Eco Caters : News

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon VIP Dinner

2009-06-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

The annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon took place in San Diego on May 21, 2009. Featuring hundreds of runners and a full 26.6 mile marathon, it is always an outstanding success with Eco Caters being one of the major sponsors. The VIP dinner took place in the San Diego Hall of Champions and featured an exquisite organic catered menu including tray passed hors de oeuvres, three different food stations with an assortment of beef, fish & vegetarian main dishes, dessert and fresh coffee. The hor de oeurvres consisted of fresh cucumber cups with mango, chili, preserve lemon and chive, spicy apricot chicken skewers with marjoram red pepper yogurt and a delicate
seared ahi with orange and grapefruit slaw. The first station had a rustic italian braised beef brisket with a fresh spinach salad featuring an apple cider vinaigrette and green beans. The second stations featured a pan seared pacific fish with crispy capers, lemon cous cous and broccolini. The vegetarian station consisted of a grilled vegetable polenta lasagna with house made ricotta and mixed greens. The night ended with a delicious dessert of apple cobbler with freshly made whipped cream and hot, organic, fair trade coffee and tea.

Delicous, Good For You, Grass Fed Beef

2009-06-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Tall Grass Beef is a company that provides grass fed, hormone free, all-natural beef. It boasts a lower saturated & total fat, more omega 3's, 100% free range and pasture raised meat. Why go grass fed? By eating Tall Grass Beef, you can help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Because the cattle naturally grazes grass and other forages, carbon is captured from the air and returns to the oil. This process is sustainable and recycles nutrients from the land. Also, pasture raised beef has fewer disease causing nutrients. So if you are looking for a beef that is good for you and the environment, consider Tall Grass Beef. Check it out at www.tallgrassbeef.com

Michele Coulon Dessertier

2009-06-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Michele Coulon is a lover of desserts and perfection. After working in a family restaurant that had been run for 25 years, she decided to open up Michele Coulon Dessertier. She works with her son Nathan, brother-in-law "Buddy" Don Ramsdell, her sister Dona, brother Don and Nathan's wife Kayo. Her philosophy: Dessert is not something you eat everyday, so make it worth your while….I would rather eat a small piece of something incredible than a lot of something not so great! She uses the best possible ingredients and method in making her creations. All her creations taste and look amazing and edible. The ingredients in her desserts are fresh local organic product and Belgian Chocolate. Check out her website at www.dessertier.com

Aptera- The Car of the Future

2009-05-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a picture of a car or flying transportation device from a "futuristic" movie. This is an Aptera. It is an aerodynamic car that weights half of an average vehicle, and can stand the weight of two elephants. The car can be plugged into a standard garage outlet and fit up to two people. As if being gas and energy efficient weren't enough, the Aptera's seats and carpet are made out of old plastic bottles and cups as well as use natural dyes. It is immensly stable, agile, and even has doors that open up, saving as much space as possible. What's not to love? To learn more, visit www.aptera.com

Eco Caters recently catered the launch of this new, futuristic car. There were three stationary hors d oeuvres including a chef's choice cheese display with market fruit and preserves, vegetable crudite with roasted onion dip and house ranch, and thai chicken skewers with marjoram yogurt. It was a very futuristic, delightful event.

Brandt Beef- "The True Natural"

2009-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

What kind of meat does an eco-friendly organic catering company such as Eco Caters use? Brandt Beef, "The True Natural". Why? Because Brandt Beef raises animals humanely and naturally with no hormones and no antibiotics. In addition to this, the company is very dedicated to sustainability in numerous ways. Brandt Beef maintains healthy soil by regular crop rotation and composts its animals' waste into the land. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are almost completely eliminated. The company uses flood irrigation to attract birds which get rid of unwanted insects and have Imperial Valley's burrowing owls, which get rid of field pests. Brandt Beef follows strict guidlines and the Brandt family is passionate about producing the best natural beef on the market. The company has recieved the Master Chefs' Institute Seal of Excellence and to this date is the only beef producer to have one. To find out more about the company, visit http://www.brandtbeef.com/index.php.

