Fab Happenings: Fab Food Chicago at Blue Plate Catering

April Showers Bring May Flowers. Fab Food Chicago partnered with Blue Plate Catering to host a fun-filled, flower-themed dinner on May 10. We invited our favorite Instagram and blogger friends to Blue Plate’s in-house kitchen located in the West Loop.

Blue Plate Catering has been in the food and hospitality business for over 30 years and is a leader in the industry. They have earned numerous recognitions including, 2015 Best of Illinois’ Best Catering Company, 2015 Special Event Magazine’s Top 25 Great Big Caterers, 2015 Make It Better Magazine’s Selected “Best Chicago Caterer”, and more. 

It’s no surprise since Blue Plater Catering is top notch when it comes to quality and service. From the décor to food, the details of the event were exquisite. You don’t find many catering companies with this level of creativity and innovative dishes.

Let’s get this party started. We kicked off the evening, sipping on the “Fickle Mistress”, a specialty cocktail created for Fab Food Chicago’s guests. We were introduced to Blue Plate Catering…the team, history, and services.

FAB TIP: Blue Plate Catering is Chicago’s first green certified caterer. Everything is recycled so that nothing goes to waste.

Meet Lov Carpenter. Carpenter is the lead Mixologist for Blue Plate Catering and brings nearly 20 years of experience in food and hospitality. She began her career in her hometown of Seattle, Washington, and like many mixologists, she started behind the bar at several dive bars, pubs, and restaurants. It was her time at Preservation Kitchen in Bothell (just north of Seattle), where she honed her craft and began practicing her signature style of interweaving the cocktail and dining experience. In 2010, she moved to Chicago and worked at Mercadito and the Jazz Showcase, where she revived the bar program.

With flowers being the main theme, Carpenter created a delectable and elegant drink to go along with our April showers bring May flowers dinner.

Her concoction included Beefeater gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, muddled marigold, egg whites, Peychaud’s Bitters, and Pastiche Bitters. If you’ve never had Pastiche Bitters, it has notes of fresh grapefruit, lavender, and coriander. The cocktail was light and sweet with a hint of tart and bitterness. It smelled and tasted so refreshing!

Now onto the food…

Meet Chef Randal Jacobs. Jacobs, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, brings over a decade of experience to Blue Plate Catering. His passion for food started at a very young age, and he used his culinary skills to help support himself through college at Northern Arizona University. Chef Jacobs has worked at many prestigious kitchens over the years, including Mary Elaine’s (The Phoenician), Studio Restaurant (Montage Resort; Spa), de la Costa, the Four Seasons Hotel, and Elate Restaurant (where he was the executive chef). He also had the unique opportunity to cook for a global audience at the Beijing Olympics.

He appreciates simple cooking, and his creations allow the quality of the food to speak for itself. He curated a special blossoming menu, which included toast, raw seafood, and lamb.

Jacobs started our meal with three different types of toasts, each with its own unique and distinct flavor combination. The colorful toasts were presented on a grass-like surface with brightly colored flowers, giving it a fresh, springy look.

Instagrammers take our craft seriously. Here’s Rosie (@ms.rosie.mo) getting the perfect shot.

The first toast had robust flavors from the la quercia (a cured meat), which was perfectly complimented by the mild onion-like taste of the leek and pickled morel. It was like a mini-sandwich.

April showers bring May flowers and these scrumptious leek, la Quercia and pickled morel toasts I devoured at the @blueplatechicago event ☔️☀️🌸 I could have eaten these all night!! 😋😋😋 #blueplatechicago #fabblueplate #chicagocaterer #chicagofood

A photo posted by Nicole Triebe (@windycitydinnerfairy) on May 12, 2016 at 9:18am PDT

The “Borage Blossom” cleansed our palates with the fresh combination of ingredients in the lemon verbena yogurt, which was then topped with peas and a dusting of almonds. It was a delightful bite that felt like Spring.

The “Marigold” was a savory but sweet bite of elderflower glazed duck paired with peach and dippin’ dots. It was simply delicious.

We then headed through some narrow halls and entered the open kitchen towards the back of the venue. It was a fantastic experience to be right inside the kitchen. It gave us an inside view of the quality and attention to detail Blue Plate Catering delivers.

Blue Plate Catering had a long table set up for us in the middle of the kitchen with beautiful flowers, charming table settings, and printed menus. The pop of colors added a nice touch to the overall ambiance. Just wow!

Spring was definitely in the air at the #FabBluePlate event!

Drinks were flowing all night long. We tried the Marquis de la Tour rose, from Loire, France. The taste is delicate with hints of strawberries and raspberries but has a nice, long red fruit finish. We also had a wonderful white and red wine to compliment our seafood and meat courses.

Van (@vansventures) taking it all in.

Next, Chef Jacobs called up a couple of volunteers, Alexandra (@chicagomunchies) and Nicole (@windycitydinnerfairy), to be a part of the chef demonstration and help prepare the Raw course, which included Hawaiian Ahi Tuna and Shaved Diver Scallops. The ladies exhibited fab cooking and knife skills.

It was a video-worthy moment. 

You can see Alexandra’s (@chicagomunchies) focus and determination.

Fantastic job, ladies! Fierce!

Voilà! Here is the finished product. The Hawaiian Ahi Tuna was made with ceviche flavors while the Shaved Diver Scallops were combined with an Asian pear salsa. The flavors were crisp and incredibly fresh!

