How To Make The Holidays Less Stressful

November 20, 2017

As we grow older, the holidays become more and more about family, the people we love, and the times we spend together. We care less about the presents and more about the traditions. Surrounded with family and friends we work to create new memories, try to keep everyone happy and joyful and take in the little moments that bring everyone together.

But the holidays can also become hectic. With trips to the airport to pick up relatives, finding space for everyone to stay, and hoping that everything turns out as planned, it can all get a little overwhelming, especially for the host. There is a lot that goes into planning the perfect holiday celebration, but there are also ways to make it easier for you and your family, allowing you to have more time together and less time worrying about the little things.

At ROUGE Fine Catering, we want your holidays to be as happy and stress-free as ever. In this blog, we are going to give you some tips to have an enjoyable holiday season. Read on if all you want for Christmas is a holiday with zero stress and worry.

Don’t Strive For Perfection

If you have always been the host for the holiday get together, you probably have mastered the decorations and brought the wow-factor year after year. But as you most likely know, it takes a lot of time and dedication to get that wow-factor. Even though you have kept the perfect holiday house a tradition for years, your family will understand when you don’t set up all of the decorations this year—they may not even notice. Don’t strive for perfection, it will only make the holidays and decorating more of a chore. If you have fun with it and settle for “good enough” you will be able to get the important decorations up but not spend an entire day perfecting every last detail.

If decorating your entire house, from the floor to the ceiling, is enjoyable to you but don’t enjoy the time it takes to put them all up, recruit some help. Allow your kiddos and other family members to help decorate. And remember to tell yourself that is doesn’t have to be perfect as you watch your toddler place all the ornaments on one branch of the Christmas tree. Your family may appreciate the decoration more because they put work into them as well! This could become a fun family tradition.

Don’t Be Too Picky About Traditions

While we all love a good family tradition and try to get our family to adopt the traditions we had when we were kids, we should never push traditions. If you used to spend Christmas Eve making cookies and watching “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” don’t expect your family to do the exact same thing every year. Worrying and stressing about traditions is not the point of traditions. They should happen naturally and your family should enjoy doing them. Once they stop enjoying going Christmas caroling, you should stop the tradition. You can develop new traditions or just enjoy something different every year. Remind yourself that traditions are fun and you should not have to force them.

With that being said, there are probably some traditions that mean a lot to you that you want to keep going, so do it! If your family has cut down the Christmas tree for the last 10 years, but suddenly your kids don’t want to put in the time or work, you should do it anyway. Ask if anyone wants to go with, certainly someone will realize how great of a tradition it is and go with you. Keep special traditions going, but ditch the ones that are causing more stress than memories.

Shop Smarter

If you have a ton of family coming to celebrate the holidays with you, don’t buy gifts for every single one. There are many ways you can shop smarter and save money. Ask your family if they want to do a Secret Santa so everyone only has to buy one gift for another person. You could do this in several ways. If you have your brother and sister coming to your house with their families, swap families to buy gifts for a draw name. Your family can draw names for your brother’s family, his family can draw for your sister’s family, and she can draw for yours. This way everyone gets one gift and has to buy one gift, saving everyone money, and allowing the gifts to be a bit more personal and special.

You could also suggest a White Elephant gift exchange. Set a price limit and have everyone buy a gift that most of the family would enjoy. Draw numbers and have people select a gift. This is a great way to make Christmas less about the gifts and more about the traditions and the memories.

If you love gift-giving and can’t imagine only getting one gift, then give a gift that they will actually enjoy. If your family is bringing their families, get them one gift they can all use—a board or card game that they can play during their next game night, a gift card to a movie theater or their favorite restaurant, or something similar. This is a gift that they will enjoy, allowing them to spend quality time as a family, and helping you from spending unnecessary hours shopping.

Take Time For Yourself

During the holiday seasons, we often forget to give ourselves a break. Make sure you schedule some you time and spend it relaxing or doing something you want to do, something that does not involve the holidays or caring for the family. Read a book, take a bath, and spend time de-stressing. It is easy to become overwhelmed during the holidays and start stressing about the things that truly don’t matter, which can make the holidays much less enjoyable. This is why it is important to set some time aside for yourself.

During these hectic weeks, you should also make sure you are not giving up your daily routine. If you enjoy reading new articles for an hour in the morning, then do it before starting your holiday madness. Or perhaps you enjoy watching an episode of your TV show after dinner. Relax and spend a few peaceful moments indulging in some dramatic reality TV.

You should also make sure you are reminding yourself to stop stressing. It is easy to get in over your head, but constantly reminding yourself that you should be enjoying time with family and having fun can help you to stop stressing so much and enjoy the time with your loved ones. Remember that not everything has to be perfect and stressing about it won’t help. So, take a breathe, relax, and have fun spending time and making memories with your family.

Ditch The Unimportant Stuff

Some holiday traditions and tasks are not as important as you may think, and if you hate doing them, then simply don’t. Take Christmas cards, for example. These can take a lot of work and time, and could just be one more task that makes the holidays miserable for you. You don’t have to send Christmas cards or you could simply send cards to only close friends and family. Not every single one of your acquaintances needs a Christmas card for your family. Don’t make this task harder than it has to be or don’t do it at all, it is truly up to you. Think about the different tasks you take care of every holiday season and ask yourself if they are worth your time and if you actually care about them, even if you do, there are ways to make them easier.

