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By: Michelle Nowak, Event Producer, Good Gracious! Events






We can all dream about the perfect wedding: set in a countryside, surrounded by vineyards with the finest grapes, beautiful galloping horses in the pasture, a pond complete with black and white swans, and chandeliers hanging in mid air just below a sky of stars...

For Bernadette and Ryan this was no dream, the happy couple had their fairytale wedding with no details spared! Guests arrived to lavender lemonade, cucumber water and Vanilla Bake Shop sweets to to wet the appetite before the proper ceremony near the main house.

Following the ceremony, Seasonal Berry Sangria with a Church Estate 2007 Pinot Noir was served in the Fleur de Lis pink and purple colored glassware. Guests shared in the bride and grooms excitement and enjoyed hors d' oeuvres and rustic cheeses amongst the wines very own grape vines. GG! tray passed a mix of comfort with a twist... Mac & Cheese Cupcakes, Caprese Panini's and Smoked Chicken Parmesan Taco's.
Guest place cards tacked to the wooden wine board, rustic furniture and wooden signs placed throughout the sinfully relaxing property were the simple and intricate reminders of how the smallest details really do matter to give your party that extra pop of personality.
Community wooden tables with simple white linen runners lined the table settings, we did a small Fleur de Lis glass for table wine, with a taller water glass and champagne flute. A lavender sprig to add a nice scent and accent to the place card thank you at guests seats. A table designed for rustic romance and relaxation!
Dinner began with a Sweetheart Salad.... chopped romaine, heirloom cherry tomatoes, "heart" of palm, artichokes, with a "heart" shaped Parmesan crouton

Main course was followed by a delicious guest choice entree, trio of onion salmon noisette laced with a basil sauce and beef tenderloin with a reduction of balsamic

A simple butter cream frosted cake lickable to any kid at heart served before the happy couple danced till their feet hurt then drove off into the night.

A Wedding far from simple, yet through the eyes of the vineyard, the furniture, food and details peacefully introduced and adapted nicely by the looks of it...


photos by Docuvitae Photography, ©Docuvitae, LLC




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Being an Englishman, I like to think I know one or two things about drinks…. From the age of 18 you are legally allowed to consume alcohol in the United Kingdom. So of course I saw fit to take advantage of the freedom which our wonderful government has granted 18 year olds, and taste vast styles of beverages and beers. And yes I may have tasted a few to many once or twice before…
In England you have the pub. Pubs can come in various ways, you have the main pub, which is the busiest pub in the town, you have bars which have more of a theme to them, or you have my favorite… the Local Pub. My local is called the “Portskewett Inn” which is located in the tiny village of Portskewett, in Wales. May not be much, but it’s home.

The Portskewett Inn
This quality is hard to find in a pub, it is like finding the right partner in life; you have to get along with them, enjoy the company and know what each other really want. You want to find... The ONE.
If you wish to continue reading about my epic quest to find... THE ONE, please click HERE
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We love a challenge! So when Sunset magazine asked us to not only create a sit-down dinner for foodies, but also work with top-name chef during the magazine's very popular Celebration Weekend 2011 on its Palo Alto campus, we jumped at the chance.

Our chefs worked with Sharri Belisle Events for months with in advance on the logistics of assembling ingredients and recipes for a variety of well-known chefs who would be appearing during the weekend and giving cooking demonstrations on everything from cupcakes and seasonal fare to Mexican and Vietnamese. Led by Good Gracious' Chef Joanne Purnell, our team -- myself, Laura Stevens, David Cho and Laurie Smith -- then traveled to the site to work with these chefs throughout the weekend.

Two of the chefs on stage

We assisted Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill, who demonstrated with the flavors of Mexico, Govind Armstrong from 8 oz Burger Bar who shared a market-driven menu, Traci des Jardins from Jardiniere who did a demo inspired by her French cuisine, Ani Phyo, an eco-lifestylist who discussed and showed recipes featuring raw food, Candace Nelson from Sprinkles who delighted the audience with her cupcake know-how, and Charles Phan from The Slanted Door who taught attendees more about Vietnamese cuisine. In addition, we helped prep and work with chefs from Sunset magazine's corporate partners such as Safeway.

