07 Sep NACE Meeting at The Cookery
This summer Donovan’s Dish was asked to serve a dinner for a monthly NACE meeting. NACE, The National Association of Caterers and Events, is a wonderful association in which to be involved. Our Triangle chapter is made up of some AMAZING and incredibly talented people. We were thrilled to serve a dinner in the wedding and event industry. We wanted to show what Donovan’s Dish is all about.
All of our food is fresh, made from scratch, and we support local farmers as often as possible. Nothing is ever brought in frozen; it is prepared fresh for you and your guests. We are known for our quality of food as well as gorgeous presentations! We are a well oiled machine with a commitment to flawless execution!
The evening started with the DD team arriving to prep and set up. The Cookery staff, of course, made sure all of our servers got a little wine tasting before anything got started!
Before the main course began a tabletop placement and décor competition was held. The theme was bistro chic vs. farm-house retro. Each team was given options for linens, floral, and tabletop.
Everyone sat at their dressed tables and dinner was served!
Menu Selections
NACE Meeting
The Cookery
Passed Hors D’oeuvres
Fried Green Tomatoes
Ashe Co. Cheddar Pimento Cheese dollop, panko
Shave Filet En Croute
shaved filet mignon, sherried Cremini mushrooms, horseradish cream
Low Country Mini Crab Cakes
lump crab, panko, jalapeno tarter
First Course
Fried Okra Salad
heirloom tomatoes, shallot thyme vinagarette
Family Style Dinner Offerings
Cornish Game Hens
seasoned and roasted, served over a bed of smoked ham hock red beans
Leek Basmati Rice Pilaf
Truffled Roasted Coquette
Cornbread Muffins
whipped honey butter
Our menu was delicious and served as a family style meal to 70 NACE members. We had our fabulous signature servers pass hors d’oeuvres and present Chef TJ’s delicious creations. The evening was perfect!
After dinner Details Cake Design, owned by Kaiya Ramsey, had a beautiful dessert display. It was filled with delicious sweets and cakes!
We absolutely love Nick and Rochelle, owners of The Cookery and two of the most innovative people in the industry who have definitely brought a rare and brilliant vision to life. The Cookery is not only a gorgeous venue, it also serves as a rental commercial kitchen space for up and coming culinary businesses. It has really helped a lot of people, including Donovan’s Dish, become a huge success!
Here are some great pictures of The Front Room and patio at The Cookery from the meeting.
We are so grateful be a part of such an amazing industry here in Raleigh! We look forward to future events with both NACE, and The Cookery.
-Christian