Do Less

We already gave you the tip of not worrying so much about decorations, traditions, and holiday tasks, but there is one more thing that you don’t have to worry so much about—the food. No, we do not expect you to ask your entire family to bring different side dishes, desserts, or even a turkey. Instead of worrying about the big holiday feast, let us do it for you.

ROUGE Fine Catering offers a holiday menu, which allows you to pick up gourmet food for your holiday dinner. You and your family can enjoy a meal that is better than Great-Aunt Mary could ever make but don’t tell her that. You can choose from a selection of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, salads, entrees, sides, and desserts, allowing you to choose an entire holiday meal that you can enjoy without all the preparation work. All you have to worry about is picking up your meal by the scheduled time. This is a great way to give yourself and your family a break. You simply have to heat up the food you select and enjoy a gourmet holiday feast surrounded by your favorite people.

Give yourself a break this holiday season and let ROUGE Fine Catering make the meal for you, not only will you have more time to spend with your family but you will also be able to enjoy a delicious meal that will amaze your entire family, yes even Great-Aunt Mary. Contact us today to place your order, and cross one more thing off of your to-do list.

Tips To Planning Your Holiday Parties

November 1, 2017

Holidays are always a special time, where family and friends come together and celebrate, share a special meal, and make unforgettable memories. This season has become even more busy, however, with many different holiday parties that have become so popular. These parties allow us to spend the holidays with our friends and coworkers, meet new people, and enjoy some of the holiday spirit without worry about the traditional family fight.

These parties are fun and festive, but that may not be true for the hosts. Planning a party and executing the party perfectly takes a ton of preparation and hard work. If you are the host this year, we wish you luck. If you are not, send this blog to the host in hopes that it will make their job much easier.

At ROUGE Fine Catering, we can help make your party a hit with our delicious gourmet food options. We can cater to any of your get togethers, from a Friendsgiving to New Year’s Eve bashes. Once the food and drinks are taken care of, your job gets a lot easier.

But to simplify the hosting job even more, we will go over some holiday events that you may be stuck planning, and help give you tips to throwing the best parties. Read on for some tips from the pros!

Friendsgiving

A Thanksgiving with you and your friends, or a Friendsgiving, is a fun and unique way to celebrate with your favorite people. This Thanksgiving meal is generally more relaxed and calm, and perhaps that is because you don’t have to worry about your family asking when you are going to get married. Your friends are the people you choose to hang out with on a daily basis, so having a meal with them and sharing thanks is the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

This unique tradition has become more popular over the years and is a fun way to get the group together all at once. When planning a Friendsgiving, don’t plan the event on the actual day of Thanksgiving. A week before or after is generally a good time for this event. First, find out when everyone can do it. This may seem like a nightmare, attempting to get everyone’s schedule on the same page. One tip to scheduling is pick a few days and have everyone vote on a day. This way, you don’t have to worry about everyone picking a different day to celebrate.

After the date and time are finalized, plan some seasonal decorations, make a fall-esque playlist, set up an effective layout with enough chairs for everyone, and make sure to have your friends favorite beverages. Many Friendsgiving take the potluck route—having each friend bring a dish or dessert. That is not a bad idea, but if you want to wow your friends, create a menu with ROUGE Fine Catering and let us serve you gourmet food. You will win the award for best Friendsgiving of all time!

Christmas/Holiday Party

Christmas parties are a very popular holiday festivity and you will likely be invited to five of them this season. Whether they are your friend’s, book club’s, or office’s holiday party, you will be able to enjoy the spirit of the season for weeks on end.

But if you decide to plan your own holiday party this year, you will need to do a lot of planning. The first thing you need to do is decide whether to have the party at home or at a venue. Once you have decided on the location, send out invites to everyone you want to invite.

If your holiday party is going to be held at your home, make sure you have everything taken care of before the big day. Set up tables along walls, allowing the food to be accessible while making sure there is plenty of room for the minglers. Set up additional chairs for those who want to sit, light candles to keep the seasonal smells alive all night, and make sure you playlist will have the holiday vibes flowing all night.

These parties are rarely potlucks, meaning you are in charge of all of the food and drinks. But ROUGE can help by offering a delicious menu, as well as bar packages!

New Year’s Eve

The night before the year ends is one of the biggest parties of the year, saving the best for last. New Year’s Eve parties are simpler than others. You need champagne, noisemakers, confetti, things to do before midnight, and great food.

Find games that everyone can play before the ball drops, create a playlist of the year’s best hits, and get your friends talking about their favorite memories from the past year. And at midnight, celebrate with the people you love most. Be sure to get ROUGE to cater, allowing you to finish the year with the best meal you may have ever tasted!

Party planning can be a lot, especially on top of all the other stress that the holidays can bring. Just remember that ROUGE Fine Catering can help make it easier by offers a gourmet menu and bar packages. Start planning now and get ready for the holiday season! Contact us today to learn more.