As always, you can find us at www.ecocaters.com

Smog Shoppe- LA's Greenest Urban Oasis

2009-05-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Smog Shoppe is a 6,500 square foot, solar powered urban oasis located in Culver City with a plethora of plants, gardens, vintage furnishings and eco friendly features. Using less energy than a two bedroom home and with over 90% of Green salvaged and locally produced materials, Smog Shoppe supports green events and will introduce clients to green planners, stylists and other resources. Similar to Marvimon, this space can be used for anything from a production studio to a community center. Built out of an old automotive center in a central location, Smog Shoppe can be accessed by bike or public transport. If you are looking for one of the most sustailably designed urban spaces in the United States for any sort of eco-friendly green event, consider Smog Shoppe for your event. http://www.smogshoppe.com/

As always, you can find us at www.ecocaters.com

Marvimon - one of LA's hottest and eco friendly venues

2009-05-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

Marvimon is an exquisite eco friendly venue in downtown Los Angeles open to events, exhibitions, productions and fine living. Seven thousand square feet and a versitility like none other makes it possible for any type of event- from a production studio to a gallery. This centrally located space is convinient to access from any type of public transport and is actually a reinvented, almost abandoned old building. In addition to this, Marvimon Productions strives to be energy efficient by utilizing as much sunlight as possible, and in 2008 will be solar powered. It supports green, eco friendly events and of course, recycles. So if you are an eco friendly company looking for a fantastic venue, or just a company looking to go a little greener, consider Marvimon Productions. Check it out at http://www.marvimon.com/

Sweet And Organic Desserts!

2009-05-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

Sweet and Organic Desserts is a company run by Chef Michelle Rodriguez. The company custom-makes vegan cakes and desserts using all-natural, organic and kosher ingredients. In addition to that, Sweet and Organic Desserts supports sustainable, fair trade and cruelty-free business practices. They offer a full cake and dessert menu, most of which can be made gluten-free, nut free and/or soy free. They deliver to most areas within the Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. For more information, check out www.SweetandOrganic.com.

Carlsbad 5000 VIP Tent

2009-05-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

We provided breakfast and lunch for Carlsbad 5000 VIP Tent. Thousands of runners participated in the 5k event put on by Competitor Group, who also organizes the Rock n' Roll Marathon that will happen at the end of the month. We provided a nutritious breakfast for the VIPs which included fresh fruit, hearty bagels and delicious pastries and muffins along with some refreshing bevereages. Lunch included fresh salads, mixed sandwiches and more. The grilled free range chicken breast on ciabatta with sun-dried tomato, onion, basil pesto mayo and spinach sandwich included chicken from Fulton Valley Farms, an organic, free range farm with humanely raised chickens. Our grilled organic sirlion on ciabatta with caramelized onion, tomato, fresh herb mustard and mixed greens sirlion came from Meyer Ranch, a farm where everything is all natural and the beef is humanely raised. In addition to sandwiches, Chef Brune prepared thai BBQ chicken skewers with Marjoram Red Pepper Yogurt, a hand-picked cheese display with homemade preserves and topped everything off with organic cookies and brownies.

It was a beautiful day for a race and the event went very well. To find out more about the Carlsbad 5000, visit http://www.carlsbad5000.com/Home.html.

And as always, you can find us at www.ecocaters.com.

Green Premier Party at Children's Museum

2009-03-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

We sponsored the Green Premier Party on Saint Patties Day at the New Children's Museum. We put out 3 of our signature hors d'oeuvres including seafood sausage with shrimp, scallops and local halibut, cucumber cups with mango, preserve lemon, chili powder and lime as well as a spicy black bean and watercress and cilantro bisque shooter with a freshly made corn tortilla strip. All of the produce came from local farmers including the persian cucumbers from Beylik Farms, the cream from Strauss Family Creamery and the Seafood all from local purveyors. The oil used to fry the chips was given to Wherever Limosine service to power their biodiesel limo.

