Wedding Tips from Chef Deanna

With over 30 years of experience under her belt, Chef Deanna has been specializing in “farm to table” weddings in the Catskills for the last 15 years. Everything she makes is homemade by Deanna herself to guarantee quality. We recently caught up with her to ask a few questions. Here is what she said about being part of such a growing industry.

“Folks always ask me what my favorite dish to make is, which is manicotti. It was my favorite food to eat growing up and I constantly hounded my mom to make it, so she taught me how. It was the first thing I learned to cook and I was about 8 years old. I am still making them and I love that I bring this special family dish to weddings. It is so time consuming and a ton of work but worth it.

“Another question I am asked often is regarding service style. People have a misconception about buffet being a less fancy way to serve a large crowd. We prefer a buffet for a few reasons, one is the fact that it is beautiful … is there anything more beautiful than a bountiful table? For me it is a classic service style. From a professional point of view. I have served weddings for over 30 years and I can say, when people go through a buffet line and have the chance to pick what they want to eat and even have seconds, folks are happy. I don’t mind serving a plated dinner either, at least we know everyone was fed. The worst serving style is “family style” hand down. No one actually wants to go to a wedding that is serving “family style”. Don’t get me wrong, it is a lovely way to eat dinner with your family but not serve a large group of people. It really comes down to common sense. Since all of our weddings are outside, and we are putting hot food in ceramic plates and then placing them on the table and waiting for people to serve themselves. It is not a great idea at all and in most cases now, we simply say no to it.

“A few tips I would give to couples planning their wedding: One would be only serve beer and wine, I have seen alcohol do horrible things to a wedding and lets be honest, we are all adults now. Do we have to be doing shots of tequila and getting sick in the woods all night at a friends wedding? No, it is never a good look. By all means, party and have fun with friends but maybe be a bit classier on your wedding.

“Another tip is ask other vendors for recommendations regarding everything. So, instead of telling the photographer how you want your pictures taken, leave it to the photographer. Same applies for the caterer and DJ … most of us are professionals and we have served or worked more weddings than most so allowing creating freedom, in most cases, makes the day so much better.

“Another tip is have snack to guest to leave with. It really doesn’t matter what they are, it can be random chip or crackers or cookies as long as someone can put it in their purse and eat in on the way home. Everyone loves this. Oh and bring small bottles of water for the way home also.

“These are just a few little things but they make a huge difference to a wedding day.”

For more information about Chef Deanna, visit her website at chefdeanna.com.