De-Stressing At The Party You Planned

September 14, 2017

Special events can be fun to attend, but extremely stressful to plan. Being in charge of making all the arrangements for a party or event can be a lot more work than you may think. But many times you do not have a choice. Whether that event is a wedding, a grand opening, gala, or even a baby shower, the planning process can become a lot and make the entire thing more work than fun.

While planning may be challenging and hectic, once the party starts, you should no longer feel stressed or worried. As the party planner, you should be able to relax, have fun, and enjoy your time at the party. This can be challenging and may take some practice, but it is possible. Stop stressing about the party and celebrate what you have created!

While it’s easier said than done, there are ways to help yourself de-stress the minute the party starts. One thing that you can do to make sure one aspect of the party goes off without a hitch, it is use ROUGE Fine Catering as the caterer of the party! At ROUGE, we serve delicious, gourmet food that will wow your guests and allow you to enjoy the taste of planning a successful party.

ROUGE Fine Catering also has a professional staff that can ensure there are no problems with the food aspect of your party. We offer delivery catering as well as full service catering. And we can cater to just about any of your parties—from weddings and corporate events to baby showers and game day parties. Every time you pick ROUGE, you can count on us to deliver the best food and service, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your party, or worry about the other aspects.

But we do not want you to stress about your party while we are your caterers. That is why we will be giving you tips to stop worrying about your party and start enjoying what you have created! To learn more about ways to actually enjoy the celebration you planned, read on!

Make Lists

Before you can enjoy the party, you have to make sure you did not forget any of the party planning aspect. Think about the event you are planning for and make a list of everything that you will need to have at the party.

For instance, if you are planning a football party, there is not a lot the needs to be done. Food, a large television, a good seating arrangement, beverages, and some other little details can create the perfect gathering for the big game. You can read more about planning a football party in our last blog!

However, other parties require more than just these simple elements. A wedding is a huge party to plan and if the bride is not doing it herself, she will either hire someone, or have the maid of honor help her with the task of organizing and getting everything done in time for the big day. And that is a huge responsibility. You will want to talk to the bride and make sure you make a lengthy and detailed list of all the things she expects at her wedding. Ask what she can live without and what is definitely mandatory. A photographer, a wedding cake, open bar, decorations, flowers, venue, invitations, and the catering are some of the main things that are most likely mandatory. By the way, ROUGE offer wedding cakes as well, so there is one additional thing to check off your list. A wedding may be one of the most stressful things to plan, especially when it is someone else’s wedding. A list will help to ensure you got all of the important aspects covered.

Other parties will be somewhere in between these two extremes. Most will have more elements to plan but they will also not have as many details as a wedding.

Making a list is a great way to stay organized and ensure you got everything covered. Once the party is planned and you have checked everything off of you list, you can begin to relax.

The Deed Is Done

One thing that many people in charge of the party planning have trouble doing is realizing that once the party begins there is nothing else that can be done. You have made all the plans and made sure everything will work out perfectly, but if the flowers show up late, or the photographer brought the wrong lens, don’t have a panic attack about it. You can’t do anything to fix these problems now. Simply ask if the photographer can quickly leave and grab the proper lens or have everyone download an app on their smartphones that allow them to take pictures and upload them to an event. There are apps that allow the bride and groom to create an event and have guests take photos that upload to the event. This is a great way to get the photos and see the party from another point of view. Problem solving is key but stressing doesn’t help.

Once you walk into the party, push the planning duties out of your mind and enjoy your time. Of course you can tackle any issues that come up, but don’t think about what might go wrong or things that you have no control over. It will make the party miserable for you and is completely pointless.

Take A Moment

Making the plans for an event will cause a lot of stress and make you feel like you haven’t relaxed in years. After all the party planning duties are done, take a moment or a day to yourself. Take some time to de-stress and forget all about the party. Go to the spa, spend the day in the park reading, watch movies all day, or simply sleep. Making sure you are not stressed going into the party can help you from becoming stressed during the party. This also means you should not procrastinate. If you wait until the very last second to do all of the planning or to finish the planning, you will not have any time to relax and spend a moment alone. Don’t put off any planning duties and make sure you take time to de-stress.

Find The Right Vendors

You will want to make sure all of the vendors you choose are accountable and work hard to help your event work out as you imagined. Don’t go with some sketchy photographer who won’t show you their previous work because the camera was terrible quality, this may simply mean that they are not good at what they do. 

While it is hard to know for sure who is the best at what they do, ROUGE offers a list of our favorite vendors that meet expectations. Be sure to check out this list to get the best of the best at your event. You may even see a vendor that you forgot you needed!

This also means you must choose the best caterer. At ROUGE Fine Catering, we can promise you a high class meal delivered with excellent service. We work hard to be one of the top caterers in the Baltimore area. Our catering company service gourmet food and can bring your event to the next level. We can help you create the perfect menu for your event and needs, offer the best desserts, and we can even provide bar packages for the finishing touch! We are the right caterer for your events and we can help take some pressure off of your shoulders.

If you are still searching for a caterer, let us take some stress off your shoulders. Contact us to get started on your catering menu and be sure to check out our menus! You will like what you see and love what you taste!

