March 4, 2021

Family Traditions

March 4, 2021

Family Traditions

Family traditions are one of my favorite things – the rituals, the memories, the nostalgic feelings of family traditions provide me so much joy. I was raised in a Catholic family and we celebrated holidays in a big way. All the major holidays were big deals in my family and celebrated way more than birthdays, so holidays are super important to me. One of my favorite things about my husband is that he is Jewish, and I have spent the last 7 years not only getting to celebrate the major holidays I grew up with but also celebrating all the Jewish holidays. I was pretty familiar with Hanukkah and even Rosh Hashanah, but full disclosure, I knew nothing about Passover. I vividly remember going to my future brother and sister-in-law’s house for Passover the first time. I was super excited to attend and learn about all the traditions of Passover. I won’t lie – I was also intimidated because I was hosting Passover the second night to a big crowd, and somewhat terrified about that experience. Ok fine – I was more than terrified. I sat at the table soaking it all in, completely mesmerized by all the prayers, songs, new to me foods, the wine (so much wine), and all the traditions. I also fell even more in love with matzo ball soup that night.

Catering by Michaels Passover

My favorite Passover menu item!

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December 30, 2020

Catering by Michaels – A Top Ten

December 30, 2020

Catering by Michaels – A Top Ten

Everything is harder in 2020, especially writing this end of year top ten. Every time I start to think back on the year, I feel like I am getting assaulted with everything we have faced this year. It is like being hit with snowball after snowball – in the face. I am sitting at my actual desk for the first time in months writing this, by myself, with just a small lamp, hot cup of tea, great music on, no distractions – the perfect setting to write a blog. I have been staring at my screen for 30 minutes and now have come back to trying to write this blog for three days. How do you put into words in a one-page blog what this year has been like? How do you explain surviving as a company in a year where you were forced to cease doing the very thing that your business is about? How do you properly recognize the resiliency and amazing teamwork our team has shown this year to survive?

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November 30, 2020

Giving is Good. Giving Together is Better.

November 30, 2020

Giving is Good. Giving Together is Better.

We always do an annual Thanksgiving meal donation to Northwestern Settlement for 400 people so those in need can enjoy all the delicious traditions of a Thanksgiving meal. COVID-19 has destroyed our industry and continues to have a profound impact on our company. The events industry has been hit the hardest and so many of our favorite companies have already closed their doors. We have been hit hard, really hard, but there are so many people that are in need more than us. We really weren’t sure how we were going to make any donation work this year because of COVID-19. That is until we got a little help from our friends!

Northwestern Settlement and Catering by Michaels

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October 15, 2020

Thanksgiving Traditions

October 15, 2020

Thanksgiving Traditions

It is so hard to believe that we are halfway through October and already thinking of Thanksgiving. One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is all the traditions and memories associated with the holiday. My job as a kid was to set the Thanksgiving table. I took this job very seriously. When I was about 7, I made salt dough turkey cut-outs and then hand-painted them with my sister and cousin. My mom still uses them at every place setting to this day. As I got older, I was in the kitchen with my mom all week leading up to the big day and those are some of my favorite memories cooking all day with my mom.

Salt Dough Turkey

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September 14, 2020

We Are All Together For Yom Kippur

September 14, 2020

We Are All Together For Yom Kippur

One of our favorite things about Catering by Michaels is the different cultures and religions on our team. Many members of our team are not familiar with the Jewish holidays when they join our company. Since these holidays are a big part of our business, we always take the time every year to teach the traditions and cuisine of each holiday.

On Yom Kippur, people will come together for fasting and prayer from before sundown on the previous night until after sundown on the day of the fast. This means no food or drink is consumed for 24 hours. Foods that are comforting, filling, and requiring minimal preparation are the perfect foods to eat after a day of fasting.

Food and Tradition

Bagel and Kugel

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