#HollyGoLightly Evening with @EncoreCatering and @Sable_Rosenfeld

One of the foodies I follow was  @bnbutterscotch a.k.a. Nicolas Wong.  He emailed me asking if I were interested in attending a food event.  Having chatted with him for a while now, the first interest was just putting a face into the Twitter handle.  Just because of that, I accepted the invitation.  Days later, I received the press kit and I was pleasantly surprised that the caterer was Encore Catering.  Encore Catering was another Twitter account I follow.  In addition to that, I was also a Twittter fan of @ChefRoshanW, a.k.a Chef Roshan Wanasingha, Executive Chef of Encore Catering.  Through his tweets, I saw his creations and I once thought that it was a pity that he worked for a catering company.  If he were in a restaurant, I would have already sampled his dishes long ago.  His images on Twitter could make you go hungry.  I finally got my chance to sample his food!

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The affair that Nicolas invited me to was called Holly GoLightly Evening hosted by Encore Catering featuring the products of Sable and Rosenfeld.  The press kit I must say was impressive and was enticing, promising a night of food and meet-and-greet with the two sponsors of the affair.  I was glad I said yes.  How the invite was organized was already impressive.  It sure made me expect good things to follow.

And to expect good things was actually a big understatement.  The things we were in for were sure set to pamper foodies.  We all met up at the LCBO at Summerhill station.  The moment I came out on the street, I saw a cluster of women and I tentatively checked if they were on the same function as I was.  I was lucky I caught them on time and I met four amazing foodies: @@FashionecstasyT, @sukasastyle, @MariaAguilar and @stephcanarte.  I later find out that @stephcanarte was one of the organizers of the affair and she led us to the meeting place.

Walking to the parking lot, we saw a bigger cluster of foodies @bnbutterscotch, @pvisima, @tastingtoronto, @wedding_crasher,  @ChasingCarmenTV, @alexaclark, @ATasteWorld, @TraveliciousDee and @ShilpaRaikar.  Soon enough a limousine arrived and we all squeezed in to get transported to Encore Catering’s kitchens at North York.  I initially told Nicolas I could have drove myself straight to the site but when he mentioned about the limo ride, I know I had to experience that too.  One thing ticked off from my bucket list!  On our way, we started the party with some prosecco,  mushroom canapes and shrimp wrapped in prosciutto.  Between the food and the friendly banter among all the invitees, I hardly noticed the commute.  No time at all, we arrived the Encore Catering Facility.

We were received by Encore Catering’s VP Ryan Silber, immediately bringing us inside their facility.  Entering the reception, we met their president, Cary Silber. After introductions, we were given our quick tour.  Going through the corridors, I saw the expanse of their catering business and the professionalism they give their clients.  Standing in the Executive Chef’s office, we got our first peek of the expansive kitchen and a tastefully decorated  Chef’s table right across it.  I just knew we were in for something really promising.

I gravitated towards the kitchen and I started understanding there would be some working stations for us to take part in the assembly of some food we will be eating.   From what I know there were three stations for us to work with, the sushi, the fresh spring roll and I totally missed what was the third.  I found myself on the sushi station and I started assembling my sushi parfait.  I find my guide Yoko to be really helpful and supportive, patiently getting us to add all the ingredients into a heaping pile.

Later on, the meal started and it was a medley of three courses: Poultry Three Ways, Fish Duo and Dessert Trio.  With each plate, I must say, I was impressed with the presentation.  For the first course, of the three preparations, my vote goes for the Sable and Rosenfeld Jerk Chicken.  The flavours run deep and it was satisfying to the last morsel.  For the fish, I loved the plump and luscious salmon.  Lastly for the dessert trio, my vote goes to the Chai spiced honey cake with poached pear and Raspberry sorbet.  I love that each delightful bite made you go for more until I wiped my plate clean of it.

By the end of it, I felt elated of the amount of food that we feasted on.  My gratitude to Chef Roshan and his crew.  The meal that they placed out there made this foodie beyond content.  Thank you also to Myra Sable, Cary and Ryan for the warmth of their reception and sharing the stories of how they built their businesses.  It was really inspiring to someone like me to hear of successes like Encore Catering and Sable and Rosenfeld.  Lastly, gratitude too for Nicolas for inviting me into this affair.  It was one of the most memorable I have been to date.  For all the new friends I have made, I really enjoyed your company and I would look for your familiar faces in future events.

That was such a good and satisfying evening, that Holly GoLightly. :)