Planning The Best Football Party

August 18, 2017

Sports have been a dominant factor in our society. And football is at the top of that list. With the beginning of the season right around the corner, football fans need to start preparing for game day kickoff. The first game may not be the most important game of the year, but it may be one of the most exciting. After preseason, you only have a small idea of how you team is going to do for the rest of the season, and that first game will hopefully start that season off right.

As we draw closer to kickoff, it is time to start planning for the ultimate start with a  season kickoff party. Many football fans take pride in throwing the greatest football parties, with the best food, the largest TV, surround sound speakers, and enough seating for everyone. But there are some things to think about when planning your football party.

First of all, just know that you don’t have to waste your time preparing all of the food for everyone. ROUGE Fine Catering offers gourmet catering for more than just weddings and corporate events. We can cater to get togethers as well—baby showers, anniversary parties, brunches, and yes, even football parties are on the list of our catering possibilities.

The Food

All you have to do when you use us for you party catering is select your menu. Remember, the ideal football food is finger foods, dips, sandwiches, and snacks. Keep this in mind while creating the perfect menu. To get you started on the perfect game day catering menu we will go over some of the best options for this exciting day.

We will start with the finger food. Our grilled jerk chicken wings and buffalo chicken wings are the perfect finger food that everyone can enjoy. We offer small and large options for these wings, so you can accommodate the size of your party. A more unique but delicious option for finger food is our seared chicken and vegetable potstickers server with sweet bourbon-soy dipping sauce.

As for dips, we offer many great options, but for your kickoff party some that you may want to try are the buffalo chicken dip, spinach and artichoke dip, or our roasted red pepper dip. These dips are delicious and perfect to snack on while cheering for your favorite team.

ROUGE offers different sandwich options that allow you to select the meat, bread, and cheese for the perfect sandwich. You can also select full sized sandwiches or a mini sandwich tray, depending on what you and your guests prefer.

Chips, pretzels, veggies and fruit trays, and bowls of candy that are color coordinated with your team are the perfect snack foods. You will also want to be sure you don’t forget the beverages!

After you have finished picking your menu for game day, you will no longer have to worry about the food, we will take care of it! However, you still have to plan the rest of your party in order to throw the greatest football party of all time! The rest of this blog will give you tips on how you can do this.

The Setup

Watching football on a small TV that is stuck in the corner of the room with all your guest crowded around the one couch in the room is not the way to set up your fantastic football party. If you don’t have a large TV, invest in one or plan on hosting your party at a friend’s home who does have a large TV. There is something magical and special about watching a football game on a 65” HD screen. The details are amazing, every blade of grass is visible, and your guests won’t be crowded in one area trying to get a better view.

After the TV situation is handled, make sure your seating arrangement is perfect. Collect couches, chairs, stools, and every other surface that can be used as a seat and set them up around the TV  in a way that is optimal for viewing. If you want to ensure everyone has a great seat, test out each of the seats and adjust where necessary.

Get Guests Involved

It is easy to get lost in conversation during football games, especially if you are not a football fan. If any of your guests end up not liking football as much as the rest of the crowd, help them and everyone else stay involved with different items. Pom-poms are a fun way to help people cheer for their team. Or, offer your guests flags to throw when they think a call should be made, most of them do the motion anyways, so provide them with the proper item.

Decorating can also help get your guests in the spirit. Add decorations using your team colors and logo. Offer guests eye black so they can get the true football look, and hand out small foam footballs to throw at the wall when bad calls are made. Create an entryway that resembles running through the tunnel onto the field. Your guests will love walking into your party and feeling like part of the team.

Planning the perfect football party does not have to be difficult. They main things you want to be sure of are that you have the best food, a large TV, great seating arrangement, and people who enjoy the great game of football. Get ready for your team’s first game of the season. Let ROUGE Fine Catering help you plan for the ultimate party. Start creating your menu today and get ready for kickoff!

Hosting An Eco-Friendly Event

July 25, 2017

In the dawn of the eco-friendly movement, everything we do is now an attempt to help save the environment, little by little. We ride our bikes to work, bring our own reusable bags to the grocery store, recycle, compost, save water and energy, and ultimately attempt to reduce our carbon footprint. We are constantly seeing more businesses “going green” and doing their part to help clean up this planet.

But there are times when being eco-friendly is more difficult. It may not be as simple as using reusable bags, or not using the AC on a cool summer night. Throwing a party or hosting an event is one of those times when “going green” is not as simple. Every little detail of a party can be harmful to the environment, from the invitations to the food you choose.

Rouge Fine Catering can make it easier for you to go green when hosting your annual summer event. We are a certified Green Caterer with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Cylburn Arboretum, and Irvine Nature Center. Our catering company is committed to being socially responsible and environmentally friendly. If you need a catering company for your event, Rouge can help you get fantastic gourmet food as well as help keep your party green. Our eco-friendly options help make us the caterer of choice for the Organic Trade Association’s annual gala.

What do we do to help keep our company green? A lot more than you may think. At our facility in Hunt Valley, we compost our food waste and use single stream recycling. Our trash is sent to the World Recycling recovery facility and sorted out for reuse. And we also use a state-of-the-art solar powered trash compactor, which we are proud to say is the only one of its kind in the state of Maryland.