How gorgeous is that?

Hi, Nicole (@windycitydinnerfairy)! 

Here’s an inside view of what food bloggers do to give you those perfect shots. Natty (@natty_s_pantry) has some major camera gear.

For our main course, we had Lamb Loin in jus with pickled tongue, green chickpeas, carrot, and “lilies”. The meat was tender and full of flavor. The plate was beautifully presented with great attention to detail. 

Here’s a gorgeous shot from Jocelyn (@grandbabycakes).

This Lamb Loin with Pickled Tongue, Green Chickpeas, Carrot, “Lilies”, and Jus rocked my world tonight. Thank you so much @blueplatechicago and @fabfoodchicago for the incredible meal and wonderful company this evening. #fabblueplate #GBCChiEats

A photo posted by Jocelyn Delk Adams (@grandbabycakes) on May 10, 2016 at 7:32pm PDT

If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, no worries. Blue Plate Catering can accommodate just about all of your event needs. They created a special fish dish for Ashley (@mushroomstew) who doesn’t eat meat.

One perfect spring dish after another at tonight’s @fabfoodchicago @blueplatechicago #fabblueplate event. And watching @chicagomunchies and @windycitydinnerfairy make us ceviche was priceless 😂 || #fabfoodchicago #thrillist #trib2015

A photo posted by mushroomstew (@mushroomstew) on May 10, 2016 at 7:39pm PDT

We, of course, saved room for dessert. 

Meet Chef Ashley Harriger. Harriger began her career in Illustration at Grand Valley State University in Michigan before moving to Chicago to attend pastry school at Kendall College. She started at Blue Plate Catering in 2011 and worked her way up to Pastry Chef in 2014. 

Although she is known for her decorated cookies, she has a strong passion for creating artistic plated desserts with an emphasis on color and design. Watching her create is a true work of art.

The dessert was inspired by May flowers and included strawberry frozen yogurt, pistachio sponge cake, champagne foam, pink peppercorn streusel, balsamic meringue, dark chocolate sauce, fresh strawberries, fresh flowers, and rose crystals. Did you get all of that?

The different textures and flavors worked harmoniously together. The dessert was almost too pretty to eat…almost.

{fab event} april showers bring may flowers. fabulous @blueplatechicago x @fabfoodchicago event last night. thanks again to all who attended! {strawberry rhubarb frozen yogurt, pistachio sponge cake, champagne foam, pink peppercorn streusel, balsamic meringue, dark chocolate sauce, fresh strawberries, fresh flowers, and rose crystals by pastry chef, ashley harriger} || #fabblueplate #blueplatechicago #meetusinthekitchen #fabfoodchicago follow fabfoodchicago on snap to see the full experience.

A photo posted by Chicago Blogger & Consultant (@fabsoopark) on May 11, 2016 at 5:04am PDT

Another gorgeous shot of the dessert by Sherrie (@sherriesavorsthecity).

An amazing ending to a great dinner at @blueplatechicago hosted by @fabfoodchicago. This stunning dessert consist of a moist Pistachio Sponge Cake with creamy strawberry-rhubarb frozen yoghurt, pink peppercorn streusel, balsamic meringue, and champagne foam. It’s an incredible marriage of different textures and flavors. Yummm… Have a great night, everyone! #blueplatechicago #fabblueplate #fabfoodchicago #SherrieSavorsTheCity

A photo posted by Chicago Pastry Chef & Foodie (@sherriesavorsthecity) on May 10, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

Jocelyn (@grandbabycakes) getting an aerial view of the impressive dessert.

All good things much come to an end.  The #FabBluePlate event was a success and we all had an amazing time! Thanks Blue Plate Catering and Skoog Productions for hosting such a great event. Thanks to all our friends who came to support!

Parting gifts included a herb kit and the recipe for the special cocktail. Thank you.

Blue Plate Catering is currently located at 1061 W Van Buren St in the West Loop, but they are expanding and will be moving to a much bigger location this summer.

{Location}
Blue Plate Catering
West Loop || 1061 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 421-6666
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Blue Plate Catering is available for your next event. From weddings and seasonal occasions to corporate events, they can work with to create your ideal event to fit your style and ambiance. They have partnerships with over 85 venues in the Chicagoland area. Blue Plate Catering is your one stop shop, making planning your next event easier.

The food is made from scratch, using only quality ingredients. The drinks are curated and paired by creative Mixologists. Your Blue Plate Catering event will have great attention to detail and exceptional service, just like ours.

Live the Fab Food Life,
Soo

//Special Thanks//

Thank you Blue Plate and Skoog Productions for hosting such a first-class event!

Thank you to the Event Sponsors!
BBJ Linen, Flower Firm, Halls Rental, and VIP Valet.

Thank you for coming out and supporting us!
@chicagofoodgirl @chicagofoodiegirl @chicagofoodstories @fromuyenwithlove @grandbabycakes @likefoodchicago @ms.rosie.mo @mushroomstew @rach.esq @sherriesavorsthecity @vansventures @windycitydinnerfairy

Congrats Instagram winners! We’re so excited you could join us!
@chicagomunchies @natty_s_pantry

Thanks to our contributing photographers!
@franklieu @natty_s_pantry

Fab Team:
@fabsoopark @topchicagoeats

Note: This post was sponsored by Blue Plate Catering. However, the views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer.