"When this you see Remember Me"

Be the first Frungillo Caterers Facebook Fan to correctly guess the name of the venue that is home to the Christimas Tree captured in this photograph to win a custom-made, 3-tier Birthday Cake designed by our very own Master Baker, John “The Baker” Williams.

To enter, please write your contest guess in the comment section of our Facebook post entitled “Sweet Holiday Gift Contest.”  We will announce and contact the winner through our Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/Frungillo.Caterers

The Rules and Fine Print:

Winner cannot be an employee (past or present) of Frungillo Caterers or a member of Robert and Jerry Frungillo’s family.  The prize cake must be ordered with 2 weeks prior notice to the day of your birthday celebration and be picked up at The Villa at Mountain Lakes (Mountain Lakes, NJ) – no delivery available.  The prize cake is valued at $250.

Frungillo Caterers' Caviar & Smoked Trout on Grappa Cured Lemon

Ingredients:
1 dozen lemons
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup grappa

Instructions:
After cutting, be sure to pick out any seeds from the lemon slices. Mix the salt and sugar together. Cover the bottom of a small glass container with a layer of salt/sugar; Layer on one of the sliced lemons, and cover with a layer of the salt/sugar mixture. Repeat this until all the lemon slices are covered. Add 1 cup grappa. Seal the container and leave on the counter for 3 days.

Place salad on top of the cured lemon. Garnish with black caviar and chives. Enjoy!

More recipes from Frungillo Caterers’ new taste kit coming soon…

Rutherfurd Hall encompasses the beauty of New Jersey’s famed history, nature and architecture. This landmark, three-story Tudor-style mansion overlooks sprawling lakeside landscapes and the tree-lined forests of Allamuchy State Park.

Make Rutherfurd Hall exclusively yours for your most special occasion: 973.335.5300

Mother-of-the-Bride Barbara with her daughter Andrea at The Villa

Our Marketing and Social Media Intern Shari Ann Arena captured behind-the-scenes moments from the taste-testing and planning session. Then she sat one-on-one with the Bride-to-Be for an interview. We hope you enjoy following Andrea and Daniel’s story…we’ll share highlights and photographs from their wedding very soon!

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The meeting began with a stack of napkins, rows of utensils, and plates piled high ready to serve up a smorgasbord of custom-ordered vegan appetizers, entrees and desserts. Andrea’s menu combines inspiration she gathered from three sources:

· Andrea’s favorite dishes from Vegan restaurants she and her fiancé visited,
· modified selections from Frungillo Caterers’ late summer wedding menu, and
· Chef Rasmussen’s specialty Vegan dishes.

Andrea enjoying a sample of her vegan wedding cake

All of the samples looked amazing – and leave you craving for more once you’ve tasted them (whether you are Vegan or not!). The Bride noted that among her favorites were the “mouthwatering Beef Teriyaki dish” and “moist and fluffy wedding cake.” By the end of the taste testing, all of the samples were polished off (we all couldn’t get enough!) and both Andrea and her mother were delighted with all of the selections. Andrea’s final menu will include versions of Atlantic Smoked Salmon, Sesame Encrusted Chicken, and Butternut Squash Soup.

As the sampling plates were cleared away, I interviewed this amazing Bride-to-Be:

Shari Ann: How and did you and your fiancé meet?

Andrea: We met on Match.com in 2009. I was living in NJ and Daniel was living in NYC. He is originally from Bulgaria.

Shari Ann: How long have you been vegan? Why did you decide to become vegan?

Andrea: I have been a vegetarian my whole life and started becoming a vegan in college. I stopped for two years in college but then went back to being a Vegan. My parents raised me to always love animals and my mom, dad, and sister are all vegetarians.

Shari Ann: Frungillo Caterers has hosted many events featuring a few vegan dishes but at your wedding every single dish will be Vegan. Are most of your guests vegans? Is your Groom vegan?

Andrea: About a dozen or so of my guests are vegan. Daniel is 80% vegetarian (he still eats fish).

Shari Ann: What have been some of the challenges of planning a vegan wedding?

Andrea: The hardest part was finding a venue that would accommodate us. We looked at roughly at a dozen venues. Some caterers wanted to charge us double, others didn’t really understand what being a Vegan meant even after I explained it.

Shari Ann: Why did you pick The Villa as the place to host your wedding?

