Our Favorite Week of the Year

January 8th to the 14th is our favorite week of the year. 
Do we have a number of big caterings? No. 
Do we have the entire week off from work?  No.
Is the weather extra nice?  Not typically.
Why then?

Our daughter was born January 14th, four years ago.  She was very sick and had to stay in the St. Marys Spokane NICU for 100 days.  And for many of our weekend trips we would stay at the Ronald McDonald House.  We could cook our own meals, play games with our son, and not spend too much money on a hotel room or eating out.  It was a good, safe, understanding, and comfortable place.  A place that is very important to families with sick kids.  

Well our daughter is an all-too-grown-up four year old now.  We couldn't be luckier.  Here she is striking a pose at Whitehouse Crawford on a date with mom and dad. 

For the week of January 8th to the 14th we donate 10% of our sandwich shop sales to the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane. 

Yep, that is something to be happy about.  Thank You RMCDH!!!!

Cheers

Graze Index

(This piece of self indulgence has turned into a bit of tradition for me, so please forgive any overly sentimental chatter.) 
Oh boy, what a year.  Catering isn't easy.  A restaurant creates a menu, a vibe, a theme, and does the same thing everyday, with minor tweaks along the way.  With catering everything is different, every event, every day.

Number of guests (smallest party 8 guests, largest party 1,000 guests). Environment (bone chilling rain to 110 degrees in a field in July to wine dinner in the barell room)
Guests (nurses, teachers, yuppies, factory workers, seniors, kids, foodies, the list goes on)
Menu (Spanish, French, Italian, Merican, Mexican, Greek, etc etc)
Service (apps, buffet, family style, plated, breakfast, lunch, dinner)

You get the idea.  But we love what we do, we like serving people, we like making events better because we are there, we like cooking different things every event, we like seeing guests smile.  We are pretty good at what we do.  We hope you hire us.

In honor of 2011, I present you with the Graze Catering Index (with apologies to Harper's Index). All totals are Graze Catering only, and do not reflect numbers from Graze 'a place to eat', our sandwich shop.

Guests served in 2006 --- 604
Guests served in 2007 --- 3,319
Guests served in 2008 --- 8,053
Guests served in 2009 --- 12,166
Guests served in 2010 --- 15,468
Guests served in 2011 --- 18,771

Number of events 2006 --- 17
Number of events 2007 --- 66
Number of events 2008 --- 83
Number of events 2009 --- 176
Number of events 2010 --- 194
Number of events 2011 --- 216

Number of events 150+ guests 2006 --- 0
Number of events 150+ guests 2007 --- 2
Number of events 150+ guests 2008 --- 11
Number of events 150+ guests 2009 --- 16
Number of events 150+ guests 2010 --- 26
Number of events 150+ guests 2011 --- 39

Number of weddings/rehearsals 2006 --- 0
Number of weddings/rehearsals 2007 --- 6
Number of weddings/rehearsals 2008 --- 18
Number of weddings/rehearsals 2009 --- 22
Number of weddings/rehearsals 2010 --- 22
Number of weddings/rehearsals 2011 --- 31

2010: Sandwiches served by Graze - a place to eat (dine in, delivery, and pick up) --- 29,619.
2011; Sandwiches served by Graze - a place to eat (dine in, delivery, and pick up) --- 43,609
**** Look out McDonalds!!!

Thanks to all our past and future clients and guests. We look forward to serving you again.

Cheers

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  There is nothing to do but eat, and relax, and spend a few moments reflecting on all the good things we have in our short time on this planet, hopefully with loved ones and friends surrounding us... and every food item on the dining table has the distinct smell and taste of butter... which very well could shorten our already short existence. 

Why do these turkeys have no legs?  Read further down.

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of times before the special day, and once more after, and a number of days at the sandwich shop as well.  Three Thanksgiving parties totalling 405 guests and a bunch of special turkey sandwiches later we were tired of giving thanks and smelling like butter. 

This sandwich is the King of Thanksgiving Leftovers.  It has mayo, turkey, stuffing (our stuffing is the bomb), gravy (ditto for gravy), and cranberry on the side.  It is toasted, and tastes like the entire thanksgiving meal in every bite.  It is ridiculous.  This sandwich with a small cup of the mashed potato and corn chowder will satisfy every carbohydrate dream and craving you have ever had.


