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By admin, April 16, 2010 10:46 am

Kati may well be one of the busiest owners we know. She seems to be constantly on the go and is just wrapping up a visit to St. Croix where she attended as the guest of West Indies Corporation, a local whole sale beer, wine & liquor distributor, to audit St. Croix’s version of Flavor’s called Suncelebration. The events last all week and have brought in various vendors and food participants blossoming with creativity.

http://www.suncelebrations.com/blog/2010/04/14/eat-drink-and-savor-the-flavors-of-st-croix/

” My purpose here, as the executive chair for flavors of St. John, is to see how we can improve flavors to raise more money for the college fund. Rotary pays for tuition to college for local kids that could not otherwise go to college.”, says Kati.

Certainly her expertise on destination weddings and long career in the catering business set her up to be a perfect “go to” for local businesses on St. Croix and really opens up the possibility of doing more business with vendors and even locations on this often overlooked island.

While St. John will always be the heart and soul of KatiLady’s Wedding business the opportunity to expand into other markets within the Caribbean has been growing as Kati becomes more involved in the Wedding Planner’s International Association.

Further emphasizing Kati’s role in the industry is her recent founding, along with Island Style Wedding’s owner Mary Bartolucci, in the Virgin Island Chapter of the Association for Wedding Professionals International. The group held their first meeting on April 13 from 6 – 10 pm at Norbu on St. Thomas. Future meetings will be held on St. John & St. Croix on a rotating schedule.

As many industries are struggling to compete, amazingly destination weddings continues to grow and behooves not only the business owners but also the potential clients to have a united industry in which to work within. As an international organization it also gives credit to the quality and professionalism provided by USVI organizations and businesses.

All parties benefit as the professionals build networking and referrals and brides & grooms get free information on their options. This only encourages friendly competition, which is welcomed by owners like Kati & Mary.

As a KatiLady team we are proud of our owner for taking such enormous steps in furthering the industry in the USVI and as individuals we are grateful for the constant effort she exudes in helping us grow our own careers.

Travel safe Kati and see you when you get back!

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By admin, April 11, 2010 12:28 pm

We admit that we are almost closer to next year’s Flavors of St. John event that last year’s but coming across this photo is worth the delayed posting.

Nothing says decadence like lobster smothered in cheese!

The highlight of the event, for us, and apparently for many of the guests as we have heard over the past few months, was Kyle’s divine creation of Truffled Lobster Mac n’ Cheese! There really isn’t much more you can say about this utter indulgence beyond….manifique!

So as we gather inspiration for next year’s show and our countless drop off and in villa dinners between now and then our roots come back to what we know to be true. Goodness comes from familiarity paired with a little bit of richness – in other words: welcome to the era of sophisticated comfort food a la KatiLady!

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By admin, March 11, 2010 12:13 pm

With 2010 in full swing the KatiLady team headed off to Vegas to participate in the 19th annual Cater Source trade show.

http://www.catersource.com/conference-tradeshow/recap

From dawn past dusk Kati, Vicki and Chef Kyle explored the show partaking in the various treasure trove of classes and seminars and just networking within the industry. It was hard to see everything but the team gave it a shot.

From the moment of their arrival it was non-stop. Kati found quite a lot to take home in the trends section of wedding planning noticing that Destination Weddings, despite a sluggish economy, remain a leader in inspired wedding themes.

Surprising to some, but certainly not this established group, was that Destination Weddings are in many ways more affordable than large scale home weddings. This is due to the fact that guest counts tend to be more reasonable when traveling is required of guests as many opportunists stay home. Beyond that expenses like liquor, flowers and transportation are often radically reduced because of fewer taxes, and in St. John’s case, the already exquisite tropical flora and fauna that fills in the gaps of a venue compared to an otherwise bare wedding hall that requires numerous displays.

While the team took a few days to recoup from the travel (almost 15 hours from St. John to Vegas!) and get used to the sun again (there are NO windows in Vegas – what’s with that?) they were glad for the experience.

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By admin, February 26, 2010 12:16 pm

Vegas is beckoning….

Cater Source Event Solution 2010

Kati and the team are headed to the Cater Source Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada for a week of intense informational sessions on weddings, catering and events planning. It is a industry must for those in the know.

This will be the second time the KatiLady team has attended and they will be taking advantage of every hour in their schedule. With courses and seminars throughout the week they will have plenty of fresh ideas upon returning to amp up any bride’s wedding.

We expect big things from the show as we hope our clients expect big things from us!

Go team go!

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By admin, February 24, 2010 9:33 am

There is nothing sweeter than having your favorite beverage and nibbles on hand after traveling, no matter how easy and convenient your trip was. (Which seems to be the case when traveling from the East Coast 0 making it an ever better destination choice for vacationers and destination weddings!) Our provisioning packages are designed to meet that very need. And should you require something in addition to what is in the packages then Vicki is the person to contact. She will find your favorite food or suggest an alternative.

For our guests arriving over the winter we have spared no effort in arranging for every snack and edible item to be available when provisioning their villas.

The Robb family, recent guests at Florian Villa overlooking the Caribbean Sea, didn’t forget how they felt when arriving to their delectable treats….even after returning to the snowy mess in the states. They had requested non-French Champagnes/Sparkling Wines to be chilled and ready to pop once they plopped into position appreciating the vistas from their wind swept deck. We were more than pleased to meet there needs.

Provisioning a villa is like an art, the more you commit to the process the more vibrant affect the presentation has on it’s intended audience. Kudos to the Delivery staff for being so astute in this medium.

