True Flavors really had a truly unique start. Chef and owner Johnny Hernandez had a passion for cooking that eventually lead him to New York City at the mere age of 16 to study at the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, he spent time sharpening his skills as a chef in four-star hotels and resorts across the country.

Just five years later, in 1994, True Flavors began their catering services here in San Antonio.  They have notably grown to be one of San Antonio’s most regarded caterers in the past 16 years, collecting covenant awards along the way. When you hire True Flavors as your caterer, you will be choosing the 2006 Restaurateur of the Year and NACE’s (National Association of Catering Executives) Caterer of the Year (twice mind you!).  

What we love about True Flavors is their outside-the-box thinking when it comes to décor and their fabulously fresh food, not to mention impeccable service. They have the ability to serve intimate groups of 5 people to lavish parties of up to 5000 guests. Their experienced team is dedicated to making sure that all guests will have a great culinary experience. True Flavors is always committed to providing the highest quality of artistic and sustainable cuisine, excellent service, and stylish décor.

With all that said, on average, True Flavors executes approximately 1000 events every year, so you most likely have had their food at one of the many events they have done in San Antonio. In addition to all of those stellar events, True Flavors has found time to diversify their business to include a traditional Latin-inspired restaurant, La Gloria that will open next month on the banks of the San Antonio River Expansion at the Pearl Brewery.

Back to their catering side, True Flavors has a distinction of creating culturally inspired dishes. Chef Johnny has travelled the world to learn about different types of cuisines so that their food has the right preparation and ingredients to make authentic versions of the originals. Some of their more popular dishes include their fresh fish ceviche,  tequila shrimp shooter, mole verde and Mantachie grapes (we had to look it up–goat cheese coated with fresh herbs and pistachios, doesn’t that sound wonderful?). Breakfast pricing starts out at $7.95 per person, lunch from $11.95 per person and dinner at $14.95 per person. They customize their menus as well to suit your budget and taste.

Our partnership with True Flavors has really worked out for the betterment of our facility as well as for True Flavors. Knowing that a professional and helpful staff will be onsite for your next event is crucial for a good working relationship.            

Here are the essentials: Website: www.trueflavors.com; Phone: 210.226.3670; Email: areyes@trueflavors.com or dlopez@trueflavors.com. Call or email them today!

Cocktails offers clients the option of doing an open bar, cash bar or partial cash bar for their next event. For an open bar, the client would bring in the alcohol and Cocktails would serve it to their guests. Or, for a nominal fee per person, you can have Cocktails do all the work and provide all of the alcohol and mixers so that you don’t have to worry about a thing on your special day. For brides on a budget, a cash bar is a wonderful option. You simply pay for the set up and your guests pay for the drinks. If you would like to offer your guest some beverages, but do not want to break the bank, a partial cash bar would do the trick. You could do a cocktail hour, where you pick up the tab during a 1-2 hour timeframe and then a cash bar the rest of the evening. Another option is providing beer and wine free of charge for your guests, but if they would like hard liquor, they can pay for that themselves.

Making their mark in the event world of San Antonio, Cocktails works approximately 75-100 events per year and provides services for events exceeding 3000 guests. They are also very comfortable working at Plaza Lecea because they have the same priorities as we do: Keep the client happy (the night time view is a plus too)! They continuously work with their clients to provide the best service and customize packages to fit their budget. They also take that extra step to ensuring client satisfaction on the day of their event as well by assisting caterers when needed, arriving early for set up and staying late to help with the clean up, or providing a special drink recipe for an individual’s wedding party.

A bar service tends to be an after-thought, but in reality it is an integral part of a successful event! Don’t leave it to last minute to book or hand it off to your groom. Here is some insight from Lisa about the importance of a professional bar service,

“Brides should remember that as well as the venue, caterer and decorations, the bar service is a vital part of an enjoyable wedding. A professional, responsible and courteous service will always leave a lasting impression on your guests. We spend most of the event providing service to your party, (so) don’t let your bar service be an after-thought in your planning. Cocktails will help you decide on a service to fit your budget and can also provide you great contacts and suggestions, for all your needs on your special day.”