EDITORS NOTE:
Dear Americans and Food Magazine Cover Photographers,


Stop cooking your turkeys as one big bird.  Yes they are pretty for the magazine covers, and it looks great on the table, but please... cut the thing up already.  It fits better in your oven and its easier to tell when its done, those legs need longer to cook than those breasts, that's why we cut off the legs and take out the backbone, come on now... who eats the backbone?  Which means we get to make a nice roasted turkey stock while the rest of you whole bird cookers (suckers) use canned chicken broth.  And stop this brining business already.  Brining is messy, and a pain in the butt, really now, who has food grade five gallon buckets handy with fridge space galore?  And stop this basting business.  There is no reason to baste the bird every hour, it is pointless.


Here is how you cook a Thanksgiving turkey fellow Americans.  Follow these simple six steps and you will have happier Thanksgivings forevermore... and a much more satifying life.
1.  Cut out the back bone.  Cut off the legs.
2.  Make an herb paste with fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, and canola oil in a food processor.
3.  Using Morton's Kosher Salt (dear morton's we love your salt, we will be happy to be sponsored for all of our dedication and hard work spreading your good name) rub some salt under the breast skin and under the skin of the legs, really get in there, then sprinkle with pepper, then rub your herb paste under the skin.  Then sprinkle the outside with salt, pepper, and rub more herbs.
(how much salt?  Well for chicken we use 3/4 teaspoon per pound of chicken, but if you do that much salt for a turkey it will burn the flesh of the turkey, so about 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound)
4.  Put the turkey in your fridge for 48 hours. 
5.  Cook it, we like 300 with a convection fan.  Pull the breast from the oven when the it registers 158 degrees.  Let it rest.  Let the legs keep cooking.  They are nearly impossible to overcook.  Pull them five minutes before you want to eat.
6.  Celebrate your success by mailing $100 to 213 South 9th Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362


Cheers

Graze Catering Five Year Anniversary Party

We held a five year anniversary party a couple of months ago.  It was a lot of fun.  Friends, farmers, suppliers, clients, neighbors, and employees all came and enjoyed.

Ali Walker, photographer, who is great and does many of the same weddings we do came as a guest.  And she took these photos.  They really capture the ethic of the party... which shouldn't be much of a surprise, she captures the feel of every wedding she shoots so perfectly.

http://aliwalker.com/blog/2011/11/graze-catering-party/

Cheers! Ali!  Thanks so much.

Sunday Mornings

Normal people go to breakfast Sunday Morning. 
Normal people sleep in Sunday Morning. 
Normal people go to church Sunday Morning. 
Normal people go for runs Sunday Morning.
Normal people love Sunday Morning.

Sunday Morning we ate leftovers from our Mexican inspired wedding buffet, in between washing dishes and preparing for 250 more guests... green chicken mole, whole pinto beans, and mexican rice, and Carmen's 'out of this world mindblowing' red salsa. (and we served carnitas, and posole, and homemade tortillas, oh it was yummy)

We love Sunday Morning too.

Fresher

My good friend Jeremy used to crack up at this question "um... is the fish fresh?"  What answer do you possibly think the waiter/supermarket fish guy/cook is going to say? "Actually sir, the fish I am about to sell you is five days old (from when we got it) and is starting to turn just a bit, but I have no doubt you will be pleased with its quality."

If every supermarket, sandwich shop, caterer, pizza chain, fast food franchise in the country claims its food is "fresh" and "of the highest quality" who in this great nation is serving the "mediumly aged to old" and "low quality" food?

Fresh is a continuum.  Everyone can call their food Fresh, but who's is Fresher?

At one catering business the mashed potatoes are fresh out of the can.  At another they are freshly made from dehydrated potato flakes.  And another peels the little yukon gold suckers with indentations and blemishes and the cooks occasionally peel their own skin and get their fingers cramped from all the tedious work to make "fresh" mashed potatoes.  Is it all fresh?  Yes.  Is it all honest?  That is the better question, and very much a personal one.

At one fast food place the beef has "non meat fillers".  At another sandwich shop the roast beef out of a vacuum sealed bag, the same they serve at every other sandwich shop in town.  At ours, it is medium rare to medium flank steak cooked every couple of days.  It is all fresh.  Ours is more honest.  (okay, okay... it tastes better too, you dragged it out of me.)

