Patchwork Catering: Fresh Green Catering

Patchwork Catering is a boutique, owner-operated catering company where you have the opportunity to work directly with the chef-owners to custom tailor your wedding day reception and rehearsal menus that fit your specific taste, lifestyle and budget, all while taking a sincere approach to not only providing a wedding catering experience that you want and expect, but doing it with a conscientious effort towards resource conservation and management while utilizing locally sourced, seasonally fresh, sustainably farmed ingredients and artisan products.

Because Patchwork Catering is the fresh face of green catering in Baltimore, Maryland, our recent experiences have found us in contact with brides and grooms who are looking for creative, budget friendly solutions to their wedding day reception catering needs. If your wedding dates are flexible, you may consider booking your wedding date during off-peak seasons as many event spaces and catering companies offer more favorable rates during the months of January through March, July and August when compared to peak season rates. For those couples having outdoor summer weddings during the months of July, August and September, having a reception that features the very best of the local growing season can help maximize your food budget as well.

Chef Jacki’s current favorite summer wedding buffet concept is one that mirrors a farmer’s market display which features freshly prepared imaginative salads served alongside a colorful selection of grilled flatbreads, kebabs and sliders served with unique and enticing marinades, toppings and condiments that not only have broad appeal, but get you and your guests ignited with satisfaction in their enjoyment the food. This concept is an excellent way to have a visually stunning food display that allows for variety and flexibility all while keeping the menu and staffing manageable which in turns helps keep you aligned with your budget expectation.

It really does take a lot of hard work and perseverance to make for a green wedding, and choosing a caterer that utilizing locally grown, sustainably farmed ingredients will have one of the biggest impacts on greening your wedding day. Other ideas include choosing tap water over bottled water, organic sodas, beers and local wineries. Ditch the disposables or if you must use disposables use those which are compostable or made out of recycled materials. One fun and fresh way to green your wedding is to give edible favors that reflect the season--freshly picked cherries in a small paper bag with a personalized stamp, a small packet of seeds or a potted plant is a wonderful way of thanking (and reminding) your guests of your specially shared occasion and experiences together.

When it comes to greening your wedding there are many options from which you can choose from, and the amount of planning and preparation can be staggering, but it is important to keep in mind while you’re making these decisions and figuring out where to make sacrifices and where to be steadfast, the most important aspect in this process is having your wedding day be one that which reflects you, yourselves above all else.