as exposure to other ingredients, are the building blocks to knowledge. Its the understanding of these relationships that inspire innovation. From the simplest forms of manipulation such as butchering a piece of meat to accent its appeal in flavor, texture, and visual attributes; to raising the experience of elements through altering their structure on a molecular level through all forms of technique. This library of knowledge and experience of these relationships are what forms and shapes style. Where creativity meets methodology innovation is born, but it's not enough to achieve excellence.

Finesse

Accuracy

Respect

Timing

Execution

These are the building blocks of greatness, but these attributes alone are still not enough to achieve excellence. It's through the harmony of all these elements in unison that even approach excellence, like the building of a dish. Each flavor layering and accenting another, each technique bringing out the most relative flavor, texture, and color of an ingredient to create balance and union, and at the same time evoke awe and satisfaction. Thomas Keller (tkrg.org) once said to me "It's just food Chef" as we were in the middle of service on a busy Saturday night. The defining moment of my culinary career is having my mentor tirelessly drive my dishes and cooking to perfection...and in the same breath utter the words "It's just food."

Those words shook my core at a time in my life where I was focused entirely on training and perfecting my technique and pallet. It was then I was reminded of the primal necessity of what created the existence of my field, and defined what I do as a chef. At the core food is a cornerstone of survival and demands the reverence of sustenance before all else. It is that experience in which we all must participate in order to survive that my goal in life is to bring pleasure to. At the end of the day it's these ideals that drive me to achieve excellence. But its not just about getting from A to B and doing it well, a big part of it all is enjoying the journey.

Bryce Balluff, Chef de Cuisine

bryce@puffnstuff.com | 407.629.7833