In every sense of the word it was a ‘full’ program
When the Greater Boston Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) contacted Jules Catering’s Mimi Deignan and asked if Jules could pull together a high-profile fundraiser for 450 guests, most of whom would be arriving hungry and thirsty directly from work and descending more or less in one fell swoop upon the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology’s historic lobby and auditorium in Boston’s South End, Mimi didn’t hesitate:
“Yes, we can!”
The Mayor, looking reassuringly robust, arrives!
“And Jules will make it really special,” Mimi was quick to add, “not just because LISC is an organization that has made such a positive difference in our community and its 30th anniversary is a landmark event, but because among the hundreds of colleagues, activists, and friends of the organization attending will be Boston Mayor Tom Menino, the president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, Paul Grogan, and WBUR radio host Tom Ashbrook, as well as many other wonderful people who qualify as “luminaries” because they work so hard to make Boston a better place for all of us to live.”
Boston LISC believes in opportunities for all
The notion that everyone has the right to live in a safe, prosperous neighborhood rich with opportunities is a core belief of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and for 30 years the Greater Boston office has been providing funding, financing, and technical assistance to help transform disadvantaged neighborhoods. An excerpt from Boston LISC Executive Director Bob Van Meter’s March 15 Boston Globe Op Ed, “Three Decades of Rebirth and Renewal,” captures the gist:
“Today, Boston is a safer, healthier and yes, prettier place, where neighborhoods once written off as hopeless now thrive. LISC didn’t know how to make that happen alone, but it knew how to bring together the people who could: philanthropists, bankers, community leaders, businesses and, maybe most important, the residents themselves, who always know best what their neighborhoods need to get back on their feet.”
Hugs all around–and cheers to good neighbors!
Clearly, Greater Boston LISC has a nurturing vision, and when it comes to supporting those who nurture, Jules has a vision, too!
Jules Catering handles large parties with ease
Jules is fastidious about shrimp preparation
“You’re right,” Mimi told us, when we marveled at how great the hors d’oeuvres tasted, how skillfully food and drinks were served and replenished, and–bottom line–what a good time was being had by all.
“You can’t pull off an event like this without meticulous advance planning and superb organization,” Mimi elaborated. “Nor would it be possible if we couldn’t absolutely rely on each other to tackle individual tasks, while also working together as a seamless team. Congenial bartenders quickly responding to throngs of thirsty celebrants, tray-bearing servers wending their way through party guests deeply engaged in conversation, chefs who immediately acclimate to off-site kitchens with all their particular quirks–only when every member of a team pulls together can a party like this succeed.”
Incredibly, we observed, the Jules team makes it look easy.
“That’s because we’re professionals. Jules handles big (and small) parties with ease.”
Jules’ take-charge Party Chef Alex Restrepo sends Honey-Lime Shrimp with Citrus Aioli on its way
Longtime Party Chef Alex Restrepo oversees preparation and presentation of food, in this instance, serving trays for passed hors d’oeuvres, as well as large platters for stationary food displays.
While we paused to admire the Franklin Institute’s Charles E. Mills 1910 murals, Jules’ Robyn Michel gets to work
LISC celebrants occupied every nook and cranny of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology’s meeting space. Above and just below, guests mingle in the airy, marble-floored lobby with Franklin-themed murals painted by Charles E. Mills (1856-1956).
We were struck by how unobtrusively Server Maggie Caro (and her colleagues) offered hors d’oeuvres to a packed house
Jules’ Party Planner Mimi Deignan (shown passing between the balloon-festooned reception area and a food-laden table, just above) was in constant circulation, as were Jules’ servers. Passed hors d’oeuvres included:
Honey-Lime Shrimp with Citrus Aioli
Sesame Chicken with Soy Cilantro
Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Tartlets
Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Caramelized Onions
Some stationary food displays were all-vegetarian
Vegetarian offerings included Jules’ Meze Platter, which featured:
Grilled Eggplant
Baba Ghanoush
Taboulleh
Vegetarian-Stuffed Grape Leaves
Hummus
Homemade Pita Chips and Sesame Seed Lavasch
Catering large parties is ‘a piece of cake’ for Jules
And, just above, in the Franklin Institute’s dual-purpose auditorium/ballroom, which we were were told is a scaled-down replica of Boston’s Symphony Hall, Event Sales Manager Brooke de Moraes makes certain that every guest will enjoy a piece of Anniversary Cake.
We never have to ask the always gracious Mimi Deignan to say ‘cheese,’ because she’s always smiling!
“Jules likes nothing better than to support good causes,” Mimi told us, as we bid adieu to the Mayor and gathered our things to go. “To take good care of those who take good care of others is enormously satisfying–not just for those of us working this party tonight, but for all of us at Jules.”
Looking ahead, Jules will leap at every opportunity to cater to our ‘Neighborhood Mayor’
Photo Credits: Liz Muir
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