When it comes to our catering, we encourage our clients to use the “Green Program” that we developed, allowing them to choose the eco-friendly option wherever possible. We offer compostable plates and flatware for all of your clients—these plates and flatware require less energy during production and are made with a biodegradable material that is filled with nutrients and helps enrich the soil. We also work with local farms, cooperatives, and dairies, allowing us to offer our clients a delicious menu that uses local and sustainable ingredients.

Along with everything listed above, we also removed all high gas and oil consumption vehicles from our delivery fleet and are now using energy efficient vehicles. We recycle our used cooking oil, print on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and help educate our clients and employees on different ways to make events eco-friendly.

Now that we have gone over what we do to be eco-friendly and reduce our carbon footprint, we will help give your tips on how to make the rest of your party or event green. Use Rouge Fine Catering at your next event and follow these tips to create a eco-friendly party.

Invitations

Let’s start by covering ways to be eco-friendly before the party even starts. Sending out paper invitations is obviously a waste of paper and can easily be swapped out with evites. Whether you just send an email out, create an event on Facebook and invite your friends that ways, or create a fancy online invitation, this is a great way to start you eco-friendly party. If you want every detail of this party to have a theme and expect your invitations to have a unique and creative design, you can use different services that can help you design the perfect invitation for your party. One of these is Paperless Post.

Decorations

From lighting to centerpieces, decorations can be harmful to the environment and cause a lot of waste. When planning on ways to decorate for your event, think about how to decorate in the most eco-friendly way possible.

Lighting

You may assume that lighting is a tricky aspect to go green with, but really it is easy to find ways to save energy and make your venue look beautiful. If your event is in the evening, utilize as much natural light as possible. But if you know it will begin to get dark before your guests head home, then have a second option. Create a calming and unique atmosphere for your guests by lighting your event area with a bunch of 100% soy based candles. Scatter them around the room and place a few on each table, allowing for guests to be able to see and mingle peacefully.

Place candles in jars, allowing them to emit light and be less of a fire hazard and take on the appearance of a stylish lantern. Or go with a real lantern look! If you are hosting your event outside, use solar powered string lanterns the use LED bulbs. Not only can they help light up your venue, but they also add a fun and decorative look. Another outdoor options is tiki torches with plant-based fuel. These are a stylish and useful way to add some light to your party, with the added benefit of keeping mosquitoes at bay.

There are many different ways to add eco-friendly lighting to your decoration and give your venue some style. Focus on using natural light, soy candles, LED bulbs, or solar powered lighting. These options can help you save energy and add some unique style to your party.

Centerpieces and Wall Decor

Streamers, balloons, confetti, and other regular party decorations are wasteful due to the fact that they are used once and then thrown away. To decorate the venue in the most eco-friendly way possible, make sure you find or create decorations that can be reused. Depending on your party theme you can easy find decorations that you can use and reuse.

If you are having a bridal shower collect flowers from your garden and fill vases to place on each table. Fill vases with pinecones or sand and candles, and use them as centerpieces. Use fabric streamers and banners that can be reused for years to come. You can make you own banner out of fabric or eco-friendly paper that you can use the next year as well.

These decorations can give your party a beautiful and earthy feel, adding a unique feel to you event. The main point of eco-friendly decorations is to make sure they can be reused for a few years. One-time-use decorations are what make decorating for a party harmful to the environment.

Transportation

When you send out your evites, request that your guests carpool or take a public form of transportation. If they live close, they could even ride their bikes or walk over to your event. Not everyone will want to do this, but if you offer prizes for those who do travel to your party in an eco-friendly way, there may be more of a chance that your guests become a little more eco-conscious.

Catering

If you choose to use a catering company for your event, choose one that can help you stick with your eco-friendly party goals. Rouge Fine Catering can offer you delicious and gourmet food that is prepared, served, and disposed of in an eco-friendly way.

Our food is locally sourced and menu uses sustainable ingredients. If you are looking to add seafood to your menu, we have just what you need. The seafood we used has been certified as sustainable by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, meaning that when you order seafood off of our menu, you will be helping with the overfishing problem that is affecting the global seafood population.

Not only do we offer eco-friendly food options, but we also can supply you with biodegradable tableware and clean up in an eco-friendly way. We try hard to make every aspect of our business are environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. With our help and some green party planning, you can host an eco-friendly party that is stylish, offers delicious food, and helps reduce your carbon footprint!

These tips can help you throw an amazing party that doesn’t create a ton of waste. If fact, if there is leftover food afterwards, let your guests take home leftovers! They will love being able to take home our delicious food options and you won’t have to throw away a bunch of gourmet food!

Create the perfect party and help out our planet while doing it! Rouge Fine Catering can help you host the best eco-friendly party possible. To get started on planning your green party, contact Rouge today and check out our menu!

Benefits of Getting Catering at Corporate Events

June 21, 2017

Your employees mean a lot to you, they are what keeps your business running smoothly and they help keep your business dreams alive. Doing different things to show your employees your appreciation for them can really help them feel important in their position, and in turn, cause them to work harder and more efficiently.