We did a promotional spot for the event on KUSI news in the morning and talked a bit about our food and the event. You can find the video at http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning/41400602.html

The event went very well and everybody enjoyed our food. As always you can find us at http://www.ecocaters.com/

Alice Waters on 60 Minutes

2009-03-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

You have to check out this 60 minutes special with Alice Waters. She is an amazing chef and is doing great things for organic whole foods. 60 Minutes Special

2009-03-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

We would like to thank everyone for making Eco Caters the #1 site at GreenGamma.com.

Green Gamma is a really cool website that promotes Eco Freindly Businesses of all types. Check them out at http://greengamma.com/

And as always you can find us at http://www.ecocaters.com/

Eco Caters does Eco Ball, 2009

2009-03-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

The future of our planet and the future of our youth came together on Saturday, February 7th, at Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, as Kids Korps worked alongside of Eco Caters at ECO Ball 2009. This eco-friendly celebration showcased the rewards of sustainable living while raising funds to support the endeavors of Kid Korps, which teaches the youth of today the value of giving back for their future.

This one of a kind green event made every detail of the evening’s festivities incorporate green living. Invitations, signage, and all collateral material were printed with soy-based inks on recycled materials. Eco Caters created the evening’s completely organic menu and also provided organic beers, wines and liquors. The professional staff from Eco Caters treated everyone to some of their famous hors d’oeuvres, including Spicy Scallop and Shrimp Sausage, Beggars Purse with Cherry Shallot Jam and Camembert, Seared Ahi with Reduced Mirin and Blood Orange, Blue Cheese Bison Sliders with Caramelized Onion, and more. The entrée for the evening was Roasted Garlic Chicken Breast with Sundried Tomatoes and Pearl Onion on a bed of Orzo. And finally, to top off the night, guests enjoyed a Chocolate Molten Cake with Coconut Ganache for dessert. Who knew that going green could be so elegant and taste so great?

You can visit us at http://www.ecocaters.com/

Check out Eco Caters at Decidio and Wed Alert

2009-01-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

Seeking the perfect local vendor for your wedding, birthday party, anniversary, corporate party, or other private event? Check out http://www.decidio.com/ and http://www.wedalert.com

GBK Golden Globes Celebrity Gifting Suite

2009-01-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

We catered the GBK Golden Globes celebrity gifting suite at the 9900 Club and had the opportunity to get some of our organic food front and center with some celebs and press. At the booth we served all organic hors d'oeuvres consisting of Turkey Sliders with apricot, arugula, apple, cranberry mayo and fresh made spicy mustard on a pretzel roll along with Seafood Sausage made with shrimp, scallops and red snapper served with spicy mustard and fresh onion sprouts. We also had a beet salad and some salmon rillet served in a small bread cup.

Along with the hors d'oeuvres we gave all of the press and celebrities organic chocolate truffles in an origami box made from recycled whole foods paper bags. Everyone enjoyed the food and the boxes of chocolates were a huge hit. Some of the celebrities that we met and talked to about our eco-friendly organic catering services included Tom Arnold, Steven Baldwin, Billy Zane and Marisol Nichols.

As always you can find us at http://www.ecocaters.com/.

Helix Holiday Party

2008-12-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

Eco Caters wants to thank our friends at Helix for helping us throw a fun filled eco-friendly holiday party at their office. As the picture shows, everyone was having a good time jumping for the cameras and being jolly for the upcoming holidays. We were happy to provide a green catering option for this environmental planning company and look forward to doing events with them in the future!!

The organic tray passed cuisine consisted of many favorites including, our roasted tomato crustini with bagna cuda, seared wild caught albacore with organic black beans and avacado, argentinean beef skewers with chimmi churri, spicy butter poached shrimp, and the Helix crowd favorite - organic portabello sliders with spinach and marjoram aioli.