Vicki remains the best in the business (see our Face Book page for extended gratitude by our clients) as she follows through on every inquiry and Chef Kyle can’t be forgotten either as we dole out praise. While Champagnes technically come from France Chef Kyle found some excellent alternatives that we are able to procure in our region:
Domaine Caneros- French champagne grapes grown in California
and
Eclipse – same, but grown in South America – owned by Moet Chandon

We hope you’ll be toasting with us soon. These sparkling wines make excellent choices for wedding celebrations too!
Cheers….

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By admin, February 17, 2010 11:36 am

Kati never ceases to amaze. From her uncanny ability to assist in the most romantic of surprises to her Edibly incredible skills in the dessert kitchen.

Kudos to Kati, the Valentine Balloons inflated with helium and set adrift were the perfect accent to an already amazing Valentines Day.

The I HEART collection of Island Catering included tempting chocolate covered strawberries and a bouquet of gratitude to the KatiLady team for pulling together such an amazing Wedding & Catering season in the heart of a recession. Destination weddings have only gotten better since this team came together and 2010 continues to look strong.

Hearts & Hugs to all the staff!

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By admin, February 11, 2010 1:34 pm

Crunch on this

Did you know President’s Day week is the busiest week on island next to Christmas & New Year’s week? It is the time when all the beaches are full and there are lots of children.

This was a shock to many visiting the island, but President’s Day week coincides with most East Coast public school Winter Breaks. Hence, we are full of visitors from Portland to Atlanta with most coming from NJ, NY, Conn and Mass.

What does this mean for St. John catering? It means we are very very busy. This time of year comes with a rise in drop-off dinners, InVilla served dinners and lots of provisioning packages.

Chef Kyle is cranking out food fit for kings including the all honored scallop dish seen below…

from the sea to your lips, love is in the air in February

Vicky’s schedules for welcome baskets and provisioning orders are jammed packed. Kati is organizing the entire show from the back room and the phone is ringing off the hook. The only time of year that is busier for us is June when wedding season is in full swing and we are seeing to brides almost every other day. Destination weddings on St. John still seem to be most frequent in the spring. Though we should emphasize that winter weddings on a tropical island are truly spectacular. A Caribbean style wedding on a beach at sunset in January truly can’t be beat. Plus the bride and groom avoid any excess sweating from the strong heat of the sun. As if nerves, weren’t enough….

This time of year, when the food is so comforting and the tradewinds are still blowing is truly magical. Hopefully, you’ll get to see it for yourself!

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By admin, January 27, 2010 8:29 am

We wanted to share some of our catering photos from recent events. They change the landscape of a dinner because Chef Kyle really brings his food to life. Often times we have wedding guests and island catering guests ask to photograph our meals. From island wedding catering to destination wedding planning we really cover the entire spectrum and we hire the best in the business to do it well!

Crab Cake appetizers served on a bed of arugula

The appetizers are always a hit. They allow both the client and our amazing Chef to express creativity like a work of art. But our island food fantasy doesn’t stop there. Main Courses, which are so often overlooked as artistic, also grace the tables almost as pretty as the centerpieces and certainly sparking many conversations.

Plated Mahi Mahi dinner

Like something you see here, contact your wedding planner for more details on how to make it part of your day!

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By admin, January 21, 2010 6:47 pm

With our first wedding behind us we have been able to finally take a moment and reflect on the awesome event it was. From the wedding planning of this destination wedding to the epic Caribbean catering it required we are all still inspired by the amazing couple.

Lesley & Chris’s wedding menu was outrageous. As a seated, plated dinner with 4 courses and multiple options the guests left more than satiated by flavor and portion.

Cocktail Hour complete with passed appetizers:
Shrimp (grilled w/ a tasty rub and dipping sauce)
Brie Jerk Chicken Quesadillas with Tropical Salsa

PLATED DINNER
Appetizer/Salad
Crab Cakes served on a bed of Arugala and Lemon Vinaigrette

ENTREES: Two options
Filet Mignon Grilled with herbed butter and served w/ a Bernaise Sauce
or
Local catch, Mahi Mahi served with fresh Caribbean salsa

SIDE DISHES
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Asparagus w lemon ties
Sour Dough Bread and whipped herbed butter

DESSERTS
Wedding Cake
Creme Brule w/ blackberries and raspberries and garnished with fresh local mint

Kudos to Chef Kyle for his amazing presentations. It all was fabulous.

We continue to gear up for numerous drop off and InVilla dinners across the island featuring some of our kitchen’s finest menu items like Vegetable Carpaccio and Poached Pear with Basil Ice Cream. But we are also excited to take our upcoming trip to Las Vegas for the Wedding Planning convention, Catersource, this February.

Vegas here we come!

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By admin, January 16, 2010 10:27 am

Today is the big day for Lesley & Chris. Their Caribbean Wedding will be located at Villa La Susa in Peterbay on the North Shore of St. John at 3:30 pm. With the ceremony and reception at the same location, KatiLady will be arriving as early as 8 am with deliveries and setup crew.

Wedding rentals like chairs, glasses, tables and place settings will arrive from St. John Rental Company. Bar and liquor supplies will be setup at the bar while wedding lighting will be extended through the exterior patio area.

Lesley & Chris’s guests will reach the reception via open air taxis with a central pickup location of Starfish Market in Cruz Bay.

This St. John wedding will last through the evening with entertainment, dining and dessert. With our planners involved and the catering organized Lesley & Chris’s wedding will be a tremendous success. We are so excited to be part of this momentous event.

Photos are sure to come……