the dining tables after nightfall

the bride's Gucci gown

one half of the seafood duo: seared tuna with wasabi crème fraiche

Timbits and cookies served with milk

The couple’s favourite sweets were presented late in the evening: the groom’s beloved campfire treat, s’mores, were given a gourmet spin with dark chocolate and artisanal marshmallows before being circulated to guests on rustic wooden platters. Timbits and freshly-baked cookies were served at a station along with warm milk in a silver samovar, and cold milk served from miniature vintage milk bottles, topped with yellow straws. On top of all this, guests also enjoyed custom coffees at an espresso bar, which also offered classic affogato (gelato topped with a shot of espresso).

It was an unforgettable evening, one the bride calls “beyond perfect.”

For many, many more photos, become a fan of Couture Cuisine on Facebook and scroll through the album.

Three experts were tapped to discuss film and food.  Specifically, each guest was asked to name two favourite food-related movies, and design a menu to match each.  Along with fellow guests Alison Fryer, manager of The Cookbook Store and Doris Miculan Bradley, chef, sommelier and professor in the school of Hospitality and Tourism Management at George Brown College, Chef chatted about his favourite movies and concocted brilliant menus to match each.

Arpi spoke of two films: Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe, a cult hit from the late 1970s, and the more recent Julie & Julia.  For the latter film, Arpi has a very personal story: he actually cooked for the great Julia Child in 1998 and recounted the menu he served during the radio interview.   

Meeting Julia Child was “very special” for Arpi, and he was especially taken with her zest for life, food, and a stiff martini, which she enjoyed during the luncheon along with specially paired wines.  “Smitten,” Arpi fondly recalls the butter-laced menu he presented to Ms. Child:

Triple butter mash potato martini with American sevruga caviar , quail egg ‘olive’ chive skewer

 
Blond frisee salad and soft poached egg, double smoked bacon , grainy mustard dressing, charred baguette with sea salt and olive oil

blonde frisse salad

Beef cheek stew , tomatoes and peppers with sautéed spaetzle , toasted caraway seeds, sweet and sour cucumber, sour cream and paprika

Strawberry and rhubarb fool

Chef Arpi Magyar & Julia Child

Working alongside the tremendously talented Melissa Haggerty of Spectacular Spectacular, we took part in a one-of-a-kind wedding at a virgin event space: The Canon Theatre in Toronto. 

While The Canon has seen its fair share of large-scale theatre productions (Phantom of the Opera, anyone?), it had never been host to a wedding.  In truly Spectacular style, Melissa created a magical, breathtakingly beautiful production.  The wedding guests were the audience, the suppliers the crew, and the stars, of course, were the bride and groom. 

The wedding menu incorporated the couple’s favourite foods, which meant plenty of seafood hors d’oeuvres following the ceremony, along with pink champagne in custom-ordered crystal coupe glasses. 

prologue: pink champagne in crystal coupe glasses

After cocktail hour, the curtains parted and revealed crystal chandeliers, an enormous, hand-painted backdrop, and stunning florals (by Lidia of Fiori); audible gasps were heard as each new element was revealed. 

Following some heart-warming speeches, guests were presented with a colourful first course of imported buffalo mozzarella with roasted tomatoes, beets, micro herbs, olive oil juice, and warm olive toast. 

act one

For the main course, guests were offered the choice of roasted provimi veal rack with rosemary cracked pepper crust, or black cod with miso maple glaze.  Keeping the evening theatrical, Couture Cuisine’s team of wait-staff carried plates covered with old-fashioned silver cloche covers and lifted them with a flourish as each table was served.

silver cloche cover each guest's entree selection

The final act was a fully customzed dessert, designed to replicate the wedding’s colour scheme of gold, coral, and seafoam green.  Together with the clients and Melissa, Chef Arpi Magyar created a playful mini “wedding cake” presented on a gold-leaf plate.

mini "wedding cake"

The creative couple, accustomed to celebrating into the wee hours, requested a very unusual late night snack. Instead of ubiquitous mini-burgers and fries, wait-staff circulated platters of miniature breakfast treats such as mini blueberry pancakes with chantilly creme and maple syrup, tiny hash browns and petite “egg mcmuffins” complete with customized wrappers.  Of course, no breakfast would be complete without coffee, and so Couture Cuisine provided an elaborate espresso bar, attended by a professional barista. 

Video clips of the event in progress by the inimitable Cloud Nine Creative can be found here and here, and for a backstage look at the crew creating this incredible day, prepare to be stunned by the jaw-dropping timelapse video.

Special thanks to Storey Wilkins for sharing these beautiful photos with us!

We have a few suggestions to end your fête fabulously, adding a flourish to your final goodbye, and clarifying the end of the party for guests.

If time is limited (and a daytime venue booking can be a bit shorter than an evening one), skip a plated dessert in favour of circulated sweets or an over-the-top sweet table.  This will encourage guests to spend more time exploring your venue, mingling, and posing for photos while they nibble on something sweet. 

an over-the-top sweet table

Orchestrate a truly grand exit: rent an historic car or sporty convertible and invite guests to wave goodbye as you zip away on your honeymoon.  For a truly vintage touch, change outfits before departing…Mad Men-inspired suits and pillbox hats perhaps?  Once the guests of honour have said their goodbyes, the guests will too.

There are plenty of ways to encourage guests to take part in your exit; playful bubbles, rose petals, or colourful paper flags can be handed out and used to send the couple off in style. 

Sunrise events are rarely considered for parties, but we’ve borrowed the idea from the boardroom and applied it to the social scene. 

Business folks know that the pre-9am hours are ideal for those with jam-packed schedules.  So long as the guests are offered a cup of coffee and a wholesome breakfast such as steel-cut oatmeal with organic honey & toasted walnuts, they will have much to contribute to a meeting, and still have time and energy to accomplish a day’s work.

But a breakfast party isn’t just for corporate functions.  Consider your guests – are they families with young children?  If so, they might welcome an early celebration, when children are in their best moods.  For this reason, we love the idea of a pancake social for a family gathering or young child’s birthday party.  We would offer silver dollar pancakes with maple syrup, blueberry compote, and chantilly crème.  Add easy-to-eat fruit skewers and an interactive smoothie station, and children and adults alike will be entertained and well-fed.  Best of all, this timing ensures the birthday boy or girl has a full day to enjoy at the park or zoo after guests depart.

easy-to eat fruit skewers

Perhaps the morning hour appeals because you’re simply looking for a completely unique style of wedding.  We can’t imagine anything more romantic than an intimate sunrise ceremony followed by a Champagne breakfast.  We would serve salmon tartare with cucumber salad and salmon caviar to begin, followed by an entrée of traditional eggs Benedict with creamy hollandaise and local organic greens in a white balsamic vinaigrette.  For a light dessert, fresh fruit and cookies served on platters to each table would offer an elegant yet relaxed finish to the meal. 

Good morning, sunshine!

a romantic sunrise ceremony

Welcome guests with a rustic cheese plate, breads, and a zippy cocktail such as the Ginger-basil Bash, which combines muddled lemon, ginger, & basil with chilled vodka & ginger beer.

Our ideal 100-mile menu for such an event would begin with a traditional Hungarian soup, prepared over an open fire in a cast-iron pot.  Slowly braised beef from the shank would be prepared with potatoes & root vegetables; serving this rustic soup in a clean-lined white bowl would be a beautiful contrast.  For the entrée, breaded provimi veal from a farm in Cambridge would be served with a local arugula, tomato and onion salad with caramelized sweet potatoes.  A sweet ending to the meal would be a trio of lemon panna cotta, warm chocolate cake, and vanilla crème with freshly picked berries.

antique-style amber tumblers

Set the table with coloured, antique-like glassware; we love these amber tumblers from Anthropologie for water or wine.  With the above menu, we would serve local bottles such as Norman Hardie’s 2007 Pinot Noir and Cave Spring’s Off-Dry Riesling.

A dinner under the stars sounds perfectly romantic … until you trip over a tree stump.  Light the way with these vintage-style string lights from Restoration Hardware…and then enjoy them after the wedding in your own garden.

vintage-style string lights

Early summer evenings can be a bit chilly; keep your guests warm & happy with hand-made quilts.  We love trolling through the listings on Etsy to find bright & playful designs. 

a cozy & comfy quilt

Need more ideas?  Please call us at 416.449.5432 to create your own shabby-chic affair.

Savour the season with a fresh, local menu.  We’ve been daydreaming of farm-fresh asparagus, peas, and herbs since the first cherry blossom appeared.   We imagine serving this menu along with local wines at a table adorned with white tulips, curly fiddleheads and delicate lilly of the valley…

to begin

roasted local asparagus, fennel, tomatoes, onion and olive salad in a cider vinaigrette

to follow

spring pea risotto with mint and crispy pancetta

main course

slow roasted spice crust salmon with creamed corn and tabbouleh & herb salad

dessert

mini goat cheese tart & rosemary chocolate truffle with frozen olive oil

a fresh spring table setting

We plan to set the table with reusable hemp linens, natural beeswax candles, and spring tulips in curvy recycled glass vases.   As guests arrive, we’ll pour an Ontario sparkling rosé,  and nibble on antipasto presented on a reclaimed wood platter.

to begin…

house-cured duck proscuitto with balsamic reduction, organic fig slices & homemade blini

entrée…

roasted rack of Ontario lamb, mango honey mustard crust; potato pancake, baked organic eggplant, cucumber yogurt salad with artisanal feta

sweet endings…

vanilla-lemon panna cotta, preserved fruit compote

panna cotta, preserved fruit & organic micro herbs

After dinner, we’ll enjoy a glass of Niagara ice wine with an incredible local cheese plate from one of our favourite producers: the LEED-certified Fifth Town Cheese. 

Plan your own green party by emailing us at yummy@couturecuisine.com.

a wedding shower at Graydon Hall

For a baby shower, we love to play upon the theme by offering “baby-sized” portions.  When our own Managing Director selected a menu for her baby shower, she chose to welcome guests with smoked salmon on mini croissants and tiny, buttery danishes.  We also love bite-sized brioche with whipped mascarpone, orange marmalade & orange zest, or perhaps mini blueberry pancakes garnished with chantilly crème.  For dessert, tiny rainbow-hued mini mousse cakes are adorable; for a bigger impact, we think a customized cake featuring teeny baby details like this one from Papillion Cakes is completely perfect:

a baby shower cake from Papillion Cakes

Wedding shower fare is typically light and feminine, featuring plenty of fruit, tea sandwiches, and prettily garnished cocktails.  However, many modern showers include both women and men.  Without straying too far from convention, we think it’s fun to include something for the boys.  For example, skewered beef tenderloin with roasted tomatoes & pickled pearl onion could be passed as guests arrive, and a dessert buffet could include such manly options as beer-infused cupcakes and maple-soaked cake with crispy bacon crumble.  The perfect final touch would be an old-school cocktail, sure to be enjoyed by ladies and gents alike.