Find us at: http://www.ecocaters.com/

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

2008-12-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Check out Chef Brune's new vegan recipes in the December issue of COCO ECO Magazine.
http://cocoecomag.com

Recipes on page 92 include:
Stuffed Tofurkey with Organic Pumpkin Rissotto and Dried Cranberries (pictured)
Organic Broccolini and Gala Apple Slaw
Local Asparagus, Pomegranate, and Pepper Salad

Chef Brune will be posting a couple recipes every other month with Coco Eco Magazine so be sure to check back in for the Valentines issue.

As always you can find us @ http://ecocaters.com

Eco Caters @ I'm Eco Friendly Event

2008-12-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

We partnered up with Nikolette Orlandou at Imecofriendly.com for their "Holiday Kickoff" event at the Yahoo Center in November. Imecofriendly.com sells 100% Organic Cotton Designer Tote Bags that are really nice and actually seem to last a very long time. You can check them out at http://imecofriendly.com. The turn out was great and the vendors where fantastic. The Amazon Herb Company had the most amazing tea and chocolate and where so educated on their product and service. We will definitely be using their wild teas and tisanes.

Chef Nick Brune with Product Designer Rusty Allen of RAD
Using only local organic product we served all stationary hors d oeuvres including organic turkey sliders, seared line-caught ahi on sesame rolls with radish sprout, bleu cheese bison sliders with caramalized shallot, and a mezze platter with organic hummus, baba ganouj, fresh pita and Santa Barbara Olives.

Check out our menus at http://ecocaters.com

Lindy and Chad Wedding

2008-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Eco Caters did an elegant wedding for Lindy and Chad near Mt. Soledad on September 27, 2008. Among the hors d'oeuvres severed, were wild caught shrimp served as a shooter with creamy corn bisque. The crowd seemed to really enjoy our two most popular hors d'oeuvres - the organic cucumber cups with mango, jicama, chili, and lime and the wild caught seafood sausage, consisting of wild Dover sole, scallops and shrimp.

The wedding ceremony took place at Torrey Pines State Reserve, which made for a breathtaking scenic backdrop on Lindy and Chad's special day. When they found their way to the reception, Eco Caters was ready to serve them with organic, seasonal and fresh cuisine. For the entrees, guests were treated to the mouthwatering toasted coriander crusted Ahi with spicy black bean sauce and the vegetarian grilled polenta with organic vegetable ragout and fire roasted pepper sauce.

Lastly, Eco Caters ended the night with a thank you in the form of Chef Nick Brune's famous molten chocolate peanut butter cakes with orange scented creme anglaise.

To learn more about our services or to inquire about catering you can always find us at http://www.ecocaters.com/.

COCO ECO Magazine

2008-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is a new online magazine that was launched just last week. Its focus is promoting an eco-friendy lifestyle to the on-the-go, city dwelling, stylish lady. Eco Caters has joined the Coco Eco team as the food editor and go-to authority for organic eco friendly parties and events for thier magazine. Check out our recipes in the December issue.

http://cocoecomag.com/
Chef Nick Brune will be posting 2 organic vegetarian recipes in every issue of Coco Eco and will also be answering any questions about how to "green" your next private event.

And as always you can find us @ http://www.ecocaters.com

Wellderly Social

2008-10-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

On September 27th, 2008 we did a one of a kind event called the Wellderly Social. Hundreds of healthy elderly men and women who donated their time and blood, for a good cause to Scripps Research Center, were rewarded with an invitation to this thank you event. The Eco Caters' staff dressed up in 40's and 50's style attire to create the ambiance of old school service. Organic Roy Rogers and Shirley Temple beverages were served from the bar while fresh cooked sliders with organic free range beef, shrimp pipettes, beggars purses and more were passed on trays by the staff. Our miniature burgers, or sliders, were the biggest hit with the guests - made with grass fed beef, blue cheese and caramelized onions on a fresh baked organic slider roll. The band, consisting of all throw back band members, provided great entertainment. On the black and white checkered dance floor, the research participants danced the afternoon away. Everyone seemed to be extremely enjoying the band, excited about the food, enthusiastic about the dress of the staff and happy to have been a part of this good cause. Eco Caters is also trilled about being given the opportunity to serve these wonderful people.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

