To me, cheese is the great culinary art form.  From humble milk, comes glorious luxury.  It adds so much in cooking — enriching sauces, salads, soups, and sandwiches with just a shave here, a smidgen there.  But serious cheese, the best of the best, deserves center-stage: a smartly-composed cheese plate.  And likewise, a smart cheese plate demands the best cheese.  That’s why Devil’s Food is pleased to announce our new partnership with Olivier Boye and his company, Corsican Cellar.

Olivier is a native Corsican, who grew up just outside of Paris and now resides in Seattle.  Over the years, he has cultivated personal relationships with small artisan cheesemakers all over Europe and the Pacific Northwest as well.  No one takes as good of care of their cheese as Olivier does, such a perishable product.  Tasting with Olivier takes a full afternoon as he recounts stories from his travels and slowly works his way through the Corsican Cellar catalog.  When you taste these cheeses on the newly revamped “Devil’s Cheese Plate”, you’ll see what the fuss is all about.  From the creamy, mushroomy richness of Tomme Crayeuse to the nutty, sweet, crystalline Maritchas; these fresh flavors will blow you away!

Of course, “The Devil’s Cheese Plate” will continue to come piled high with our beloved house-made pickles and jams, candied nuts, dried and fresh fruits, and bread and crackers.  Order one for your own party today and totally impress your guests!

Take a look at some of our latest fab menu ideas and then get planning that party!

http://www.devilsfoodcatering.com/food-and-drink/dinners/

Cocktail

“The Loyalist”

Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Orange, Cava

1

Cucumber Gazpacho

Smoked Cod Mousse Crouton and Pimenton Oil

2

Tuna-Stuffed Eggs

with Roasted Piquillo Peppers, Anchovy, and Bitter Greens

3

Jamon and Pata Cabra Croquetas

with Honey Allioli

4

Clams with Chorizo and Potatoes

5

Bella Organic Farm Baby Greens

with Fava Beans, Mint, Lemon, and Shaved Manchego

6

Catalan-Style Braised Pork Shoulder

with Dried Fruit

7

Wilted Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts

8

Potatoes Bravas

9

Bizcocho de Naranja

Bitter-Sweet Orange and Olive Oil Cake

with Basil Ice Cream and Candied Almonds

TICKETS $135.00

incl. cocktail, wine, gratuity

About this time of year, we begin to dream of trips to Hawaii and Palm Springs. Heck, we’d be happy seeing the other side of the Cascades if we could bathe in some extended warmth and sunshine.

It sounds like the perfect time to host a party to lift everyone’s spirits! Since every good party needs a theme, we think a glamorous Oscar party is called for. Imagine your friends parading up the walk for your own version of the red carpet: men in tuxes, ladies in their finest dresses. It would be fabulous.

It’d also be the perfect time to try out our new delivery service. Just let us know how many people you’re expecting three days before your party, and we’ll do all the work. We deliver your food beautifully arranged on our locally handmade platters, set everything up for you, then come back later for the dishes. All you have to do is host and enjoy!

We’ve laid out a menu below (along with a couple of yummy cocktail ideas) to inspire your planning and tempt your taste buds. Email us (charles@devilsfoodcatering.com) or ring our phone (503.233.9288) to place your order today!

We couldn’t wait to get our new look and feel out into the world. So even before we launched the new site, we created this ad for Oregon Bride magazine. It’s in their most recent issue, and on the newsstands for the next six months or so.

We just love the cheeky feel of it. Can you imagine if your new in-laws looked this sour? The disdainful expectation on their faces is too funny. Good thing they’re about to have some Devil’s Food and –as George’s mother used to say– “turn those frowns upside down”!

The ad can be found right in the middle of their Real Weddings section which features an amazing wedding that we catered at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens.

Special thanks to Aaron Hewitt our photographer from Hello Artists, all the models for the shoot, Amy Nowatzki for helping set it all up, and Winborn & Company for coordinating the day of the shoot then working with us to create this fantastic ad.

The press, along with 500 some odd guests, were invited to mingle, shop and politely squabble over the Swedish chain’s fab fashions. We served a menu of tray passed finger foods and sweets prepared hot and fresh from our mini makeshift kitchen set up in the back halls of the mega mall. We seemingly strung a mile of extension cords to every available outlet to power our fast paced operation.

Wild Salmon Sliders

The guests had no idea what we did behind the scenes. They only knew that they liked what they were eating and wanted more! We were happy to oblige.

OCAC Tabletop

Winter is the season for big gala fundraisers and Devil’s Food is catering some of the biggest. Last weekend we had a high time catering the huge and amazingly successful fundraiser dinner “Art on the Vine” to benefit the Oregon College of Arts and Craft. The event took place at PURE space in Northwest Portland. We presented hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and dinner for 400 guests in the midst of a grand art auction.

Short Ribs family style

The menu included a plated salad with cornbread croutons and roasted squash, our boneless short ribs with parsley walnut relish, brussels sprout leaves and cauliflower, caramelized onion mashed potatoes and bourbon pecan pie.