You don’t need to give all of your employees bonuses just to show them you appreciate them, although surely they would not complain about that. But small gestures can really help show your employees their importance. A few ideas for showing how you value your employees can include having lunch catered once a month, throwing fun cocktail parties at random points in the year, or giving them delicious food during boring meetings.

Need help planning these acts of appreciation? Rouge Fine Catering can help you get started. We are a catering company that serves delicious and high-quality food to any and all corporate events. From small meetings to cocktail parties, we can help you give your employees the treat they deserve.

Whether you need a catering company to help out at your annual New Year’s Eve or your want delivery for the friday meeting that always goes too long, we can help you out. But why should you cater these events in the first place. Well for one thing, it is easier for you.

This blog will go over some of the reasons why catering at your events can help you and really improve your event.

The Bigger The Better

Hopefully your business has grown over the years and your number of employees is now in the hundreds. While this growth means your business is succeeding, it also means that the small dinner parties you once had are no longer an option.

As your business grows, it becomes more difficult to self-host a party and prepare all the food yourself. Even with your employees bringing snacks, appetizers, and desserts, supplying enough food for your employees and their plus-ones can get tricky. If your business has grown to a number that requires renting space to host your party, you probably want to consider catering.

Catering companies can help take a lot of stress out of your life and give you time to focus on other aspects of the party or your business. At Rouge Fine Catering, we are proud of the work we do. When you hire us to cater your cocktail party, you won’t have to worry about anything going wrong.

More Variety

Not only will hiring a catering company be easier for your large crowd, but you will also have a ton of different choices in the food you want at your party. If you are a person who loves a good themed party, you will have the opportunity to pick through a catering menu to create the perfect menu for your event. Bring your entire party together with a menu that matches your theme perfectly.

The large variety of food that you can choose from may also ensure that everyone likes something that is catered. Picky eaters can make it hard to plan parties and events but caterers can offers a large amount of different foods and styles. This means you can accommodate for the vegans, vegetarians, carnivores, sugar addicts, pasta lovers, and every other type of picky eater there is. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.

Shows Appreciation

If you choose not to cater to your end-of-the-year party and your employees end up unhappy about the food or lack there of, you have a problem. Treating your employees to a beautifully prepared and delicious meal will make the statement that your employees actually matter to you and your company. Rouge Fine Catering can deliver quality cuisine to show your employees just how important they are.

This type of appreciation has an impact on your employees. Knowing they are valued in their job will make them realize what they are doing is important to the company and they will most likely end up working harder and putting more effort into their jobs.

Surprising your employees with a catering delivery during the meeting that extends well into the lunch hour, will not only make them happier than ever while sitting in a meeting, but they will also recognize your appreciation.

Not Entertaining Needed

When you have a party or event that you supply all the food for, you end up being the person who has to worry about keeping everyone entertained. You also must keep the food trays full, the beverages stocked, and the snacks overflowing. Cooking and preparing for all of these people may be something you enjoy, but it is challenging, and worrying about keeping the food full and the people happy can make your party experience a lot worse.

Enjoy the party as well and let someone else take care of the cooking and preparing for you. This will allow you to mingle with your employees, have some fun, and relax a bit. Catering companies can really help you stress less about the party running smoothing and help you enjoy getting to know your employees better.

Host a random party to surprise your employees, have delicious food delivered to the office for lunch one day, or even have high-quality breakfast show up at the morning meeting. These are all great ways to show your appreciation to you employees. Getting delicious catering is a great way to show your employees how much they are valued and allow you to enjoy your events as well.

Rouge Fine Catering is the catering company you want to cater your events. We have delicious cuisine, great service, and can help your event be memorable. We can deliver to your office or come to your event. Contact us today to learn more and check out our delivery and full menu!

The Right Type of Catering

May 16, 2017

You just started a new job, a job that you have been working towards for months now, and you finally landed a spot in an amazing company. You are slowly learning your role, getting used to the everyday tasks, and beginning to meet people. And lucky for you, the annual corporate party will be taking place this weekend.

You have been told that these are generally fancy parties, with people dressed in gowns and tuxedos, which you think is a bit extensive for your type of business, but you go with it, because fancy parties generally mean fancy food.

You have been to many business parties at previous jobs—laidback, poorly planned, and catering that should only appear at a high school graduation. Let’s be honest, half the reason you go to the parties in the first place is for the free food.

Just recently, your sister got married. It was a beautiful wedding, a beautiful couple, but more importantly beautifully delicious catering. She hired Rouge Fine Catering to cater her wedding and they nailed it. You remember the food like it was yesterday, you can still taste the mango duck crêpe, you can smell the Venezuelan arepas.

Sure you were happy for your sister, but you were even more thrilled about the gorgeous cuisine and the immaculate service. Your sister is the type who wants only the best, and she got it. Her guests were amazed with the quality of food, the beautiful displays of the meals and desserts, and extensive bar. You remember thinking to yourself how it was amazing how the catering and food provided at a wedding could change the whole impression guest got from the wedding. And Rouge Find Catering provided something to remember.