Quail Botanical Gardens - Gala in the Gardens

2008-10-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

On Spetember 13 we brought a taste of Eco Caters to the Quail Botanical Gardens yearly fundraiser - the Gala in the Gardens. The event is Quail's major fundraiser for the year. We are one of Quail's top caterers because of our dedication to the environment and serving healthy organic food. You can find out more info about Quail at http://www.qbgardens.org/.

On the menu were 2 organic raw vegan hors de oeuvres and one seafood option. We served fresh cucumber cups with mango, jicama, lime and chili powder which is always a big hit at every event. Next we had some organic cherry tomatoes from Tutti Fruitti farms stuffed with raw cashew cheese. This was great to give everyone a little taste of something different and to satisfy the raw vegans in the crowd. Finally we served up our signature hors de oeuvre - seafood sausage with homemade spicy mustard and radish sprouts. This is made with shrimp, scallops and dover sole and served on a water cracker.

The event went very well. Everyone enjoyed our fresh, organic food and a lot of people signed up to receive our monthly recipe email. If you are interested in getting our monthly organic recipe please send us an email at http://www.blogger.com/info@ecocaters.com and we will add you to the list. As always you can find us at http://www.ecocaters.com/.

Eco Caters On The Road

2008-09-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

We packed our bags and headed north to find our favorite farms to order our produce from. We didn't have to go far. Starting just north of LA in Fillmore we came across Beylik Family Farms who grow pesticide free hydroponic tomatoes and persian cucumbers (pictured). Great place for these items during the winter months. Heading back to the 101 we found McGrath Family Farm. These guys grow the most beautiful beets and squash, and have a huge amount of land. After stopping by Mary's Secret Garden in Ventura (the best vegan restaurant in socal!), we headed to Coleman Family Farms in Carpenteria. When we arrived we were treated to more delicious food and then a walk through with Romeo Coleman. We even got to see some family artwork (pictured). The Coleman Family pay close attention to their produce and are more than just organic farming. Only the best lettuce, greens, and herbs come out of this place. Check out the shiso pictured below.

Finally we stopped at Fairview Gardens in Goleta. We where fortunate to stumble upon the farm manager Toby McPartland who gave us all kinds of information on sustainable farming and his garden. This farm has a huge selection of produce and a great stand selling fresh organic vegetables right out of the ground. We camped at La Jalama Beach, which was amazing and had great surf, and then headed home the next day. Look for more farmer trips soon. We are always on the look for great food! (peaches at Fairview Gardens pictured below)

You can find all of these farms at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

Top Seller: Seafood Sausage

2008-09-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

One of Eco Caters best hors de ouevres is our Seafood Sausage. This sausage can be made a hundred different ways, as long as the fish and shellfish you are using are eco friendly. Check mbayaq.org and click on the Seafood Watch to make sure you are using fish that are good for you and for the ocean.

This version uses wild, house cured coho salmon, shrimp, and farmed bay scallops. We finish the dish with lemon aioli, and organic spicy radish sprout.

