chicken, beef, or fish?

ahhhh, the quintessential question that just about  every wedding invitation asks its guests.

for us & our wedding though, the answer was none of the above.

what did we want?  a memorable, nontraditional, excellent tasting, somewhat regional, non stuffy, but still polished buffet.  because let’s face it, nothing kills a good time like stressing for weeks over who would sit next to who to cause minimal family drama (we’ve all got it), stuffy waitstaff with white gloves, more flatware than someone who even went to cotillion knows what to do with, and a dry piece of protein that you picked out over a month ago.

but most catering companies out there seemed to offer pretty average food at very much above average prices.

enter durham catering company, the recommendation of a girl i met over the internet (thanks jessica!).

“menus are planned around your tastes, needs and budget while not losing sight of what is seasonal, local and organic to ensure the highest quality.”

cue choir of angels & the light at the end of the tunnel!

just reading their menu on their webiste (which has since been revamped) had us drooling.  & then we scrolled to the bottom of the page.  in the fine print, the fine print that usually includes service charges & taxes  & other hidden costs that deem their services unaffordable (do you know that it’s not unheard of for caterers to charge $8 a bottle of wine to just OPEN THEM, or $300 to CUT A FREAKING CAKE?!?!?) i read “we don’t charge corkage or cake cutting fees.  in fact, we think they’re a rip off.”

fabulous food & fabulous philosophy?  sign us up.

from the time we sat down with owner tom ferguson, who was super humble & laid back, despite his outstanding talents, not to mention his willingness to put up with our countless questions & revisions, we knew we had made the right choice.  he created our approachable, but still polished buffet & filled it with food that guests are still talking about because it was unique, delicious & unforgettable.

want to know what we ended up with?????

passed hors d’oeuvres for cocktail hour:
southern platter with “devilish” eggs, asparagus wrapped with country ham, pimento cheese & crackers, spicy pecans & pickled okra
lobster tacos filled with fresh spinach, pepper jack cheese, served with lime sour creamy and voodoo sauce for dipping

dinner:
shrimp & grits with bacon, scallions, garlic & mushrooms
duck & duck sausage with poultry reduction & assorted seasonal chutneys
individual potato & corn gratin
asparagus marinated in lemon vinaigrette
brussel sprout leaves
arugula salad with pears, pine nuts, ricotta salata & citrus vinaigrette

are you hungry now?

how about now?

every last bite of it was delicious, simply & elegantly presented & we made sure with a menu that good, we actually got to sit down & enjoy some of it!

they even sent us away with a basket full of leftovers to enjoy later that night, a bottle of sparkling rose & the joy of cooking!

stay tuned to see how you can have a taste of durham catering, without having to throw your own fancy soiree….