That final night we served a sit-down dinner to VIP foodies showcasing recipes from Sunset magazine's food editor, Margo True and Sunset's new book, The One-Block Feast, mixed with some signature dishes from our Good Gracious repertoire!

The evening began with a selection of red and white wines and a specialty drink -- Sparkling Limoncello made with prosecco and limoncello


MENU

PREVIEW
Deviled Egg Cucumber Cups* free range boiled eggs shaved and mixed with green chile mayonnaise, red onion with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sea salt to taste garnished with slivers of Serrano chile

Edamame Crostini*
edamame crushed with fresh mint and Parmesan cheese and served on a crisp crostini


Dusted Steak Fries*
parchment paper laid with steak fries served with green herb aioli sauce

Mac 'n Cheese Cupcake
creamy macaroni and cheddar cheese layered in cupcake form crusted with panko gratin

Red Pepper Shallot Tart Tatin
pinot noir balsamic glazed roasted shallot and red pepper served on a puff pastry shell



BEGIN

Tomato Chive Cheese Salad*
assorted vine-ripened tomatoes served with slices of chive cheese and burrata with marjoram sprigs and sea salt with syrah red wine vinaigrette and accent of baby watercress

MAIN
plated
Trio of Onion Salmon Noisette
salmon roulade topped with a trip of onion marmalade laced with basil butter sauce served with golden cauliflower mash tender buttery haricot vert beans carrot thyme souffle and trio of carrots

ALL ABOUT ICE CREAM AND PIES
dessert buffet
Peach Biscuit Pie
caramelized peaches topped with crystal sugar biscuits

Summer Berry Lattice Tart
strawberries, blackberries and raspberries in a short crust lattice tart
Cherry Pie
california cherries in a sweetened short crust pastry pie

Key Lime Pie
creamy key lime pie with chocolate crust topped with a rosette of meringue kisses
served with organic ice creams of vanilla bean, honey and chocolate chunk as well as lemon thyme biscuits* for ice cream sandwiches and wafer cones for anyone who wanted ice cream cones



*Recipes from One Block Feast
By Margo True, Food Editor, Sunset Magazine

Photos
© Sunset Publishing

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  • FOOD is my passion. I have FUN with my team and my clients and I LOVE what I do! For me, it really is all about FOOD, FUN and LOVE!
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Pauline Parry

Founder Good Gracious! Events

About Pauline

Educated in the prestigious British hotel and restaurant management tradition, Pauline is the renowned and highly sought after founder and president of GOOD GRACIOUS! Events. Professional event planners, private clients, and corporations - both nationally and internationally - seek out her innovative expertise and imaginative concepts.


GOOD GRACIOUS! Events was established over three decades ago and is an award-winning full-service LIFESTYLE food and beverage company that has earned the trust of a diverse set of clients and has a reputation for being a trendsetter in producing unique, quality and fabulous presentations in all aspects of weddings and events.


Pauline has been inducted into the Catering industry Hall of Fame for Events and Weddings and has published a book called FOOD FUN LOVE Party Styles.


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Joanne Purnell

Joanne Purnell
Vice President

About Joanne

Joanne Purnell is a graduate of the California Culinary Institute and before joining GG! Events worked and traveled in England and Paris to gain working experience.


Joanne has been Chef de Cuisine for nearly 20 years at GG! Events and during this time she has won numerous awards including Chef of the Year. She has been published in magazines on various food topics including presentation, trends and all aspects of cooking and is a contributor for, “Inside the Recipe Box of Catering Chefs”


Joanne is an educator in the catering industry and is regarded as a leader. Today, Joanne is Vice President at Good Gracious! Events.


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