Take Away Gourmet was launched by ABC Member Chuck Adams, who currently serves as the company’s owner and executive chef. As a distinguished graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Chuck has been employed by some of the top resorts, hotels and off-premise catering institutions in the tri-state area. He has been featured on the Food Network as a freelance chef and food stylist alongside famed personalities such as Colin Cowie, Emeril Lagasse and Matthew Kenny.

Take Away Gourmet encompasses over 20 years of Chuck’s experience in the culinary arts by mixing in his strong hotel, resort and restaurant experience into one. Chuck believes in hands-on management, working with and encouraging his staff on a day to day basis. He asserts that there are three key ingredients to a successful event: great food, continuous communication and focused attention to detail. In order for Take Away Gourmet to stay on the cutting edge of ever changing food trends, Chuck has made an art out of tweaking classic American dishes with his own personal touch while incorporating the elements which made them popular to begin with.

What keeps Chuck motivated? “Passion, curiosity, and never lagging behind with what’s current & stylish”

We are happy to share one of Take Away Gourmet’s latest events!

It was a great night for Take Away Gourmet. Celebrating their private clients 60th Birthday Party, the theme of the evening was “Latin Fusion” at a private residence in Bergen County. Chuck Adams and Matthew Janson, Executive Sous Chef, headed up the evening in providing guests with a customized menu with Latin market sourced items which were both unique and very tasty!

As guests arrived, they had the opportunity to grab their place cards, mingle with fellow friends and experience some fine Latin-fusion h’orderves.

The featured appetizers for the evening were Corinader Crusted Tuna Medallions on a Baguette Crisp with Green Olive Puree, Goat Cheese & Lavender Honey in Phyllo, Gazpacho Shots in square shot glasses with lime infused Jicama Spear, Curried Vegetable Empanada with Tomato Tamarind Sauce, Mini Tuna Tacos with Julienne Seared Tuna Taco Sauce, Mango Salsa and Fresh Cream, Smoked Scallop in a Coconut Wonton with Lime Aioli and Fresh Lime Zest and finally Grilled Shrimp wrapped in Prosciutto and Dried Papaya with House-made garlic mayo.

 Guests also got to experience the signature cocktails of the evening: Pineapple Batida Rose Cocktail & Blood Orange Margaritas! This was the perfect way to embody the Latin theme of the evening.

Guests were then invited to the basement, which was completely redesigned into a Latin-Fusion escape by Take Away Gourmet with the assistance of the client, for dinner accompanied by some speeches. Guitarists stood at the entryway helping create a nice, relaxed ambiance for all.

The Latin-fusion was integrated within the main menu itself by Take Away Gourmet. The first treat was Baby Arugula, Sweet 100 cherry tomato, toasted pecans, warm goat’s cheese with aged sherry dressing and plantain chip in a cucumber.

This was then followed by Mangospacho with shaved cucumber, chive oil with coconut lemongrass foam.

The main dish of the evening was a Certified Premium Black Angus filet of beef with Take Away Gourmet’s very own signature house made Adobo Rub. This dish included a Yucca Pancake and Sautéed Asparagus.

 Finally, guests were treated to some coffee & tea, grilled pineapple skewers, mini key-lime tarts and beautiful wine-bottle designed cake provided by Tammy Dunwoody of the Art of Cake in Bergen County, NJ.

A great time was had by all at the event!

Robyn Rohsler Ortiz is the co-owner of Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery & Florist. Robyn and her two brothers are the fourth generation owners and operators of this well established family business. Robyn attended school and earned her Floriculture Certification at The New York Bronx Botanical Garden in New York.
Robyn is a member of the Association of Bridal Consultant’s and a Sandal’s certified Honeymoon Specialist.  Robyn has designed flowers and tablescapes for bridal magazines, taught floral design classes and is called upon to design in floral design shows.

