At Dupree Catering & Events we are making a tremendous effort to decrease our waste by recycling and composting. We believe that environmentally responsible business practices are important. We want to be a part of the change that Mayor Gray is initiating and hope our efforts will help lead the way to a cleaner city and to achieving Lexington’s goal of Zero Waste by 2020.

We recently partnered with Live Green Lexington, a program that recognizes businesses, schools, and organizations that are practicing responsible waste management. As part of their program Live Green Lexington has audited waste management at Dupree Catering & Events, and it was determined that we are recycling or composting 85% of our waste!

Below is more information on Live Green Lexington:

The award-winning Live Green Lexington Partner program is an initiative created by Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and managed by Bluegrass PRIDE that has fostered recycling and water quality initiatives in more than 300 businesses, over 70 schools and more than 50 apartment complexes in Lexington.

Lexington businesses kept about 5,510 tons of recyclable materials from going into landfills in the fiscal year that ended June 30. That was a 41 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, and the tonnage continues to increase. This does not include the tons of cardboard in cardboard dumpsters or other types of materials, such as ink cartridges and electronics that these businesses also recycle.

Picnic with the Pops
Menu for August 17 & 18, 2012

Appetizer
Fresh Vegetable Crudite and Homemade Pita Chips
Served with Carmelized Onion Dip, Spinach Dip, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Choice of Entrees
Ancho Chile Rubbed Salmon with Mango Salsa $32.00
Porcini Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Point Reyes Bleu Cheese $36.00
Sweet Tea Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon and Ginger Peach Chutney $30.00
Kentucky Goat Cheese and Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart $27.00

All Entrees Served with:
Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Gremolata
Farmer’s Market Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Feta
Tuscan Three Bean Salad
Fresh Bluegrass Bakery Baguette

Dessert
Carmelized Upside Down Local Peach Cake with Creme Fraiche

Disposable Dinnerware
100% Biodegradable & Compostable
Plates with Cutlery, Napkins, and Tumblers $2.50 per person

To Reserve Your Order Call 859.231.0464
www.dupreecatering.com

For Ticket information visit Picnic with the Pops

You can still purchase tickets visit the Alltech National Horse Show

Article about National Horse Show kick-off gala

Watch Live Screening of the Alltech National Horse Show

TIPS:

1) Know your budget: this includes food, service, and beverages. Knowing your entire party budget doesn’t really help us, you need to break down your overall budget and present the caterer with the “food” budget.

2) Consider what type of food service you would like at your party, some different options that Dupree offers are:

• Buffet Dinner

This is the cheese and fruit display on part of a buffet.

• Seated Dinner

Dupree Server setting a table for an elegant seated dinner service.

• Stations

• Passed Appetizers

• Small Plates

2) Consider a “Theme” - A good theme can give you idea’s for food, dress, music, decorations, and set a special mood. Below is a picture of one of our favorite themed parties:

This party was a 21st birthday party and was a "Beatles" (the music group) theme. Each bar and food station was set-up as a different beatle song, this one was Yellow Sub-Marine.

There are endless amounts of themes, be creative and make yours personal. Below are just a few ideas:

• Seasonal, summer or cookout theme, fall, winter, spring 
• Green theme, you could use everything that’s “Green” recycled glass/aluminum products, composting, donating leftovers etc.
• Grow your own food or use everything local

3) Consider doing popular appetizers or something special and unique. Having an appetizer ready for your guests shows them you care. You could incorporate the apps into your theme or if the rest of your food is slightly traditional consider going with an app that’s a little more fun and interesting.

This is individual servings of shrimp cocktail or "shrimp shooters."

1. It’s all about the containers! Plan your display around your table size and containers.

2. Figure out which candy you want to put in each container and then how much of that candy the container will hold. You can do this by finding something that you already have that is measured that is the aprox. density of your candy (for example a bag of sugar) and pouring it into your container.  If you are buying an odd shaped candy call your candy provider and explain the container to them - they are great about helping estimate the amount of candy that will fit in it.

