Chef Garland

09/10/2015

Back-to-back gigs coming up in a couple weeks! A 15-person birthday party followed by a 40th anniversary celebration for about 20 folks. Gonna be a challenge! But excited to test out some new recipes and techniques.

08/09/2015

Speaking of which...WHO WANTS SALAD!?!? We made a TON of it for the catering job last night, and can't possibly eat all the leftovers ourselves. It's a mix of greens and herbs (romaine, green & red leaf, watercress, shredded purple cabbage, mint, dill), with persian cucumbers, scallions, cherry tomatoes, and our homemade "greek goddess" dressing (greek yogurt, grapeseed oil, garlic, parsely, and a hint of jalapeno). We'd throw in some toasted sunflower seeds, too! Add some chicken breast and you'd have a complete meal! $10 for a hearty helping. You pick up.

08/09/2015

Another 5-star review on Thumbtack! We catered a graduation party for 2 UCLA medical residents last night at the beautiful home of Anne and Steve in Bel Air (oooh la la!) It was a great night.

"We are so fortunate to have found you to help us make our party such a success yesterday. My wife has a special knack for knowing who is great when doing her internet searches and she hit a home run this time. While the food was spectacular (and the leftovers today for lunch only reinforced that - super yum!), your lovely spirits shone through even more spectacularly. You were both so kind, warm, happy and cooperative that you brought that energy to the whole evening. If we could give you ten stars we would!!!!!"

07/28/2015

From Saturday night's gig

07/27/2015

Help me out here...Some potential clients on Thumbtack, instead of clicking "dinner" for the meal they need catering services for, write in "supper" instead. Is there a difference???

07/26/2015

SO fun catering a 1965 throwback birthday party last night! We served deviled eggs (traditional and crab), piggies in blankets, meatballs with mustard and BBQ dipping sauces and homemade sweet pickles, and two styles of fondue: a gruyere cheese with veggies and pretzel bread for dipping, and a cognac-chocolate with strawberries and biscotti. Oh, and I almost forgot...the Jello mold with Grand Marnier and fresh fruit! Guests dressed up Mad Men style and music from the '60s played in the background. It was a great party.

07/08/2015

Putting together some sample menus for a potential client. Which would you choose?

Sample Menu 1:
*Appetizer: Spinach & Mushroom Empanadas
*Main: Jamaican jerk chicken w/grilled banana salsa
*Side 1: Caribbean Coconut rice
*Side 2: Couve (Brazilian greens, thinly sliced with garlic)
*Desert: Ice cream sandwiches with gingernaps with homemade mango ice cream

Sample Menu 2:
*Appetizer: Mushroom & herb Crostini w/creme fraiche
*Main: Braised short ribs
*Side 1: Angelhair Pasta al limon
*Side 2: Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, shaved parmesan & sherry vinaigrette
*Desert: Flourless chocolate cake w/raspberry coulis & whipped cream (or apple tart with pana cata)

06/29/2015

Our client sent along this photo and gave us the following 5 star review. Woohooo!!!
"We celebrated my mother's 5th year of remission from breast cancer with a surprise party at our home. Chef Garland did an amazing job cooking a wonderful meal for about 16 of our closest friends and family. The food was delicious and everyone was so pleased. Thank you Chef Garland!!! You made the evening extra special!" ~Carrie P.

06/26/2015

Another catering gig booked through Tumbtack! And we are SO honored to be doing this one. It's a surprise party to celebrate a mom's 5 years of being cancer free. Wow. How lucky we are to be part of the celebration.

06/22/2015

Our first gig through Thumbtack (i.e., for strangers) was a success! The menu included Basque chicken, braised short ribs, curried cauliflower, beluga lentils with mint vinaigrette, fresh green salad, rosemary potatoes, and flourless chocolate cake.

06/20/2015

So thrilled to have booked a catering gig for Father's Day! And these people sound HUNGRY! Two main dishes, salad, 3 sides, and desert...let the prep begin!

06/16/2015

Dinner Lab is coming!!!
You might be asking, what is "Dinner Lab"? Well, it's a way to get fresh, made-from-scratch dinners at a reasonable rate while we try out some new recipes and techniques! Similar to our dinner delivery service in the past, we will post in advance the upcoming menu, and you can order 1, 2 or any number of dinners for either pick up or delivery. Difference is that these will *not* be vegan, gluten-free dinners. We will use a range of ingredients, all fresh and organic when possible, including meats. We're pretty sure it's gonna be delicious :-) So keep an eye open for our first Dinner Lab menu to come out in a couple days!

06/14/2015

Thanks so much to photog extraordinaire and BFF Cole for the new pics!

06/13/2015

It's not much, but we're getting a new website up and running, and also operating now under the name Chef Garland. Come check us out! And let us know what you think about our new digs :-)
http://chefgarland.weebly.com/

Chef Garland