This is the type of catering you expect at your company party. You expect only the best, gourmet catering to be at this party. But you imagine you may not get what you are hoping for. You imagine showing up to find some chain restaurant catering the elaborate party, and you begin to get disappointed, fighting the urge to not show up at all.

You picture yourself walking by the food table, scanning your choices, looking for something that resembled the catering your sister had, but nothing comes close to the quality. The look is not appealing, the smell is nonexistent, and you are sure the taste is way off as well.

And suddenly your excitement for this party, your job, and the company is smothered. But you decide to attend the party anyways, giving them a chance to prove themselves, or at least hoping to mingle with some of your new coworkers. That becomes the only reason why you decide to go, because you need friends at this new job, and a party is a great place to do so.

As you arrive, you are still thinking about the catering choice your company may have made, grumbling to yourself. But as you begin to walk toward the doors, you spot a catering van behind the building, and on the van the words Rouge Fine Catering are painted.

You knew your company would make the right decision. You never doubted their catering choices, they would always choose the best for their employees. You enter the party with a grin on your face and see the beautiful display of food. It’s going to be a great party.

Your new company made the right choice when it comes to catering. Rouge Fine Catering is a new type of catering. High-end, gourmet cuisine that looks as good as it tastes. Don’t let your company fall short in the catering selections. Suggest Rouge Fine Catering, we are sure to give your the catering your company and employees deserve. Contact us to learn more about our corporate catering.

College Graduation Deserves Fine Catering

April 17, 2017

You have watched your child grow up. You have watched them as they take their first steps, ride their first bike, go on their first date, and head off to the college of their dreams. And now you will watch as they graduate from that college and start the new and exciting chapter in their life. This is an exciting time for them and for you, another milestone checked off their list.  

When people celebrate high school graduations they are generally less formal and end up with some type of build-your-own-burrito buffet catering. But a college graduation is different. This is a big moment in a person’s life that should be celebrated as such. Don’t get catering from the local favorite fast food joint, give your graduate a celebration that they deserve after slaving away for years to get a degree and begin their life.

Rouge Fine Catering is the perfect choice to celebrate the hard work and dedication your child had to make it to this point. You might be wondering why you should go all out on your child’s college graduation party. And the answer is because they deserve it. College students are generally poor, living off of noodle cups and frozen foods, only having a real meal when they come home for holidays. And they have finally made it to this point, to the point where they have been working for the last four or more years of their lives. That is why the deserve fine catering for their graduation party.

When we say fine dining, we don’t mean lobster and the best steaks, although you certainly can have that catered from Rouge. But you can also get gourmet sandwiches, paninis, and burgers if that is what your graduate desires. The difference between our catering and others is that we serve high-quality, gourmet food that looks beautiful, taste delicious, and is just what you wanted. Our menu is extensive and we work to reduce our carbon footprint and be environmentally conscious.

Only a few other times in your life will you have gourmet food in your honor, such as at your wedding, a retirement party, and possibly a 50th anniversary. College students work hard, and only a little over a half end up graduating. Be proud that your child made it, give them a celebration they will remember and wow your guests with your amazing catering.

There are not many events in life when gourmet catering is the number one food choice, but when your child makes it through some of the toughest years of their life, give them a special celebration and make sure they get the very best. Get Rouge Fine Catering and show them how proud they have made you.

Whether you are having a graduation, retirement party, engagement party, work event, or a grand opening, choose Rouge Fine Catering to give your guests the best in catering and a menu that everyone will love. Contact us today to learn more and get started on your event catering.

How To Choose The Right Catering Menu For Your Wedding

April 1, 2017

On your wedding day, you want the best of the best. You want to impress your guests with the beautiful venue, your gorgeous dress, and a delicious menu. But there is a point when it all goes a little too far. Eventually, you should stop thinking about your guests and just start focusing on you and your soon-to-be spouse.

When it comes to wedding catering and picking a menu, a lot of couples try to accommodate for all of their guests, which generally involves dietary restrictions based on allergies or religion. These days, everyone has some sort of allergy, so we believe it is best to just make food selections based on your preferences and budget.

At Rouge Fine Catering, we offer so many different food choices and menu styles that it will be easy for you to choose the right catering menu for you and your wedding. Following these tips will help you avoid common faux pas when selecting a wedding menu.

Set a Budget

This is always a great rule to start with, no matter what part of the wedding you are trying to make decisions for. Weddings are expensive, so you must decide how much you want to spend on everything, that way the choices will become easier and more limited. When choosing a menu, a budget will help you decide how much food to get, what type of food, and how to have it served.

You should also think about whether you want appetizers, a main course, and dessert, or which mix of courses you want. Rouge Fine Catering offers a very large variety of different food choices, styles, and options. From butlered hors d’oeuvres and gourmet dips to breakfast and snacks. Depending on what type of wedding you are having, you will have several choices to make, so set a budget, it will help make your decisions a bit easier.

Stick With a Few Options

Too many times, couples make the assumption that offering more options will be better for their guests and the overall wedding. But there is generally no need for more than three options. For appetizers, it is good to have a few more options, just to add some variety and keep it interesting before the main course. When you offer too many options for the main course, however, you will be paying more, and it may not mean more people are satisfied with the meal. If you have some sort of chicken dish, a beef dish, and a vegetarian dish, you generally will be able to cover all the bases. You can always substitute fish and/or pork dish in for one of those, depending on your preferences.