3. Buy bulk candy. The shipping charges are expensive but you will save a ton of money by buying bulk. We order all of our candy from www.candywarehouse.com. They make it really easy and you can even shop by theme, for example wedding candy, old fashioned and nostalgic candy, even pirate candy!

4. Coordinate the theme and colors of your candy to the event. For example if your wedding colors are orange and pink just do caring shades of that colored candy.

5. Remember to also order the candy that will hold your other candy in place. For example if you are having lollipops, rock candy to pour in the bottom of the candy will hold the lollipops up right and in place.

6. Check out how to’s on youtube. Search Candy Display. Good Luck!!

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This is a blog from our Dupree Catering Executive Chef, Tony. He’s a fabulous cook as well as father and husband…

So I just found out that my pregnant wife has gestational diabetes and is anemic on top of that. The doctors let her know on Friday, five minutes before their office closed. They didn’t give her any nutritional advice or guidelines. Hooray for HMO’s! I took that as a culinary challenge. I’ve had a hard time coming up with menus lately. The cold winter in Kentucky will do that to your inspiration. However, I found myself looking up some basic facts about nutrition on the internet and the ideas just started running through my head. What I found out was actually pretty straightforward. Go easy on the sugar. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables. Balance your meals with fruits, vegetables, lean protein, fiber, and “good” fats. Not too complicated, huh? I thought that sounded like a good way to eat regardless of your condition. So without attempting to give any medical advice, (I am not a doctor) here is my take on cooking healthier.

Day 1

I went to the store and started attacking the produce section. I never go grocery shopping with a specific dish or menu in mind. I come up with it when I see what looks fresh. I was in luck because the produce looked great! Collards, beets, celery, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, baby cucumbers (my favorite, also cheaper than English), zucchini, fresh black eye peas, mushrooms, spinach, edamame, I got it all. I grabbed some leaner protein like chicken breast, pork loin, ground sirloin, corned beef, and sirloin steak. OK, I said leaner. This is not a diet! I also bought some fruit and soy nuts for snacking. Soy is a good source of iron and is also low on carbs. I went home and started cooking. Here is my menu:

Sirloin Steak – well trimmed and marinated in lemon juice, mustard, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire, soy sauce, dry savory, salt pepper and olive oil. I pour the marinade and the steaks in a Ziploc bag and let them sit at room temp for around thirty minutes. Then, throw it on a hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Also keep in mind that if you are an impatient griller like me, and you want to cook out when it is 45 F outside, it will take a little longer for the grill to get hot.

Broccoli and Bean Sprout Salad – This is one that my mom showed me. I blanch the broccoli in boiling water for about three minutes and add the bean sprouts for another minute. Rinse with cold water and drain if you forgot to refill your ice trays and can’t make an ice bath. I finished the salad with a simple vinaigrette: vinegar, EVOO, mustard, salt and pepper. I also took half of the vegetables and put them in a Ziploc bag. I put the remaining dressing in another bag so they are ready for my wife’s lunch at work tomorrow.

Broccoli and Bean Sprout Salad

Mashed Cauliflower – I boil the cauliflower until it’s pretty soft, drain, return to the hot pot I boiled it in. I added jut a little butter and olive oil, milk, salt, pepper and some fresh chopped parsley

Sautéed Beet Greens – I bought the bunch beets(they are high in iron) I trimmed the root for (spoiler alert!) tomorrow’s dish and kept the leaves. This is the great thing about buying foods that are not processed. You get more out of them, they are cheaper, and only a few people have touched them. Anyway, I threw them in the boiling water after I was done cooking all the other vegetables, then straight into the sauté pan with evoo, salt, pepper and a touch of red wine vinegar at the end. And here is what it all looked like.

