Weddingbee Blog

After being severely let down, the mister and I were ready to forget about caterers and see if one of our favorite local restaurants would be willing to take on the task. They were excited about the idea, but didn’t have the capacity to make the amount of food we’d need, let alone transport it to our venue.

Image via The Escapist

It was back to the drawing board, sort of. On one of the many follow-up visits I’ve made to the farm, our coordinator mentioned a caterer that had some of the best food she’s had in a while, but he was relatively new to the business and she didn’t know much about him or his pricing.

A quick Google search turned up Vesh’s website, but the only information posted was an email address and a cell phone number. No “about us” or a sprinkle of pictures?! I was skeptical, but what did we have to lose?

Not knowing what to expect, I sent Vesh an email asking what kinds of food they offered and if they could provide some sample menus and pricing.

I got an email from his wife the same day with four seasonal menus designed specifically for the Lange Farm. Cassandra informed me they were a little more “avant-garde,” but they could make simple herb-rubbed chicken and mashed potato fare as well. She included buffet pricing, as it was the more affordable option and a plated meal would incur an additional fee.

I opened the first attachment and braced for impact.

• Stilton bleu cheese paired with a sliced Anjou pear served on crusty baguette
• Bouquet of greens, with slivers of almonds, dates, Manchego cheese, and a fig vinaigrette
• Roast pork loin in a wild blackberry merlot demi-glace reduction
• Fennel-dusted tilapia with champagne-tarragon cream sauce

And that was just a few of the appetizer, salad, and entreé options. We still had vegetables and starches to look at and three additional menus. I was excited; it seemed promising and almost too good to be true, but we still had the dreaded price issue. After being quoted $100 per person by the previous vendor, I didn’t know what to expect.

Were there going to be crazy additional fees for a “lead chef” or “event captain”? What if we wanted actual china and not “high-quality disposable plates”? Would we have to pay a gratuity in addition to a service fee? What if you don’t like us—does that mean you’ll charge us more?

Their menus made them sound like a winner, but I was afraid they too would be over budget. You can imagine my relief to see that Vesh’s pricing (including taxes, service charge, and the farm’s fee) was HALF of what the first caterer wanted. Vesh also included a coffee and tea station as well as real china!

Image via Abbey Party Rentals

Me, the mister, and my parents were on board, so it was time to set up a tasting! I swear it took several weeks of deliberating before we narrowed things down; it all sounded so delicious. We ended up picking a mixture from all four menus to try at our tasting.

Sorry for the lack of personal pictures. Chef Vesh served us and I felt a little awkward about snapping away.

Appetizers:

Stilton bleu cheese paired with a sliced Anjou pear served on a crusty baguette (Image via Recipe.com)

Triple-dipped bacon scallops basted in organic honey, Wild Turkey bourbon, and tangy BBQ and baked till slightly crispy (Image via Chocolate Shavings)

Salad:

Mixed greens with heirloom tomatoes, shallots, hearts of palm, and a rose-champagne vinaigrette (Image via The Cooking Critic)

Entrees:

Braised chicken in Burgundy wine, mushrooms, garlic, onions, and French herbs (Image via Food from the Hart)

Thyme, black pepper, and rosemary encrusted slow-roasted beef served au jus (Image via Food Network)

Vegetables:
Braised root vegetables
Steamed carrots with tarragon honey and butter

Starches:
White-truffle whipped potatoes
Orzo pilaf with cream, wild mushrooms, thyme, and four cheeses

Sounds yummy, right?

Let me tell you, the whole experience was wonderful. Mark Vesh really takes pride in what he does. Everything is made fresh, from scratch; no store-bought dressings here. He relies on local produce, hormone- and pesticide-free meats, and seafood from local markets. After we finished, Mark joined us to see what we liked and didn’t like. He made note of our changes and wouldn’t settle for anything less than 100% satisfaction.

“You want the a big wedge of Stilton bleu cheese set up as a station instead of being passed? No problem!”

“Not a fan of the champagne in the salad dressing? I can do a raspberry-rose vinaigrette instead.”

We decided the braised chicken was a little heavy in conjunction with the beef and our sides. We wanted to do fish all along but had one particular kind in mind. The mister spent most of his childhood outside the U.S. and considers Panama his home. Corvina is the fish in South America and for a very good reason. It’s a very mild, almost sweet fish and has a firm texture—perfect for all kinds of cooking or, in our case, being prepared in advance. Not many people have heard of it, but Mr. Macs thought he’d mention it to Mark anyway.

Not only was Mark a big fan, he could get it for our wedding and it wouldn’t increase our cost! Instead of the chicken we’ll have Corvina served with a spinach and artichoke topping, on top of a light, roasted-tomato vodka sauce.

Like with all our vendors, we talked restaurants and recipes with Mark for almost an hour before realizing the time.

Did you have meetings with several caterers before finding the right one?