The Essentials: Website: www.cocktailservices.com Phone: 210.363.8025; Email: info@cocktailservices.com. Click here to see all of their happy client’s testimonials: www.cocktailservices.com/testimonials.htm

We have had Heavenly Gourmet out here for numerous luncheons, offering our clients a variety of menu options and also creating a completely custom menu to fit their needs. Box lunches start out at $7.50, which include a hot or cold sandwich kettle fried potato chips, your choice of pasta or fresh fruit and a homemade cookie.  Hot lunches are around $12 and include nine different options.

If you are looking for an evening event, they have you covered as well. Dinner options start at on $10 a person and are inclusive of a choice of salad, protein, starch, veggie and a dinner roll. Our personal favorite is their Penne a la Vodka w/Chicken and we think it’s actually heavenly (pictured above). Some of their other popular dishes include their Heavenly Chicken (signature dish: Breast of chicken, stuffed with goat cheese, cream cheese, and black forest ham, then breaded and sauteed and topped with a poblano cream sauce-a gourmet take of chicken cordon blue), Pecan Chicken with a Honey Chipotle sauce, and a Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Lemony White Wine sauce. Are you drooling yet? We are! Budget savvy brides also love Heavenly Gourmet because of the quality of their food is amazing, while being completely affordable.

Loretta says that what really started her uber successful company was a dollar and a dream. With fresh food, old fashion customer service, humble hearts and a lot of gratitude, they continue to succeed in a competitive market. They are strickly focused on catering services so that they can direct all their attention to providing brides, corporate clients and social clients with tasty food and unbeatable prices. Last year alone, they did over 320 events (17 of which were at our venue)! Can you say busy? They continue to work to surpass that this year and they would love to caterer your next event.

If you are looking for a caterer with reasonable pricing, impressive service and down-right good food, Heavenly Gourmet is perfect for your next event. Here are the essentials: Website: www.heavenlyg.com; Phone: 210.496.9090; Email: heavenly.gourmet@scbglobal.net. Call or email them today about doing a taster at their office.

Prior to opening their doors over 2 1/2 years ago, the CCT catered private events and gained a rather large following here in the Alamo City. Handling crowds of up to 1000 guests (w/events for up to 2000 guests in 2010)  is the same as catering a small dinner party for their team, as they strive to pay attention to the customers needs completely. CCT prides themselves on provided a dining experience that is at least equal to, if not better than that of the city’s best restaurants and we have to agree! Plaza Lecea has had CCT cater numerous in-house events and we have all experienced the first class service and savory dishes. They always have plenty of staff on-site for the events to ensure that every guest has a pleasurable experience.

Some of CCT’s most popular dishes include: Seared pepper crusted tuna on a chipolte cream cheese crisp with chili escabeche, smoked marinated pork loin with a peach jalapeno glaze, and bleu cheese stuffed bacon wrapped dates in a maple sabayon (is your mouth watering yet?!). Executive Chef, Jeff White, has a great ability to create tantilizing dishes for the masses, which is not an easy feat when you have cook the meals in their kitchen and then transport it to an event.

One of our favorite things about CCT is their affordability. Brides on a budget can still serve an amazing meal with quality service to their guests with CCT. Prices start out at $12.50 a person and go to around $50 for the works (majority of the dishes are under $25), but this pricing is also inclusive of porcelain plates and glassware. They also have a unique spin on service style. While most caterers only offer seated or buffet meals, CCT also has an option for family style service in addition to a seated or buffet meal. This is their most requested option, where they deliver large platters of food to each table–kind of like a buffet at your table. Your guests can choose the amount of food and the specific items that they want, fostering a family dinner-like atmosphere.