Catering on such a large scale in a new venue took an intense amount of planning. Happily, my crew was super organized and worked together to make sure that everything ran smoothly and on time. At the tables, the guests passed the platters themselves taking part in the new-again tradition of family style dining. Everyone seemed game to participate, and the food was gobbled up with glee.

Dinner for 400 in Pure Space

We are looking forward to the St. Thomas More School auction, the Childpeace Montessori School Auction, and the Cathedral School auction in the coming weeks! We have some fun stuff lined up for all three events and will post photos and menus after each event.

Goodness, it’s almost hard to believe, but our new site is live. How do you like the new look and feel? The easy navigation? All the fun photos and delicious menus?

We knew it was time for a little website refresh, or a good polish, if you will. Plus, we had some new business ideas —like delivery!— that we wanted to put out into the world. The new look and feel of the site reflects where we’ve always been: buttoned up and neat with a mischievous grin, fun and upbeat, classic, delicious food with a little twist and impeccable presentation. We hope now it’s easier for us to communicate our fresh ideas and for you to find what you need in planning your next event.

We couldn’t have done this without a lot of people’s help, so we wanted to thank them here.

George Winborn and his team (Annie Chapman, Glenn Goodfellow, Rebecca Hickey) at Winborn & Company. Who would have thought that 2 years after catering his wedding, I’d be telling George all the in’s and out’s of the catering biz in Portland? He and his team gave me the space I needed to put down on paper everything I’d been thinking about for ages. Then they helped me bring this vision to life with a new site, new photography and everything else you see here. Thanks so much, guys! George and his team continue to create our ongoing marketing: email, social media, and more. You can see more of their work here: www.winbornandcompany.com. George collaborates with Rebecca Hickey of RLH Creative for the programming end of things. You can learn more about her here: www.rlhcreative.com.

Aaron Hewitt, photographer extraordinaire, helped us do more than we could have expected in a one-day shoot. He saw how we could make our vision for a fun retro look a reality. His expert lighting, courteous assistants and whipsmart post-production skills made what could have been a really tough process, totally seamless. We love the images and hope you do, too! You can see more of Aaron’s stuff here: www.aaronhewittphoto.com.

Amy Nowatski, photoshoot producer, costumer, set decorator, cheerleader. Amy helped us with everything from researching images and brainstorming shots to finding the perfect outfits, to working with the modeling agency, to finding the perfect hair and makeup person. (Great Job Katherine Ross!) Thank you, Amy, for making it all happen on time and within budget. Let me know if you need Amy’s services and I’ll put you in touch.

Denise and Michael Higgins, owners of the fabulous mid-century home in Bridlemile that became the set for the shoot. Thank you for your trusting hospitality. Not just anyone would allow a herd of photographers, caterers, stylists and models to take over their home while away at work.

Katie Sloan, Nate Olson, and the rest of the Devil’s Food Catering team. As always, you guys continue to impress me with your abilities to multi-task and deliver (ok, I’m biased) the best service, food and celebratory experience in Portland. Nate appears as our delivery boy in the Deliver shot, as well as the “Twist Master” in the party scene. How’s that for multi-tasking? A friend of the Devil, the lovely and gorgeous Carrie Von Kiel, lent her effortless poise and daylong sense of humor.

Re-creating this site has given me time to reflect on the past seven years of being in business, and helped validate once again why I love doing what I do and why I love doing it here, in the city I love. In the end, it’s all about helping people celebrate important moments with the people in their lives.

There is a shared excitement at Devil’s Food these days. Our kitchen is expanding and our business is growing. We have some pretty major events lined up on the books in the next several weeks and have honed our knives and sharpened our pencils in anticipation of all of the cooking and the planning set to take place.

We also wanted to let you know about a few things happening around town.

Invitation:
Our House Auction, February 19^th at 6pm
We can’t wait to see how their theme, “Midnight at the Oasis,” transforms the Portland Art Museum into a magical space for food and drink, entertainment and raising funds for one of our favorite local charities. You can learn more here.

Information:
Read The Multnomah Food Action Plan!
This “innovative community partnership” is all about developing “a shared food system…that will promote health, social justice, economic vitality, and sustainability.” How exciting is that? Get more information here.

Celebrations:
Two Wedding Events at Gerding Armory
In one year-end wedding, we presented Honduran food alongside Southern and Northwest favorites for an inclusive menu that celebrated two families and two cultures coming together in our home state of Oregon. Sweet.

Another fabulous wedding at the Armory took place on New Year’s Eve. It was a gala affair with tray-passed finger foods and small plates. The dance party lasted until the ball dropped and the New Year began….

The shot above is from our booth at the recent “Art of Weddings” showcase at the Gerding Armory. It was a great event put on by Alexis at Jasmine Photography. We were encouraged by the high level of excitement at this annual boutique wedding showcase.

Or do you have an occasion when you just need fab food? Devil’s Food Delivers!Entertaining like a pro is easy with our custom delivery service, which includes gorgeous platters and a stylish set up. All you have to do is hang the mistletoe and mix yourself a cocktail.