Vendor Spotlight: California Rose Catering

Dov Sims, Executive Chef and COO of California Rose Catering (CRC) is a great example of a local, family run and generational business. Started in the 80s by Dov’s mother, Rose, he remembers waking up as a kid at 6am and helping to pack trucks with grills, coolers and other kitchen equipment. He joined in 2001 and helped transform the business into a premier events catering company. Their first catered wedding was in 2002 and they haven’t looked back since!

So what makes his company tick? “The staff. They’re the reason we are who we are. All my managers have been with us for more than eight years. The dedication comes through at each event.”

CRC offers more than just food and service. They have gained a great reputation over the past several years, not only for their food, but because they work the pricing around budget-minded couples, which happens to be almost everybody these days. And couples work directly with the owners with no middle men. The attention paid to each couple is direct and prompt. Their attitude is far from corporate because their company is a family company, so couples can feel safe and secure when working with them: “We allow couples to really take part in the creation of their wedding, not just in the menu, but in the entire production.” And 50% of the time, he introduces foods that couples and guests have never eaten, and if they have, not in the form that he presents.

So if you’re not convinced yet, here another reason why CRC is one to beat: they give couples a to-go basket at the end of their wedding, as they’re not always able to eat during the festivities. We love that.

Visit their website at: www.californiarose.com

Vendor Spotlight: Parker’s Crazy Cookies

Check out these sweet treats:
http://www.parkerscrazycookies.com/

When we came across Dave Parker’s website we wanted to know all about his background and about his unique cookies? So the story goes, Dave started baking cookies to make extra money while he lived in Spain. He wanted to do it back here in the U.S. but wanted a twist to make his cookies more...interesting. It was while working at Leapfrog that a light bulb went off: to make cookies that look like people! He started with sports figures but quickly started getting requests for weddings.
Dave loves baking for weddings. Of brides and grooms he says, “They are such happy people! Everyone is excited because they are moving towards something special and the custom cookies will make that wedding day even more special.”

Of his inspirations, Dave credits a lot of people, especially his old colleague Mike Wood of Leapfrog, who he says created a company and product out of thin air. He also credits his grandfather who built a business from the ground up.
It seems like Dave’s cookies are truly unique as there is nothing else out there like them. Dave tries his best to explain over the phone what his cookies are like, but you really have to see them to understand how fantastic and unique they are. They’re not the typical shaped cookies with frosting faces or an image on the frosting; they’re an actual, edible 3D sculpture! Check out his website for more unbelievable creations and don’t forget to bookmark it.