PAGE 2B
By Diana Burmistrovich
JNS.org
If the words "kosher ca-
tering" conjure up visions
of bland and unhealthy
food, and memories of bar
and bat mitzvahs past still
haunt you, remember that
planning your upcoming
simcha doesn't have to be
a monotonous process full
of seen-it-befores or tried-
that-onces. With the help
of creative kosher catering
professionals--or by simply
looking within yourself--
your special day can be one
of a kind.
By including yourself in
the process of creating (not
just planning) your simcha,
the event itself automati-
cally creates a more personal
feeling. One way to do this
is by making invitations by
hand, which allows control
over color scheme, font, and
design; you can make the in-
vitation an extension of your
celebration's theme or per-
sonal interests. Imbuing the
invitation with your personal
style makes the atmosphere
both more memorable and
more meaningful.
Rebecca Friedman of Ashe-
ville, N.C.-based Farmer's
Daughter Catering suggests
crafting your own table cen-
terpieces as a way to infuse
personality into the event's
ambiance. She also mentions
that many clients want to
work with the party planner,
rather than allowing the
planner to have total control.
Others may break from the
traditional style of first hav-
ing a cocktail hour and then
HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, JANUARY 31, 2014
Sprucing up the ,nodern sli00cha
Farmer's Daughter Catering
Tiny ice cream sundaes make for passable treats to save
sit-down time at your simcha.
getting on board with foods
that are more environmental-
ly friendly and healthier," says
Friedman. "I've had a bride
who grew her own herbs and
greens to incorporate into
my catering menu. It took
a year in advance [to plan],
but everyone remembered
that part."
Friedman suggests look-
ing into old family recipes
that can be used as part of
the catering menu. That will
create a catering menu that
many guests haven't seen be-
fore, and relatives will enjoy
the sentiment.
Whether it is through
personalizing decorations
or bypassing traditional
a formal dinner for weddings,
or from having separate
meals for adults and kids.
"When working with a
client, I always ask them
what they're envisioning
with regards to the flow of
the celebration," Ellen Vak-
nine, vice president of sales
& marketing for New York
City's Espirit Events kosher
caterer, tells JNS.org.
Vaknine notes that for
simchas being planned for
2014, she is seeing more
people "opt for the extended
cocktail [hour] with passed
hors d'oeuvres and stations,"
without having a formal
sit-down dinner. That way,
children, young adults, and
adults have the option of
spending more time together,
and kids don't have to face
the ubiquitous schnitzel and
pigs-in-a-blanket offered at so
many simchas.
Even for the parents who
do choose to have "kid food,"
Vaknine suggests updating
the presentation with funky
touches. Soup can be served
in eggshell bowls, and kebob
skewers can be made from
bamboo.
Customizing menus to in-
clude today's culinary trends
is another way to modernize
an event. Friedman--who
specializes in catering us-
ing only organic and local
ingredients, and typically
provides farm-to-table food
options--notes the growing
trend in using vegan, gluten-
free, soy-free, and dairy-free
foods as part of the simcha
menu.
"Although kosher food is
usually unhealthy, it is slowly
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Gentle Certified Mohel Specialist
Endorsed by the Greater Orlando
Board of Rabbis
Medical & Client References
Faithfully serving for 25 years:
North-Eastern, Central &
Western Florida
"Treating every baby as my very own
with love compassion and TLC"
www.floridamohel.com
Study - 386-673-5535 • Cell - 386-290-8833
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Add a TRADITION to
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
Weddings Cocktail Hours
Receptions Brunches
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kosher fare, party planning
doesn't have to be dreaded
and stressful. With just a
little bit of creativity, and by
recognizing exactlywhatyou
want for your special day, you
can make your dream simcha
a reality:
Ellen Vaknine
Soup shooters in egg shells from New York City kosher
caterer Espirit Events.
Jewish wedding gift
d00)s and don'ts
By Jacob Kamaras
JNS.org
Not another challah board!
That's the collective cry heard
'round the Jewish world when
newlyweds receive a Judaica
gift they already possess.
Don't be that friend--follow
my simple do's and don'ts for
Jewish wedding gifts.
Do...
Be creative
There are inventive spins
on Judaica items that are
sure to leave a more last-
ing impression than their
traditional counterparts.
Kiddush cup? How about
a Kiddush cup fountain
instead? It includes a center
cup as well as 8-12 matching
small cups, and when the
reciter of Kiddush pours the
wine from the center cup into
the base of the fountain, the
wine trickles down into the
small cups. This avoids the
clumsiness of pouring Kid-
dush wine for each person
at a large Shabbat meal, and
perhaps more importantly,
the streamlined process rou-
tinely elicits"oohs" and"aahs"
from guests. Challah board?
How about a challah board
breadbasket? This challah
board transforms itself into a
basket for distributing challah
to guests after it is cut, keeping
the Shabbat table uncluttered.
Think practically
Mull over this question:
What Judaica does the couple
really need around the house?
More specifically, what does
the couple need more than
one of? A mezuzah (with a
decorative case) immedi-
ately comes to mind, given the
multiple doorposts in Jewish
homes calling for one. Even
more practical--and more
memorable--is providing the
glass cup that the groom will
break with his foot under the
chuppah, along with a bro-
ken wedding glass mezuzah,
whose case includes room for
those sentimental shards.
Give cash
Are you thinking that cash
isn't sentimental enough,
and that the couple won't
"remember you" if you don't
give a unique gift? Don't
talk yourself into that myth.
You'll be remembered quite
fondly for your cash gift, with
which the newlyweds can buy
anything they desire.
Don't...
Be a copycat
The couple will likely get
multiple challah boards, chal-
lah covers, menorahs, seder
plates, and the like. Don't join
the fray. Be original. Now, I
admit, it would be quite un-
fortunate if everyone followed
my advice and the couple
ended up with none of these
hallowed Judaica fixtures.
Compete with close rela-
tives
The couple's parents or
other close relatives may
purchase them silver Shabbat
candlesticks ora Kiddush cup,
or the bride and groom may
,7olor Your OuJn T-'tllrcs(
. _J (inCludes uJa, shablemarKers)
1 #O7-#3/-OrEE
I
have had these items passed
down in their family over time.
Don't even think for a second
that you can compete with
bubbe and zaidy!
Duplicate the registry
This goes for non-Judaica
items, and was a major pet
peeve for me when I got mar-
ried in 2013. "Duplicating"
the couple's registry--for
instance, getting dishes or
silverware not listed on the
registry--ensures three in-
furiating outcomes:
1) You're getting the couple
something they don't need,
because someone more com-
pliant than you will (wisely)
buy the dishes requested on
the registry.
2) The couple won't be able
to exchange your redundant
gift for something they do
need because it came from a
store unbeknownst to them.
3) Your gift will enter the
notorious "re-gift closet." This
creates a vicious cycle. By re-
gifting your gift, the couple
repeats your error ofgiftingan
unregistered standard house-
hold item. The gift proceeds
to be re-gifted for perpetuity.
Here's a dirty little secret:
For couples, the point of
making a registry is not just
to get all the household items
they need, but also to create
the potential to exchange a
string of registry items for
more expensive items that you
wouldn't have the gall to put on
the registry.., like a couch. Why
should your unwanted gift that
cannot be returned spoil the
couple's efforts to implement
this wonderful strategy?
Honestly, these are all just
pointers. Any gift is deeply ap-
preciated, and it's the thought
that counts. At the end of
the day, it isn't the presents,
but your presence--at the
wedding, if you can be there,
or through your continued
friendship--that matters.
--With reporting by my
wife
