Retro Appetizers

Deviled Eggs. Stuffed Celery. Chex Mix. It's all coming back, albeit in new, updated forms created by today's hottest  chefs.

And the trend right now at Hollywood events is to incorporate these items into the other new updated hot ticket -- the lounge. Events today feature both decor and menus that recall a time of a leisurely cocktail hour punctuated with nibbles that perfectly complemented the high-octane cocktails whipped up by that other now-trendy must-have -- the mixologist and the signature drink.(Please see my post In Praise of the Cocktail for more on that!)

Here are a few ideas to nibble on...
 

Deviled Eggs

They are back! This month's issue of Bon Appetit features new versions with bacon, caviar, pickled okra and sliced pimento. Or, you can simply go classic with this recipe from the blog site The Deviled Egg Gourmet.(That's right, there is an entire blog devoted to these delicious treats!)

Oysters Rockefeller

In an episode of Mad Men, Roger Sterling says to Don Draper, "He was a bold man who first ate an oyster." Bold, and no doubt happy that his discovery was so delicious! While they are a bit of an acquired taste, nothing says retro style like Oysters Rockefeller. This dish was created in 1889 in New Orleans at Antoine's and named after John Rockefeller, the richest man alive back then, because of the sauce's intense richness.

This version has been update by Emeril Lagasse and you can see a video of it here on Food and Wine.
Photo courtesy of Food and Wine.

Shrimp Cocktail

 Photo by Jim Scherer for the Boston Globe

Such a classic dish, yet I never understood why it was called a cocktail. Apparently the idea was born during prohibition -- all that extra stemware going to waste, why not serve something exciting and non-alcoholic in it? As soon as booze began to flow again someone got the bright idea to serve shrimp and its sauce in a shot glass. Then someone else made a good idea even better by making it a Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail. Guests at the studio love these one-bite (or rather, one-slurp) concoctions!

Blinis and Caviar

 Photo from Chow.com

Here is one retro appetizer that never, ever goes out of style, especially in Hollywood, especially in awards season! But, there are always ways to update it. The biggest change of course when it comes to caviar has been environmental. Russian sturgeon from the Caspian Sea are endangered so now domestic caviar such as Tsar Nicoulai from California, a sustainable product, is more frequently used. The other change is the actual blini. Once made from buckwheat, we now play around with different flavor profiles, using ingredients such as sweet potatoes, zucchini or corn meal as in this photo.


And since this is awards season -- not just entertainment awards, but special event awards -- our team at Warner Bros. is hoping that caviar will be in order soon! We will find out February 28 if we have won the award for Best Event Site of the Year.

If you have already voted for us, thank you! But as of today, the polls are still open if you'd like to cast your vote. Voting closes at midnight, Tuesday, January 31, Pacific time.

To vote for us, click on the logo below!

We Need You!

Warner Bros. is thrilled to be a finalist in the Event Solutions magazine Spotlight Award for 

Best Event Site of the Year!

The magazine's esteemed Advisory Board voted the venue as one of the top five best sites for special events in the country. We thought that news was just out of site!

All we need now is your help to win.

Please vote!

Thank you ... and peace out!

In Praise of the Cocktail

It's awards season here in Hollywood -- The Emmy Awards, People's Choice Awards and Golden Globes have already come and gone while we wait for the SAG awards and the daddy of them all, the Oscars. And Warner Bros. is right in the middle of it -- planning events, partnering with big names and always, always, finding the latest trends that translate from screen to party!

Of course the era and look of Mad Men is an inspiration for much of the events this season -- that ultra cool mid-century milieu that just makes you thirsty for a proper cocktail and hungry for Steak Diane. It's the type of living that just makes you feel glamorous, like this...

 Check out her champagne glass!

Sonia Aquino as Sophia Loren in the Life and Death of Peter Sellers

And as luck would have it, I came across a treasure trove of ideas from this period when I tuned into a Pink Panther marathon. I loved how everyone drank champagne from what is known as a "Continental" glass style, rather than flutes. Right then and there I vowed to use these glasses at my next event AND to bring back the REAL cocktail.

In doing my research for several upcoming events I found that the cocktails from the Sellers-Mad Men era were almost all booze. No wonder they used such small glasses! So I thought I'd share some of these retro cocktails with you; so very similar to the great events we produce at Warner Bros.--
cool and with a twist!

