One of our partners from Chicago, Entertaining Company, has successfully executed food for a multitude of events. What’s their secret?

According to founder Wendy Pashman, it’s about up-market catering. What exactly is up-market?  Is it super schmancy?  Over-the-top expensive? Menus bursting with truffles Filet Mignon encrusted with 24-carrot gold!?   Moreover, what kind of business strategy is promoting “upmarket” when the economy is all about value-adds and deals-of-the-day?

As she sees it, up-market is all about the value add. But, in this case, it’s not buy-one-get-one-free. The value add is in the details. The small (and big,) touches that make an event stand out. And, it’s about really good food. At an Entertaining Company event, the food isn’t an obligatory after-thought. It’s the center ring at the circus.

Up-Market is Ideas. In short, they come to the table with ideas and inspirations. They trend spot and delight in coming up with something new.  They come to every event ready to play and create something one-of-a-kind.

Up-Market is Trust. Entertainment Company’s consultant Molly Fennell, who has gained a wide following at such competitive catering venues as Café Brauer, said her secret is centered in providing brides with “trust and confidence.”  It is their job to make it all happen, without a hitch.

Up-Market is Service. Is there any greater luxury than service? Seasoned consultants begin with the basics and work up to the details. EC guides the client step by step, and takes care of all the details along the way.

Up-Market is the Details. When EC staff serves an event, they go above and beyond. Surprise vegans at the table get served according to their dietary needs. Brides with broken heels get crazy glue procured at the corner bodega.  A guest who announces his birthday gets a make-shift candle made out of a string and a crayon.

That’s how you execute excellence and continue to thrive in a challenging business environment. So, Entertaining Company’s Up-Market Catering = Great food. Creativity. Connecting. Service – beyond expectation.

Celebrated caterer Peter Callahan (and StrictlyWeddings.com New York partner) is famous for his inventive and delicious miniature food creations. Now, in BITE BY BITE: 100 Stylish Little Plates You Can Make for Any Party (on sale August 30, 2011), you can re-create Peter’s awe-inducing small bites at home.

In this debut cookbook, Callahan welcomes readers to share in the fun and beauty of his creations. According to Peter, being prepared is the key to pulling off a self-catered party like a professional. With that in mind, he has included a Kitchen Tools and Conveniences section, listing the key kitchen equipment that will help you create the delicious masterpieces in this book. In each recipe he also notes what can be made in advance, how best to schedule your time, and any short-cuts that will make life easier on the big day. Along the way, he divulges his secrets and inspiration, including stories of how he dreamed up dishes that he’s catered for his long roster of celebrity clients.

We love a cook who shares his technique as well as tells a good story!

Some featured recipes in Bite by Bite include:

• COMFORT FOODS: Caprese Tea Sandwiches; Mac and Cheese Canapés; Baked Beans in Bacon Cups; Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes; and Cheeseburgers and Frites
• SHOTS + BITES: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese; Caviar Spoons and Vodka; Spicy Chicken “Fortune Cookies” and Cherry Sake; and Fish Tacos and Gazpacho
• LOLLIPOPS, CONES, + MORE: Mango-Shrimp Lollipops; Watermelon-Mint Lollipops; Tuna Tartare Plantain Cones; Crab in Potato Cones; and Chicken Nori Cigarettes
• CLASSICS REINTERPRETED: Stuffed Mushrooms; Lobster-Potato Petit Fours; Pigs in Blankets, Two Ways; and Turkey Canapés with Stuffing and Cranberry Relish
• DESSERT: Chocolate Ice Cream “Burgers;” Limoncello Popsicles; Cotton Candy Lollipops; Strawberry-Rhubarb Pies; Fluffernutters; and Bagel Profiteroles

Peter is the owner of New York City-based Callahan Catering and is widely credited with having created the mega trend of miniaturized savory and dessert hors d’oeuvres. He has been catering for more than twenty-five years and has created food for Martha Stewart, Vera Wang, Kate Spade, JPMorgan, Tory Burch, Valentino, Regis and Joy Philbin, Tony Bennett, and Al Gore, among other clients.

From our own Featured Weddings, we KNOW how passionate brides (and grooms) are about their food! Showcased below is just a sample of their style …afterwards, visit their website. We know you’ll enjoy experiencing the wonders of their creativity yourself.