Don’t Focus On Your Guests

Your guests are not the reason for the celebration, they are not the most important part of the wedding, meaning you most certainly should not work around them and their needs. If one of them wants a fully vegetarian menu, you cannot change your entire menu to accommodate for that, someone else is sure to want a steak. That is why you pick three options, like stated above. Get something everyone will like, don’t worry about making everyone happy, it is your day, meaning you can be as selfish as you want.

Think About Your Wedding

Depending on the time, the size, and the style of your wedding, you will want to consider different menu options. In our last blog, we discussed the best food choices for weddings based on times. This is definitely something to consider when deciding on a menu, you don’t want to serve steak at a morning wedding, or maybe you do, it also all depends on the type of couple you are. Which brings us to our next point.

What Kind Of Couple Are You

If you are the kind of couple who just loves snacks and munches on little things all day long, maybe consider skipping the main course. If you are the kind of couple who lives for gourmet food, you should go with some fine dining options and amaze your guests with the high-end catering choices. If you are a couple who couldn’t care less about the food as long as there are drinks to indulge in, then make sure your catered bar is fully stocked and run by the pros at Rouge Fine Catering and let your parents pick the food.

As weird as it may seem, your menu should mirror you as a couple. It makes the whole wedding and experience more personal, and your guests are sure to remember it. Rouge has so many options on the wedding menu that it is definitely possible for you and your loved one to select a menu you both agree on and are excited about.

Rouge Fine Catering has the best options for gourmet food selection. Make your wedding special with the best menu that fits your wedding and style. These tips can help make the hard decisions easier. Take a look at our wedding menus to inspire some ideas for your big day, and contact us with any questions you may have.

Catering Choices for Different Wedding Times

March 6, 2017

Weddings are a special day in many couples’ lives, it is a day when they join together as a family and celebrate their love with all their friends and relatives. Weddings are hard to plan and every couple has an idea of how they will celebrate their union. Some do late night weddings, with sparklers, a canopy of lights above the dance floor, and a delicious dinner. Others may have a morning wedding—a beautiful outdoor celebration with birds chirping, naturally lit photos, and a mimosa bar.

No matter the time of day you decide to have your wedding, you should plan your special day accordingly. Don’t plan for a light canopy if you are having a daytime, outdoor wedding. Don’t plan a night wedding without adequate lighting. Don’t invite thousands of guests if you are having a destination wedding. This is pretty common sense, but something many people do not consider while planning a wedding, is the fact that food choices are better when they go with the time of day of their wedding.

Rouge Fine Catering offers an extensive menu for weddings, complementing different times of day. We can help you create the perfect menu for your wedding no matter when it is.

Morning Weddings

Mornings are not as popular of a time for weddings as evenings are, but we still offer a number of items that will satisfy the breakfast lovers of the bunch. This is not your average breakfast menu, this is gourmet breakfast. We offer everything for mini muffins to mini quiches, meaning that your wedding menu can be as simple or as elegant as breakfast can get. Choose from options including:

  • Bistro Breakfast Wrap
  • Breakfast Burrito
  • Fresh Fruit Salad
  • Frittatas
  • Lox Tray
  • Savory and Sweet Croissants

Breakfast catering has never been so delicious. With all of our food options, you can give your guests what they want, whether they have a sweet tooth or seek out the more savory flavors.

Evening Wedding

Evening weddings are more common. They are the celebrations with lights, candles, sparklers, and delicious dinner items. Because of the commonality of the evening wedding, we offer an extensive menu of gourmet food that will wow your guests. With multiple entrees to choose from and different courses, you can find the perfect choices for your wedding. We have hors d’oeuvres, dips, salads, soups, and breads, but those are only the starters! Our entrees give you endless options, some types include:

  • Composed Entrees
  • Poultry
  • Vegetarian
  • Seafood
  • Pasta
  • Beef, Lamb, Pork

Each of these has entrees has several options, you could choose a parmesan-crusted chicken breast or go with a southern fried chicken. Out variety of options allows you to choose food that caters to your theme, guests, and style of your wedding.

Other Options

Maybe your wedding is a quick celebration in the middle of the day, or maybe you are having a small wedding before going to your favorite pizza place, because you and your new spouse love pizza. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have food for your guests. Everyone knows that all good parties and celebrations have food. If your wedding budget doesn’t allow for a gourmet, three-course meal, just decide for a high-end snack bar. Some of our snack, if you can call them that, include:

  • Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
  • Gourmet Soft Pretzel Bar
  • Parmesan Truffle Frites
  • Parmesan Truffle Kettle Chips

With a snack bar like this, your guest will love your food options and be satisfied with the variety they have to choose from.

A wedding is a special day, with special people, and, hopefully, delicious food. Rouge Fine Catering can cater your wedding, giving you gourmet choices no matter what time of day you planned your celebration.

Be sure to take a look at our full wedding menu, you may find more than enough choices for your wedding, and contact us to start planning for your special day.