Ingredients (per 25 people):
17 oz fresh shrimp
17 oz fresh scallop
17 oz house cured salmon

Radish sprouts (4 oz will make 100 hors de oeuvres)
4 teaspoons Creole Seafood Seasoning

½ bunch minced chive
Lemon Aioli
Water crackers
Safflower Oil

Directions:
Peel and devein shrimp. Clean scallops. Trim any non-flesh off salmon. Lightly salt and puree 70% of scallops and shrimp together. Coarsely chop remaining shrimp and scallops. Finely chop salmon. Mix all chopped ingredients with creole seafood seasoning and chive. Fold chopped mixture in with pureed scallops and shrimp. Put pot of water on oven and turn flame on high. Place in pastry bag. Lay plastic wrap flat along table. Cut pastry bag accordingly to desired size of sausage. Squeeze out mixture leaving at least six inches of space on each end and about one and a half times the diameter of the sausage from the edge of the plastic. Carefully roll plastic around mixture forming your roll while holding ends or plastic taught. Poke any air holes out with knife while rolling. Twist ends and tie on one side. Roll into links of desired length. Tie the other end. Water in pot should be boiling at this point. Bring down heat to medium high and lower sausage links into pot. Boil 5 – 10 minutes depending on size. Remove from water and cool to room temp. Once the sausage has cooled, remove plastic wrap and sautee links on pan with butter or safflower oil until golden brown. Slice links into ¼ inch slices. Serve on water cracker with lemon aioli and pinch of radish sprouts.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

Organic Flourless Chocolate Tart

2008-09-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

We catered a 40th Birthday brunch in Encino on September 19th. The food was fantastic, but of course the Organic Flourless Chocolate Tart stood out the most. Here is the recipe, and don't forget to buy organic and local ingredients!

For the Tart Shell:
1.5 cups pine nuts
1.5 cups preserve figs (whole)
1 cup dates
2 eggs

For the Chocolate Filling:
8oz. bittersweet chocolate
1.5 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
Whole nutmeg
Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 basket raspberries

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 cup fig, 1/2 cup pine nuts, and 1/2 cup dates in Cuisinart and blend well. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Rough chop remaining ingredients and fold into the blend. Spread mixture into a 10”x 1” ring mold. Cut 14” circle out of foil, brush with vegetable oil, and use to press mixture evenly throughout mold. Then fill with pie weights or dry beans and place on a ½ sheet pan or cookie sheet. Place in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes.

While the tart shell is in the oven place the chocolate and the butter into a stainless steel bowl and place over pot of simmering water to create a double boiler for 12-15 minutes. If steam begins to escape sides turn down the temperature. Remove bowl from steam and mix chocolate and butter. Add sugar to mixture and mix well. Lightly whisk eggs and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg and then add to chocolate until well incorporated. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before placing into the refrigerator. Let the tart cool completely for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator, place raspberries around the rim of the tart, sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder and serve.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

Deborah Lindquist Bridal Salon Grand Opening

2008-09-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Deborah Lindquist opened her eco-conscious clothing store in the trendy NoHo Art District and Eco Caters helped sponsor the event serving organic stationary and tray passed hors de oeuvres. Cucumber Cups with Mango, Jicama, Chili, and Lime, Roasted Tomato Crostini with Bagna Cauda (which is made with anchovie, chunked lemon, shallot, garlic, olive oil, parsley and spices), Roasted Garlic Hummus, Baba Ganouj and Fermented Radish with Cauliflower comprised the entirely organic menu. As the trend setter of eco-couture, Lindquist creates fashionable apparel out of a mix of "reincarnated" and Earth-friendly fabrics that not only makes it easy to be green but also great to be seen. Brides to be can check out her site at http://www.deborahlindquist.com/ if you are in the market for an eco-friendly wedding dress.

We had a great time with the green minded yet fashionable crowd and the other sponsors. We even took some pics with one of the models and our tray passed hors de oeuvres. The event went off very well and Eco Caters got some great publicity. We look forward to working with Deborah Lindquist on future events!

http://www.ecocaters.com/

Malibu Wedding at Rancho Del Cielo

2008-09-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

July 26th 2008 Eco Caters at Rancho Del Cielo in Malibu. A hard to reach location, but worth every turn once you get to the top and have a view of the entire Santa Monica Bay (ranchodelcielomalibu.com). They also have a great shuttle service to bring guest up and down the mountain.

