I mean – it’s been a long year, no?

But Christmas is here, and it is officially time for reflection and celebration.  Here goes.

Christmas at Catering by Michaels

I have been with Catering by Michaels for around ten years, and I’ve seen some changes.  One thing that remains the same:  we do Christmas right!  Each year our culinary team creates new and innovative items for our special holiday menu; our pastry chef practically moves into his pastry kitchen and spends every waking hour making assorted Christmas cookies, cakes, pies – oh my!

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Nothing says “summer” like a delicious barbecue. The kids play, while the adults get to catch up over some grilled goodness.

If it’s time to start planning your annual company barbecue, it’s a good idea to start with picking a caterer. When you work with Catering by Michaels, we act as complete event planners — handling all the details, so that you can relax and enjoy the resulting event.

Here are a few reasons why Catering by Michaels always puts on an awesome company picnic event:

We’ve Been in Business for a Long Time

Catering by Michaels has almost four decades of experience with picnic-style service. We’ll be celebrating our 40th year in the business in 2020!

We believe we’ve lasted so long in this business because of our distinct style for setting up picnics. For these types of events, we staff a live buffet setup with chefs at grilling stations, so that attendees can get menu items fresh off the grill. Event guests appreciate being able to see and smell their food being cooked.

We Know Our Food

We would never have lasted this long in the business if customers weren’t satisfied with the way we handle every aspect of the picnic planning process.

And when it comes to barbecues, we’re famous for our hamburgers: a proprietary blend that’s always prepared fresh and never frozen. We also bake our bread fresh everyday — not every catering company will go to the trouble.

One of our greatest strengths is our experience around making menu modifications (vegan, gluten-free, etc.) to accommodate special dietary restrictions. We’ve been doing meatless burgers before they even became a thing!

We’ll Do Everything We Can to Make Your Event a Success

Our picnic setups tend to be oriented for more of a corporate customer, but we do accept bookings for social barbecues or picnics under a normal catering booking.

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Each year we get the privilege of working with our good client Denese at Rustoleum to help her plan their annual company-wide picnic. For many years, the Rustoleum Picnic has taken place at the North Bay Pavilion at Independence Grove. But when the picnic grew a bit too big for the picturesque space, we worked together to find an alternative event venue that would be suitable for the company’s growing needs.

Eventually, we decided on Banner Day Camp.

My client Denese is incredible at executing a vision she has for an event. Once she gets an idea in her head, it’s impossible to get in her way. We knew Banner Day Camp would be the perfect venue to allow her to really spread out and execute any theme she had in mind.

After talking back and forth to develop the theme for the event, we came up with some great ideas and elements:

• The dude ranch-type welcome sign was a hit.
• The décor throughout the space included thematic elements, such as haystacks, barrels, ropes, a couple of ranch-type lounge areas, rustic florals in galvanized vases, and pallet tables for the extensive raffle offerings
• We had actors dressed up as old-timey Western characters (one of whom was a lasso expert!).
• We catered Western-themed food, including pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, roasted corn on the cobb and baked beans.
• Our caricaturists drew on pre-printed, fun and logoed paper.
• We also had pony rides, and tasked our hayrides to be valet transportation for remote parkers.

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What better time than the week of St. Patrick’s Day to talk about a green event I love?

For some, this year’s Spring Columbia College Chicago (CCC) Open House is just another event on campus. But for Catering by Michaels, it represents a real sense of nostalgia for our company’s sustainability mission. 

Let’s back up a bit…

Columbia College Chicago hosts an open house for both undergraduate and graduate admissions twice a year. It’s the largest admissions event on campus, with anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 guests on campus each semester. Our team has been honored to have a consistent role in these events, catering every Open House since 2011. Here’s a little known fact: It’s actually our partnership with Columbia College Chicago that kickstarted our commitment to sustainability. 

I had been working with them for some time, and they asked what we could do to make the event more sustainable. As one of our biggest clients, I was obliged to do anything in my power to fulfill their request. I brought the topic to our management, and the rest is history! It’s been really exciting to see how Catering by Michaels and Columbia College have grown in the direction of sustainability together.

For this particular event, we send all food in reusable baskets, and on platters and trays. Additionally, we provide compostable plate ware, flatware, and napkins. Our staff is trained up on recycling and composting best practices, and guides any confused guests through what goes where. 

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We’re sad to see it go, but the summer is almost over. Now, it’s time for beautiful fall which will shortly lead to what’s sure to be another cold winter in Chicago. But we’re not letting inevitability get us down! Instead, we choose to focus on the fun side of fall and winter — holiday parties. But we get a lot of customers who come to us hoping to really spice things up. The fact is, most holiday parties suck. But yours doesn’t have to. Be the office hero, and give this list to your boss or whoever’s in charge of your holiday work party.

Here are 5 holiday work party ideas that don’t suck.

White Elephant Gift Exchange

The best part about white elephant gift exchanges are that nobody knows what to expect. Instead of picking something out for a specific person (who you may not know well enough to adequately gift), everyone who wants to participate brings something fun. It’s easy for anyone to participate – the budget is set at a low monetary amount across the board (usually $10-20). Brit.co put together a massive list of white elephant ideas if you’re running low and need inspiration.

Costume or Fancy Theme Party

If you work in a casual environment, it can be nice to dress up. One of our favorite tips on the holiday work party ideas that don’t suck list is encouraging people to dress up nice. Or wear costumes! Either way, it gives everyone the chance to see their coworkers in a new light. Bonus points if you get a photobooth – those pictures will get shared all over social media and hold a special place on people’s desks.

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