We aren't playing 'holier than thou' (okay, maybe a little).  We put out honest food.  We buy as much as we can from our local farmers and from the farmer's market.  We try to stay as seasonal as possible.  We always want to look ourselves in the mirror and feel like we put out solid, honest, wholesome food and trade it for your hard earned dollars.  It's what we try to do everyday. 

Cheers

Palmares

Palmares is a cycling term that means a list of great accomplishments.  Here is our version of palmares. 

We received this letter from Glenn and Angie, a Seattle couple who came to Walla Walla for a winery wedding in September.  Glenn and Angie are part of something we see more and more of these days, folks who have very little or no connection to Walla Walla who choose to get married here because, well... Walla Walla is an awesome destination wedding location.  Neither are wine geeks or afficianados, they came to WW because of the experience WW provides. 

They had a smaller reception at Basel Cellars, fifty or so guests.  The weather was great, the grounds perfect, as always, and the food once again made our guests and ourselves happy.  Here is the letter we received the other day... Angie loves exclamation points!!!

"Graze,
Thank you so much for everything!  The food was beyond wonderful and all the guests raved about it!  We couldn't have asked for a better experience and your staff was fabulous!
If you want us to write a recommendation for you to any potential clients let us know!
Thank you!!
Glenn and Angie"

Cheers

The Anatomy of a Party

September 1st Graze Catering turned Five Years Old.  September was too busy to have a party, so we had one October the 2nd.  We didn't feel like we were cheating, there was only one job recorded in the month of September 2006.  

We invited a bunch of friends, and clients, and suppliers, and neighbors, and event space operators, and rental store owners, and landlords, and all the other people associated with the business. 

Then we bought the animals.  A whole pig and a whole goat.  We got the pig from Blue Valley Meats, and the goat from the Youth Market Auction at the county fair.

Then we seasoned the pig and goat.  The pig we inserted garlic cloves into and salted the meat for three days.  The goat we gave an herb and garlic rub, and salted it for two days.

 

Then we went to the farmers market, like we do every week for our weddings and events, and filled the back of the expedition.

Pig goes in the cajun microwave.  Goat goes in the oven.

Light the fire.  Wait.

Open the box, flip the pig.  Wait.

Carve and serve.

135 guests.  Great company, good beer and wine.  Here is to five more years.

Cheers

This Is How We Do It...

Montell Jordan wrote the classic R&B tune "This Is How We Do It" in 1995.  I still want to dance when I hear that song. 

This is how we do it deep in our creative minds at the sandwich shop.   

We ran this special the last few days.  It was super yummy.  Shaved prime rib, sauteed peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh oregano.  We charged $8.95.  Which makes me wonder how Subway/Quiznos/everyotherprefabslicedmeatplace can look themselves in the eye and charge $8.95 (or whatever it is they charge) for a "steak" sandwich. 

Ours is good.  Ours is real.  We make your tastebuds dance.  Just like Montell.

Cheers

Palmares

It has been busy here.  The wedding season is wrapping itself up nicely.  Only a few more to go.  Here are a couple of comments from recent events.

Palmares is a cycling term which means a list of great accomplishments.  Here is our version of palmares.

All I can say is fabulous meal and outstanding servers! You run a very good catering service - many out of town guests all complimented the food. We had the "fill in the blank" rep. for Washington State and he was very interested in some potential events this next year. ..... Many thanks...



PS: One of our younger guests made sure to let me know that your son is in his class at school and that he loves your

Laure

Hi Graze,



Thank you! Our dinner was great, service was awesome. We had a little mishap with DJ's arrival so the wedding got started late and your servers were wonderful. I don't know what else to say, other than how perfect the dinner and service was. I just wish I could've spent more time eating that great meal...but that's how weddings go. Lots of talking to the bride and groom I got so many compliments on the food and service. I appreciate your thoughts too throughout the planning. You are mailing us an invoice right? Thanks again!


Stacey & Adam

-----------------------------

Dear Graze

Thank you....I believe my cousin Linda Williams took care of the bill at the catering event today......BTW, everybody was very impressed with the Italian lasagna dinner....I heard raving compliments all afternoon....And you have to remember, we are a family of Italians on both sides of our families, and the meal was absolutely impeccable in every way!.....Thanks again

George

Cheers!!!!!