Hors De Oeuvres included a Cheese Display with Market Fruit, Farmers Market Veggie Crudite with Spinach Dip and Sundried Tomato Dip, our famous Seafood Sausage with Radish Sprout, Roasted Tomato and Onion Crostini with Bagna Cauda (pictured), and Roasted Free Range Chicken with Avocado Black Bean and Corn Crème.

We also presented a buffet with Organic Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Jus and Crispy Salmon with Dill Mustard, alongside Truffle Smashed Potatoes, Broccolini, and Wild Mushroom Quinoa.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

"Glorious Excess" Mike Shinoda's Art Show

2008-09-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

July 11th, 2008 Eco Caters and DC Shoes team up at the Japanese American Museum for Linkin Park front man Mike Shinoda's Art Show and shoe release, "Glorious Excess". Organic Hors de Oeuvres where tray passed to the many guests lined up around the block to see Shinoda's new collection.

July is the perfect time of year to gather some of California's finest produce, and we served up some beautiful organic dishes direct from the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

Spicy Black Bean and Watercress Cilantro Shooters with Tortilla Strips (pictured); Cucumber Cups with Mango, Jicama, Chili, and Lime; Seared Albacore with Valencia Orange and Oro Blanco Marinated Napa Cabbage (pictured); Grilled Organic Sirloin with Herbed Goat Cheese (pictured), and Roasted Red Peppers on Sesame Crostini; and for dessert Guava Tarts, Papaya Passion Fruit Tarts, Carrot Mango Tarts, and Organic Brownies with Raw Ganache and Caramel.

http://www.ecocaters.com/

San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon 2008

2008-09-03T00:34:00.000-07:00

We teamed up with Elite Racing to provide hundreds of elite athletes, their families, VIP sponsors and other marathon personnel 100% organic cuisine following the 11th annual Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego, California. We were able to provide environmentally sustainable catering services by utilizing biodegradable and compostable plates, forks, knives and napkins as well as presenting an entirely organic and seasonally fresh menu. We also bought the majority of our products from local farms, who we partner with for both sustainable agricultural goals and to espouse the benefits of organic edibles.

Our menu for the event consisted of a California cheese board coupled with fresh organic fruits and organic pickled and fermented vegetables. The main course included organic truffled potato puree, sautéed market vegetables, spinach stuffed wild Sole and free range organic chicken breast. The organic cuisine was served throughout a post race benefit concert headlined by Pat Benatar. Both Eco Caters and Elite Racing are excited about this new-found friendship, which will aid Green Earth causes and make the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon an even bigger and greener event in the future.

You can visit us at http://www.ecocaters.com/.

Earth Day 2008

2008-08-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

We spiced it up on Earth Day in San Diego at the 19th annual Earth Fair with a smorgasbord of vegan chili! It was held in Balboa Park and turned out to be another beautiful day in San Diego. We sold over 500 bowls of organic vegan chili with some vegetarian toppings including cheese, sour cream and chives. For those looking for some extra kick, we also provided a spicy medley tossing in some cayenne pepper to boot. The chili was made with organic ingredients including fresh tomatoes, onions, quinoa, green, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, squash, celery and lots of great spices. We served the chili with biodegradable and compostable bowls, spoons and napkins keeping with the Earth Day theme and business as usual for us.

Most of the products were bought from local organic farmers at the farmers markets around San Diego. We always go to the local farmers first, then to northern California farmers and last resort is local organic grocery stores including Peoples Organic Coop in Ocean Beach, Trader Joes, Henry’s and Whole Foods. By the end of this year we will be sourcing 99% of our products from local sustainable organic farms…and those farms will be posted on our site. So Earth Day 2008 turned out to be a success, we sold lots of organic vegan chili, listened to good music, gave away a ton of business cards (printed on recycled paper with soy inks of course) and signed lots of people up for our organic email recipe list.

--Shoot us an email to recipes@ecocaters.com if you are interested in joining. You can also find our monthly recipes in our blog. You can also visit us at http://www.ecocaters.com/.