In addition to catering, CCT also provides bar services, linen, decor and event management services for your event. We are very proud to have such an innovative catering service on our list of approved vendors and we hope that you will check them out as well: www.thecct.net

With nine years of experience, ADC has hit the ground running in the San Antonio market. You will find them in a few dozen venues, working private parties and holding down the fort at their restaurant, Old San Fransisco Steakhouse, where their corporate offices and kitchen are located. ADC can serve up to 7000 people per event and do on average 800 events per year. They are known for their delectable food, but they also can provide rentals (linens, place settings, tents, stages, dance floors, etc), decor (including floral, arches, lighting, drapery, etc) and entertainment. They fequent our facilities as often as possible and we love it when they are out here!

Some of their more popular dishes include their international cuisine, like their Tour of Italy or their South of the Border menu. Our favorite here at Plaza Lecea is their ever so popular Chicken Picatta, garlic scalloped potatoes and vegetable medley. Menu pricing starts at $13 a person and is inclusive a salad (we recommend the spring salad with a raspberry vinaigrette), a protein, a starch, vegetable, roll and either tea or water. ADC is also our exclusive caterer for corporate meals here at Plaza Lecea. We have special pricing for their menus when renting our space. We can offer their breakfast, lunch, snacks for breaks, cocktail hour menus and bar services.

While their food is honestly amazing and completely lives up to their name, we really feel that their service sets them apart. Time and time again, our clients rave about how they felt like they were at a fine dining restaurant when being served by ADC because of their impecable attention to detail and above-and-beyond attitude. Each of their servers that pass through the doors of our facility treat guests as if they were serving them in their home and all reasonable requests are always prompty attended to.

You have many choices for catering here in San Antonio, but we highly recommend you checking out ADC for your next event! You wont be disappointed! Check out their menu here: http://www.absolutelydelicious.com/abdelmenus.pdf or call them at 210.342.2321 for more details.

The wedding dress is considered the prized and most valued commodity in any wedding… and although weddings are not only about the bride, many highly regard the bride to be the “centerpiece” of the wedding. As a result, brides often commence their wedding preparations by first selecting their wedding dress—which alone can be an extremely difficult task if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

There is such an abundance of dresses to choose from, and a bride can often become overwhelmed by the breadth of variety when shopping for this memorial occasion….so what better way to find the “perfect dress for your perfect day” than by experimenting a little!

Here’s where you can start! …

Linda Asaf Designs of Austin, TX carries one of a kind, unique designs known for their classic silhouettes with edgy details made from luxurious fabrics from around the globe. Brides and women alike are attracted to these works of craftsmanship because of their flirtatious yet powerful irony that sends a modern message of strength and glamour with no regrets. Her designs have been sold in world-class retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom as well as upscale boutiques nationwide.

Linda is a proud business owner in the state’s capitol with an immense passion and satisfaction for working directly with her clients. You can view more of her collection at http://www.lin/daasaf.com/. In the meantime, check out these pics…

An Event to Remember offers full service catering, linens and decor for the modern or traditional bride. One of the most important elements for an event is ambiance and they create the best environment to entertain your guests. They focus on the details that will set your event apart all the while creating delicious food and unforgettable decor. From their innovative plating techniques (for your hors’duerves and entrees) to their intricate floral designs, An Event to Remember has become a forerunner in the catering/event market in San Antonio. To top it off, their dinner pricing starts at only $9 per person.

A complete linen package is included with every evening package from Plaza Lecea, and our brides have over forty colors to choose from in satin or organza. Most brides will find a color to match their theme and they have the option of upgrading their linen package as well. Some of their upgraded fabrics include crushed velour, pintucks, and patterned satin and organza.

More and more of our brides are turning to An Event to Remember because of their full service catering packages that include floral centerpieces. An Event to Remember team member will carefully help you incorporate your colors/theme into an original floral design to add the finishing touches to your reception. Using a vendor for multiple elements will surely help simplify your wedding planning process.

For more information about An Event to Remember, please visit the An Event to Remember website or their catering & event blog for more trends and informative tips for your next event.