The Old Fashioned
 

1 orange slice 
1 maraschino cherry
1 teaspoon sugar
Few drops of Angostura bitters
A splash of soda water to muddle ingredients
2-1/2 ounces rye or bourbon
1. In a mixing glass, muddle orange slice, cherry, sugar, bitters, and a little soda water: push around and break up cherry and orange until flavor is released.
2. Add soda water so cherry is wet and sugar is melted. Add rye or bourbon and serve over rocks, if desired.

Recipe from the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook

The Vesper

This drink originated in Ian Fleming's 1953 Casino Royale, named after Bond's femme fatale du jour.
Click here how James orders his Vesper!

1-1/2 ounces gin (Beefeater)
1-1/2 ounces vodka (Ketel One Citroen)
1/2 ounce Lillet Blonde
Approximately 1/3 ounce fresh lemon juice
Flamed orange twist, for garnish
1. Add gin, vodka, Lillet Blonde and lemon juice to ice in cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and serve straight up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.
Recipe from the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook

The Manhattan

 Photo from the Fleming Files

2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
2 -3 dashes Angostura bitters
Maraschino cherry, for garnish
1 Pour whiskey, vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.

The Classic Champagne Cocktail

 Here is that glass I love again! Perfect for awards season.

1 sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters
Good champagne
Twist of lemon

Image from the Tipsy Texan ...
See his blog post for a step-by-step on this drink!

Tune in next week for some retro appetizers that perfectly accompany these drinks.

And, as I said in the first part of this post, it's awards season everywhere including the special events industry!

Please vote for Warner Bros. for Event Site of the Year! 
Click on this logo to get to the voting ballot:

Your e-mail address is required to vote but it will not be used for any marketing purposes. Once you are on the voting page, please scroll to Event Site of the Year and cast your vote.

Out of Site!

We're a Finalist!

I am thrilled to announce that Warner Bros. Studios is one of five finalists in the Event Solutions Magazine Spotlight Awards in the category of Event Site of the Year!

The magazine’s Advisory Board made us a finalist. 

Now we need your vote to win!

Below are some of the reasons why the magazine deemed us worthy. Take a look through and at the end you will find a link to the voting site where you can cast your vote.

Thank you for your support!

Brownstone Street

During LA Screenings, an annual event in May, Warner Bros. Studio hosted more than 1,400 international television program buyers on the Studio’s backlot. Buyers watched television pilots in the state-of-the-art 516-seat Steven J. Ross Theater located on Brownstone Street. This location was originally constructed in the 1930's and features timeless upscale residential walk ups and daylight basements units. “ER,” “Funny Girl” and “Batman Returns” are just a few of the productions that have filmed here.

For the 2011 LA Screenings, Warner Bros. Special Events transformed Brownstone Street into a Diva Rock Glam outdoor lounge, complete with custom furniture in high-gloss black, white and metallic gold and silver. The look was fun, hip and conducive to business marketing.

 

Hennesey Street

For an international themed event with 11 environments, complete with authentic decor and cuisine, we used Hennesey Street. Dating back to 1938, this New York tenement row boasts four-story buildings, alleyways, large store front windows and fire escapes which were designed for the motion picture “Annie” in 1981. The street is also featured in “Friends,” three Batman films and “Road to Perdition,” to name a few.
For a full look at this event, click here.

Midwest Street

For the past three years, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters has been held on the Midwest Street backlot at Warner Bros. Studios. This year more than 1,400 guests attended the sold-out event where more than 45 celebrity chefs prepared culinary tastings paired with wines from 71 of California's most talented winemakers. Midwest Street, a charming backlot location known as "Any Town USA" due to its ability to be transformed into any town in America, is the largest outdoor set on the Warner Bros. lot boasting a church, City Hall and quaint small town stores. The set offers a theater-in-the-round experience with an inviting grassy park centered in the town square. The location has been the home to many Hollywood favorites including “The Music Man,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Dukes of Hazard.” It was featured in this year's “J. Edgar” and is the current set for the new hit CW show, “Hart of Dixie.” 

To cast your vote, please click here or on the logo below. 
Thank you!

Just FYI: Your e-mail address is required to vote but it will not be used for any marketing purposes. Once you are on the voting page, please scroll to Event Site of the Year and cast your vote. 