Today she has one of the most successful florists in New Jersey. Although the shop is a full service florist, Robyn’s passion is designing and creating beautiful weddings. Fueled by her energy and talent she meticulously handcrafts unique Bridal bouquets and inspirational centerpieces. Her creative vision can transform any venue into a breathtaking dream for the Bride and Groom’s wedding day. If she is your planner or coordinator her knowledge, confidence and calmness allows the Bride and Groom, and their families and guests to relax and enjoy their special day. “Timeless Elegance in Decor, Details, & Design for All Weddings and All Occasions” is the motto that Robyn’s florist stands by and thrives on to make every event a success.

We are proud to share one of Robyn Rohsler’s recent events with you:

There was a romantic and enchanted feel to this wedding which took place in October. White pumpkins, silver branches and  Swavorski crystals adorned the tables and ballroom.

It was truly fairy tale story of a prince finding his princess.

This wedding had so many sweet details and tiny touches that made it a truly memorable and beautiful  night to remember.

Resources:

www.weddingflowersbyrobyn.com

www.seasonscatering.com

www.kleinfeldbridal.com

With more than 20 years in wedding related sales and marketing, Alan Berg is uniquely qualified to help local wedding businesses achieve their goals. Alan spent 11 years at The Knot, the leading lifestage media company, most of them as Vice President, overseeing the sales, education and training of the local sales team and local wedding pros around the country.

Alan is the author of the books “If your website was an employee, would you fire it?”, “Don’t Paint the House” and the brand new book and e-book “Your Attitude for Success”, all available on his website.

He is a business & marketing consultant, in-demand professional speaker and member of the National Speakers Association, the leading organization for professional speakers.

He speaks to thousands of local business professionals every year through webinars and live presentations.

For more information on where Alan’s speaking near you, his consulting services, books, DVDs and online videos, visit www.alanberg.com , email alan@alanberg.com or call 732-422-6362

Are your collateral materials worth the paper they’re printed on?

While we live in a digital world, printed materials are still key to any business. We’re a “less-paper” society, not a “paperless” one. You have many different kinds of printed collateral materials from business cards to brochures, postcards to price lists and menus to promotional pieces. Are your collateral pieces supporting your business or are they causing “collateral damage”.

Your collateral materials need to support your brand image, your mission and your goals. Very often they’re the first impression a prospect will have of you and your business. Are they doing their job, or is it time to replace them? If your business has evolved but your collateral materials haven’t, then it’s definitely time to replace them. One of the  ingest mistakes is waiting to use up your current materials before printing new, better ones.

How much is this going to cost?

I’m often asked what new printed pieces will cost and the answer is the same as what a new website will cost you… less than the business you’re losing by having the wrong ones. That’s right, if you lose just one client because your business card, postcard, brochure, etc. turned them off, the profit from that job is likely to have been enough to have printed better ones.

So, what makes a printed piece better? Pretty much the same things that make your other marketing better; they’re well designed, reflect your brand identity, have a clear purpose and a clear call to action. Whoever gets it need to know: Who you are, What you do and What you want them to do now that they have it.

Should I print them myself?

When should you print the materials yourself and when should you print them professionally? If the information isn’t likely to change very often, it’s usually better and cheaper to have them printed professionally. If there are photos then it’s usually better to get them printed professionally. If you often need small quantities of a piece then you may want to consider printing them yourself.

Just understand that printing them yourself doesn’t mean you designed them yourself. There’s no substitute for good design and quality. There are many high-quality printers, laser and inkjet, that will produce a very good image, but make sure that the image that’s  being printed is of sufficient quality to support your brand. If you choose to print them yourself, the goal is to make it so that the person getting it can’t tell that you printed it in-house.

Is print here to stay? While I’m sure we’ll continue to reduce the need to print certain materials, I think it will be a very long time until we’re a truly paperless society. Come to the Wedding Biz conference and you’ll see me do live reviews of attendees’ collateral materials. That’s right, I’ll be analyzing and giving suggestions on how to improve the actual materials of some of the attendees. Are you brave enough to submit yours for analysis?