Thursday, March 5, 2009

snap! and chat with Barbara, owner of Glorious Affairs Catering

Trish and I have been big fans of Glorious Affairs for a long time... not only is the food amazing, but when we work with them at weddings, they just seem so darn happy! Often other caterers seem tired, frazzled and cranky- which is understandable considering the work they do is really hard! Not the staff at Glorious Affairs though... they are always smiling and having a good time. Service with a smile... nice.
Here's Barbara- she's the lady behind the yummy food and happy staff. How does she do it?



Well, first of all- she has a lot of experience. Before she was the owner of GA, she was an employee. In fact, she's been with the company since she was 23 years old! You do the math- she just hit the big 4-0 mark. I think she doesn't look a day over 24 though!

In 2007 GA's previous owner asked Barbara if she'd like to buy the business and she's been running it ever since.

Barbara makes sure that each of her clients gets super personal attention. They only accept two events per day and Barbara makes sure she goes to each one. "You aren't handed off to someone else here. You are working with me... you have a question about the menu? You can call here and talk to the chef!"

And how about that staff? "There are quite a few people on our staff that have been with the company for ten years or more. Many of them are professionals who cater on the side for fun. We really are a family here, we are all friends and we have a good time. I never have to outsource for temporary help, which is a relief because I can't sleep at night if things aren't done right!" said Barbara.

Ditto- I have the most bizarre wedding related nightmares and toss and turn if I think something is not quite right. Ask Trish about her reoccurring wedding dreams sometime, they're really funny!


I asked Barbara to define her style... she answered "whimsical". I would agree. Her meeting room is a little bit Alice in Wonderland, English Country side, and Garden Party. It has a really cheery vibe.

Barbara is a full service caterer, if you need help finding other vendors she can help you with that. She also can supply all your rentals of linens, glassware and silverware.
I asked Barbara if she thought she attracted a certain type of client, "We definitely attract the smart, artsy, foodie type of bride. Chefs! We have gotten quite a few chefs recently!"


In addition to her space for meeting clients, Barbara operates the best little bistro! She has delicious meals packaged to go for the evenings when you want something special and don't want to cook. I can personally attest to the deliciousness of: the chicken salad, meatloaf, mac and cheese, butternut squash soup, and this out of the world desert that i can only describe as a gourmet twix bar! needless to say, I filled up when I was there and my family was pretty psyched that night!




MMMM, look at that mac and cheese.


Here I am asking Barbara the question that all foodies love to discuss... if you had to choose what would be your last meal?
She had a hard time choosing, so I settled for a list of a few of her favorites:
Cesar Salad, Chevre with fresh tomatoes with first press olive oil and cracked pepper, apple tostada, and tenderloin, and of course anything with a lot of garlic and basil!
Yum- nice choices. I am going to go with Lobster Salad on a grilled roll, sweet potato french fries, and a slice of peach pie with vanilla ice cream.

Speaking of Lobster...Barbara really tries to work with her clients to help them realize their wildest food fantasies! Would you love to serve Lobster to your guests, but maybe that's a little too outrageous for the budget? Barbara suggests Incorporating lobster in a salad or an hordeurve (I know I spelled that wrong, but spell check won't fix it) instead.
Barbara believes you should give your guests a little taste of everything! She loves to work with people from diverse cultures and traditions and has even incorporated family recipes into some of her events. She did a catered a wedding where the bride was from Greece and it was important to her to have her grandmothers stuffed grape leaves. They made a sign for the dish that said grandma Nonna's grape leaves.
Barbara says she want to "help you put your signature on your celebration." I like that quote, it's the little touches that make your wedding truly yours.


Barbara likes to say to her clients, "Let us wow you!" Well I am wowed- I love Barbara's philosophy and her passion about her business. She has a great sense of humor and a unique sense of style. If you want something different love personal attention and attention to detail you must call Barbara! Oh, and pick up some mac and cheese while you're there!