Malibu Wedding

The historic Adamson House on the beach in malibu is a magical place for a wedding! We just catered this wedding last weekend and it was spectacular. The day started out foggy but in true Pure Joy fashion it ended up to be beautiful, sunny and perfect. Pure Joy Event Planner Patrick Ward headed up the staff and did an outstanding job planning with this really joyful couple. Dinner was plated Duet Entree of Chicken Roulade; Breasts of Chicken rolled with Spinach, Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts with a Mushroom and Fresh Herb Sauce & Tender Char Grilled Sirloin with Red Wine Mushroom Bordelaise. The children were served our housemade Chicken Tenders (that all the Dad's just love!), mac & cheese and fresh veggies.

(All photos by Lucas Oswald)

Southern Belles!!

Friday we had a little celebration here, we were just informed that we were voted best [full service] caterer in Santa Barbara again!! It's not been published yet but we just can't pass up an opportunity to celebrate!!

We had some friends over to taste a few new appetizers and help us name them. The tiny cheddar corn muffins filled with pulled BBQ pork and topped with just a pinch of pickled red cabbage (it turns bright pink) and is such a perfect touch with the little pop of rich pulled pork and the yummy & so perky cheddar corn muffin was the hit of the evening. The problem was I just couldn't think of the right name and as you can see the description was just too long.

Well one of our new brides, Jessica Burch, is a true Southern Girl and she came up with the perfect name! Southern Belles. She said this just tastes like the South, Dane, her adorable fiance, agreed. In an e mail after the cocktail party; "I am so excited!!!!! I called my mom, who is in Tennessee right now with my 98 year old grandma, to tell her about the pork sliders. Her response was, "bless her heart, those are Southern!"=) We are DEFINITELY having those at the wedding!!! We loved being able to coming by yesterday. Thank you again!" That's PURE JOY.

Tastings over the weekend sealed the deal, these are just awesome & already on several upcoming wedding menus. Other appetizers we tried were the Persian Beef Kabobs; moist , tender & loaded with great flavor. The Rock Shrimp Lollipops with Pasilla Chili Almond Sauce, the Lemony Parmesan Artichoke Bottoms (always PERFECT) and some new Cocktail tartlets that Jerry has created.

A ridiculously good time....

If you've ever called Pure Joy or been into the offices for a meeting or an event you've met Sharon McClung, our business manager. She's a tech whiz and a amazing information resource on anything event related, all in all a very loved & precious part of the Pure Joy Management Team and the day-to-day operations.

Sharon, and her husband Josh, are having a baby! My sons were raised by the Pure Joy Family, but Taylor will be the first baby born in the Pure Joy Family. So Patrick, Jerry and I did a tea party for her baby shower with her dear friend Lacey (that's gorgeous Lacey there in the picture holding the scones). I have to say I had the most fabulous time working on the shower!! I really reminded me why I started this business in the first place! The genuine JOY I get from entertaining is an awesome energizer.

Just seeing the joy on her face & her guests, working on the creative decor aspects and the tea fare (I'm a dedicated lifetime student of the art of Tea!) was so much fun for me.

We served a Farmer's Market Berry Spritzer and Raspberry Champagne Cocktails. Tiny shot glasses of naturally pink and so delicious market beet dip and jicama sticks, cosmo glasses of pear salad with walnut vinaigrette and candied walnuts, adorable petite fours by Christine Dahl and for the take away favors I made handmade delicious "mom tarts", a play on pop tarts frosted pink and preset them with double pink ribbon tied cotton napkins. For the florals I did topiaries of fresh local orchids, garden roses and gerberas.

The Tea sandwiches and scones are a culmination of really the best in the world - I'm not kidding! With tongue in cheek I've spent more than 20 years on this! Traveling and going to tea all over the world and gathering information, books and recipes and techniques and then practicing them hundreds of times; adding modern twists and charm, all the while having the most ridiculously good time of it all! And that, I think, is why I'm so joyously content to work 12+ hours a day, year in and year out in this crazy business that I simply adore!

Soon Taylor with be here and I hope we get to do a tea party for her too! I thoroughly intend to enlighten her in the art of taking tea and having a ridiculously good time!