Sauteed Beet Greens

Simply Love Studio UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Brides Come to the open house on March 25th! Dupree Catering recently joined forces with Simply Love Studio… Simply Love Studio is the wedding planning resource you have been waiting for.  An ideal place where vendors have been pre-screened and selected based on style, experience, and impeccable reputation in their fields of expertise.  Planning your wedding at Simply Love Studio is a relaxing and enjoyable experience.  Come and relax on our sofa, sip complimentary pink champagne or lemonade and feel comfortable knowing you are looking at the work of the areas most qualified wedding vendors. View videos and DVD reels, enjoy music samples, photographers’ images and much more.  Visit us at our regular open house for a tasting from our preferred caterers and bakeries or chat with our incredibly talented photographers, videographers, ceremony and reception sites, wedding planners and so much more.  It’s more than any bridal show could offer - an intimate view into your wedding! See you soon!

COCKTAIL BUFFETS:
• Serve as many do-ahead hors d’oeuvres as possible.
• Put out small plates (salad size), about one per person.
• Don’t focus on sweets. People don’t eat many when they are drinking alcohol.
• Keep buffet food on one or two tables when possible. Don’t spread it around as it confuses guests.

SEATED DINNERS:
• Set the table ahead.
• Don’t forget salt and pepper shakers, butter plate and knife.
• Keep plates for each course stacked in the kitchen: salad, dinner and dessert plates.
• Water glasses always need to be out. People always ask for water. Have a pitcher of water available.
• Prep Decaffeinated Coffee before guests arrive so that all you have to do is hit the start button once the main course goes out.
• Have cream and sugar set ready to go.

BUFFET DINNERS:
• Have serving pieces ready to go – platters, bowls, etc. and corresponding serving utensils.
• Label them with post-it notes with the food that goes into them.
• Don’t forget to have a tray of iced glasses for water and a pitcher of water for refills.

KITCHEN PREPARATIONS:
• Make sure the dishwasher is empty and counters are clear before guests arrive.
• Clear countertops as much as possible.
• Empty the garbage before the party starts.

FOOD TIMING:
• Make a timeline of what needs to be heated/prepared so that you can focus on your guests.
• Include things like “heat hors d’oeuvres, heat entrée, rolls, water poured in glasses, start coffee.”
• Don’t start to heat hot hors d’oeuvres until the first guest arrives. Guests don’t usually feel comfortable eating until they’ve had a drink.
• Keep hot foods hot by putting them on heated serving platters or dinner plates. Tips for heating trays: put dishes in a clean dishwasher and run them through the rinse and heated drying cycle. A stack of dinner plates can be heated in the microwave as long as they don’t have gold or metal leaf on them. It takes about 4-5 minutes for a stack of 10 dinner plates.

MENU PLANNING:
• Cocktail Buffets – have about 5 to 6 total items of which 2 to 3 are meat/seafood.
• Pre dinner Appetizers – no more than two – one hot and one not
• Main Course – Entrée VOUS!
• Dessert – Keep it Simple – People don’t eat a lot of dessert.
• Keep a record of what foods you served to your guests. That way you don’t repeat yourself.

EASY CLEAN UP TIPS:
• Before you start doing the dishes, do the following:
• Clear all trash from tables and counters.
• Put away all leftover foods.
• Put all dirty silverware and cooking utensils into on big pot of soapy hot water.
• Scrape and stack all plates.
• Keep all glassware together in one spot to reduce breakage.
• Have lots of cloth dish towels on hand.

Our hope is that this site will not only convey the quality of work that we do but also the breadth of our services.  We’ve been well known for full service catering for over 22 years.  Along the way we’ve added services that our customers have requested like Event Coordination and Drop Off Catering.  Our newest venture is Dupree-to-Go which we started this spring.  With Dupree to Go, you can order everyday meals or food for smaller parties.  The Dupree-to-Go menu will change every couple of weeks in order to take advantage of the freshest, local produce and meats.

We’re incorporating more and more local products into the foods that we prepare in all areas of our cooking.  Every month our website will highlight specific local farmers and food producers, like Bleugrass Chevre, so that you can see where your food is grown.  We’ll also make their products available for you to purchase through our secure, online ordering page.

For more information about any of our services, you can contact us directly at (859) 231-0464 or view the Our Team page for email addresses and direct phone lines for our staff.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

Harriet Dupree Bradley