Andrea: The Villa is gorgeous! And, Frungillo Caterers’ staff members not only understood what was required to create an all-vegan wedding, but were actually excited to work with us to put it together. Their staff and Chef Rasmussen have bent over backwards trying to help make our wedding perfect.

Shari Ann: How did your family and other guests react to the idea of an “All-Vegan Wedding”?

Andrea: Some people do not know it is a vegan wedding. Others have somewhat of an idea. We actually haven’t told Daniel’s family because we felt it was too hard to explain. They’re from Bulgaria and are not familiar with a Vegan lifestyle.

In addition to the vegan component that will shape their reception, Andrea and Daniel are planning to feature diverse cultural and religious traditions during their ceremony that further reflect their unique blend of personal beliefs and styles. Andrea is so friendly and interesting that I felt I could have talked to her for hours! I wrapped up our interview so she could be whisked away by our in-house event coordinator John Fucci for a walk through of the wedding set-up and event schedule.

Now her big day is just around the corner – can’t wait!

Sunset at Skylands Manor (photo tweeted this summer by @AmandaGorun)

All the contrary!

We’ve been busy, busy catering a spectacular wedding season, mentoring interns, designing new delectable menus, winning exciting awards….the list goes on and on. And, we’ve been very active online as well. We revamped our Facebook and Twitter sites and are very happy to announce that we have a new Pinterest page with new inspiration for weddings and other special events.

Stay tuned for future blog posts coming soon to feature highlights from this past season and many more exciting things we are working on for the Fall. And, enjoy the last few Summer sunsets left to go (they truly are gorgeous this time of the year!).

"Precious-in-Pink" Candy Station

This “Precious-in-Pink” Candy Station delighted guests at The Villa at Mountain Lakes last week during a fun-filled baby shower. Best wishes to our guest of honor, Christelle, and all Moms-to-Be!

Visit Frungillo Caterers’ Facebook Page for more sweet inspiration: Click Here

Congratulations to Tara & Ilya!

They had a romantic garden wedding ceremony followed by a reception at The Skylands Manor on April 13, 2012.  It was a gorgeous spring day at the NJ Botantical Gardens with tree buds blooming, string players setting the romantic mood, and a very happy Bride and Groom.

See more of Tara & Ilya’s amazing wedding photographs created by Erin H. Photography on our Facebook Page and read about their love story and fantastic, first-hand event planning tips on their very own wedding website.

Andrea & Daniel Will Wed in Sept. at The Villa

We are just 4 months away from Andrea & Daniel’s all-vegan wedding to take place this September at The Villa at Mountain Lakes.

When I first spoke with Andrea, she explained that she’d been searching for a sophisticated wedding venue in NJ that could provide elegant all-vegan catering for a very, very long time without any luck.  When Andrea discovered and fell in love with The Villa at Mountain Lakes she asked me about possible vegan catering options fearing that she would not be able to find the perfect match, yet again.  I was not going to let that happen!

At Frungillo Caterers we are dedicated to customizing our menus and making our clients’ dreams come true.  A few years ago my colleague Amy Vecchione hosted an all-vegetarian wedding at The Oakeside Mansion and we were always interested in hosting all-vegan events as well.  I told her I would do everything and anything possible to make her wedding a reality.

I immediately reached out to Chef Mark Rasmussen, a renowned vegan chef, consultant, cookbook author and entrepreneur.  He’s currently executive chef and consultant for Subia’s Organic Café and Market in Jersey City and the author of “Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook” (2001)

Visit Chef Rasmussen on FB for New Vegan Recipes

Chef Rasmussen agreed to consult with Frungillo Caterers to craft an extraordinary vegan wedding menu that would impress the Bride, Groom and all of the guests (most of whom are actually not vegan).  When Andrea met with me and Chef Rasmussen for an initial tasting she was totally “WOWED.”  Andrea (a vegetarian her entire life and a vegan since college) could not believe that the savory filet mignon and juicy skewered chicken entrées were not real meat.  She absolutely loved the variety of dishes, excellent textures and flavors, and fancy presentation…and booked her wedding at The Villa.

Chef Rasmussen and I were thrilled to make Andrea happy.  Andrea offers great inspiration for being true to yourself and following your dreams.  We are eagerly anticipating her special day!

John Fucci
john@frungillo.com
973.335.5300