10 Winter Trends for Special Events

Happy New Year!

The following are my 10 trends for winter entertaining.

FOOD

1. Charcuterie is king! You will find a collection of terrines with cured meats and artisan cheeses on menus and buffets this coming season.

For more information on charcuterie and professional tips on making it yourself, check out this book at www.ciaprochef.com

 2. Menus that offer seasonal local organic foods.

3. Braised meats ... Slow cooking! 
Roasted root vegetables, hearty soups, crusty herb scented breads, ginger spiced desserts. 

And pies, pies, pies!

 With all those pies comes the question -- what are caterers doing with that extra crust?

John Homrighausen at Ranch Bakery in Texas puts a down-home touch on them and sells them covered in sugar and cinnamon. Delicious...a trend great for any season!

TEXTILES

4. Textured and woven fabrics, distressed leather with an ethnic "world" feel. 

 Rich color is your friend.These cloths from Napa Valley Linen, called Tangier Safi and Tangier Pumpkin, are a great accent color for a winter palette.

And to accessorize -- faux fur, yarn twine and mirrored accents.

DESIGN

5. Event design will be influenced by fairytale themes on TV shows and new feature releases.

Found objects were used at this event catered by Emily's Catering. Photo by Carla Ten Eyck Photography

6. No more matchy-matchy furnishings. Watch for an eclectic retail look utilizing found objects -- lounge groupings that incorporate objects such as a small file cabinets re-purposed into end tables, or the fender of an old car made into a contemporary chair.

 At the Games of Throne premiere, tables featured a combination of sculptural items.

7. Sculptural centerpieces. And using several styles of patterned fine china, flatware and glassware integrated for a unique, eclectic look.

ENTERTAINMENT

8. Staged entertainment trends will include acapella vocals, solo or ensemble entertainers and world jazz.

9. Interactive experiences continue to be a trend. From incorporating social media -- which is more high tech -- to incorporating wildlife experiences -- which is more high touch.

Guests interacted with wildlife at the Games of Throne premiere at Warner Bros.

ATTITUDE

 Photo by Roy Llera, courtesy of Joy Wallace Catering Production

10. Adventurous. Events will traverse the globe as well as the emotions. 
So exhale and enjoy the ride of the New Year!

* * *

BIG NEWS from Warner Bros.!
We are thrilled that Warner Bros. Special Event Facility is a finalist for Event Site of the Year for an Event Solutions magazine Spotlight Award. We need your vote! 
Please click on the logo below:

Your e-mail address is required to vote but it will not be used for any marketing purposes. Once you are on the voting page, please scroll to Event Site of the Year and cast your vote. 
Thank you!

Sweet Dreams for the New Year

The holidays are about dreams. 

Of sugar plums.

Of magic.

Of love and joy.

Of believing in something that is bigger and brighter than ourselves.

If just for a moment

We can transcend our everyday life in one joyous burst of light.

Then take that light into our lives.

 Into our dance, our music, our art.

Because dreams are nice but they only really come true 

when we awake and share them with one another.  

 Photos: A holiday fundraiser for the LA Ballet Company at Warner Bros.

I hope all your sweet dreams come true in 2012!

Myself and all of us at Warner Bros. Special Events wish you a MOST JOYOUS New Year!!

Holiday Themes: All Wrapped Up

Over the years of designing many holiday events at Warner Bros., I've decorated buffets using every look from all gold fabric and textures to candy jars of every size and color. Looks have incorporated all sorts of elements from the past but my favorite design is always the present, and I mean that literally!

The present itself is such a huge design element that whether you are designing a look for a corporate client or for your own home, it's wrapping, ribbon and overall treatment need to be taken into consideration.

One way to go is with an eclectic mix of colors, patterns and paper texture But as you can see here, that doesn't mean messy. To keep the look clean and bold, I suggest using one or two styles of bows on every box and in only a few colors. Here I've used gold, green and red. 

And speaking of color, this particular buffet began with one color of cloth -- red -- and to it we added iced blue, metallic pink and cool silver. Totally unexpected, but it works!

Gifts can also be used as risers for food platters and decor elements as they are here.

 It's all in the details!

And then there is this more traditional look. The centerpiece of this buffet is a classic miniature winter wonderland scene.

Wrapping it all up -- it's about having fun with your buffets!