Finding Your Match: Lake Placid Wedding & Event Caterers
What does an Adirondack wedding or event taste like? You are in for a treat. Expert local caterers know how to tie your event's setting and theme into a menu that makes sense for your event. What does that mean? We asked some local caterers about their passion for designing the culinary show-stoppers of Adirondack and Lake Placid weddings and events. They all share our passion for locally-sourced products. Ready for a tasting?
Jonathan Gravatt, Solitude Catering
Why do you love what you do?
We love seeing the chaos of putting a wedding together become a masterpiece. It is what we thrive on!
What life experiences led to you to what you do In short whats your story?
My partner and I love reflecting on where we came from. Both of us grew up in central Florida. Leaving the sunshine state for the alpine country was a dream come true for us. Originally, we always had our hearts set on running our own hotel. By transitioning our business from a consulting theme into an all inclusive catering company we've been able to enjoy this beautiful place we call home and raise our two beautiful princesses together.
Fill in the blank When I'm not at work I'm?
We are always working. It is what we do! Whether it is helping a bride and groom navigate the chaos or volunteering our time to those in need.
Where can people learn more about your services?
Dillon Klepetar, Farmstead Catering
Why do you love what you do?
I love to feed people nourishing food. That is organic farming in a nutshell. Our focus on growing and raising quality ingredients affords me the opportunity to nourish our local community and wedding clientele. But farming also provides challenges and experiences that lead to humility.
Some people like to feel big, I guess, but I love farming because it makes me feel small. At Farmstead Catering, we allow others to join that process- to build a meal from seed to plate. They share our passion for food and pass it on with the people closest to them. And it's not just about the food; the entire event becomes an experience and a statement of the wedding couples' ideals and beliefs. The end result is not just an amazing meal, but a true farm to table experience which resonates when our clients and their guests taste, see, smell and feel the result.
What life experiences led to you to what you do In short whats your story?
When people began expressing to me that they were "blown away" by food I was making at home I knew something was up. Not because I was a chef, but because I was 26 with formal training in the humanities. I would whip up simple dishes like goat cheese and spinach frittata or pork chops with caramelized onions. For me, those meals were thrown together with whatever was lying around and for my guests those dishes were unforgettable.
I learned that much of the work of making great food happened in the fields and pastures. It was at about the same time that I attended a wedding and the food was right darn awful. It lacked the intense flavors of the food I was growing and raising but it had also been dressed up to conceal it's generic character. I left thinking "how do you screw up roasted potatoes?" I came home, filed business papers for Farmstead Catering, and shifted my entire focus to wedding catering. I took a bet that couples could tell the difference between "farm to table" and the real thing.
Fill in the blank. When I'm not at work I'm...
Flyfishing, rollerskating or drinking yerba mate but never all at once.
Where can people learn more about your services?
Katy Van Anden, Lakeview Deli Catering
Why do you love what you do?
We love making our clients smile. We love watching their mouths water. We love watching our clients relax and enjoy their events without being concerned about the details. And most of all, we love working as a family. Being a full service caterer will never be boring..ever! We love traveling throughout the Adirondack Park working with incredible clients in incredible settings. The more unique the venue, the more fun it is for us. Bring on the challenge!
What life experiences led to you to what you do In short whats your story?
As I mentioned before, we love working with our family. Lakeview Deli/Catering is a genuine family business. My father bought Lakeview Deli 33 years ago and it is his true pride and joy, his social life and a social hub for Saranac Lake. My mother joined the business and introduced catering and prepared meals to the business. Following college, my brother joined the team with his extraordinary culinary skills and drive for experimenting with new flavors and techniques. After getting a degree in event management in the Berkshires and working with a full service catering company, I moved back home to start my own wedding and event planning business, VanBee & Co. and worked as the Director of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Having strong family pulls and the need for events in my life, I rejoined the family business as the director of catering and spun off Lakeview Deli to create Lakeview Catering. Because we own a brick and mortar deli in Saranac Lake, many people assume our catering consists of sandwich platters and deli salads. NO WAY! We are way more fun than that. We have an ever growing catering menu and love new challenges.
Fill in the blank. When I'm not at work I'm...
Enjoying food and fun in some way shape or form. Sometimes that means dining out (locally or afar) with my fiancé or cooking up a delicious feast at home so that we can spend time with our pup and a fire in the fireplace.
Where can people learn more about your services?